Lori (lkernagh) Hits her Prime in 2013! - Fifth Thread

Welcome visitors, lurkers and pretty much anyone just passing through this 'fifth' thread for the challenge. If you are new and wish to get caught up on what has happened so far, my previous threads can be found here:

First Thread
Second Thread
Third Thread
Fourth Thread



There is no way I will be able to read 169 books for a full 13 in 13, but I do like the idea of categories so I have come up with my own twist on the theme: 13 categories where each category, come the end of the year, is considered completed if the number of books read in that category equals a prime number.

(Personal reminder - Prime numbers are 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47...and so on, and so on)

The categories in my 2013 Prime Challenge:

1. All things GRAPHIC
2. All things NEW (published in 2012 or 2013)
3. All things EPISTOLARY
4. All things GOTHIC
5. All things FABLES and FAIRY TALES - original and retold
6. All things EUROPA
7. All things REGENCY - books set in the Regency period
8. All things PENGUIN
9. All things MITFORD
10. All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES
11. All things NEWSWORTHY (books that get alot of buzz - On LT, as prize contenders and winners, etc)
12. All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE
13. All things WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN - The life saving 'catch-all category'

My goal here is to try and make a dent in my TBR pile so I have chosen my categories with that end goal in mind. Descriptions of the categories along with some preliminary candidates are listed in the posts below.

1. All things GRAPHIC



It's time I joined the growing masses reading and enjoying graphic novels. I have created this category with the Sandman group read in mind, as well as my intention to dive into Bill Willingham's Fables series (reserving the right to also slot Willingham's books under the Fables and Fairy Tales category.)

BOOKS READ:
1. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman - (review)
2. A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina Illustrated by Antonio Fuso - (review)
3. The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman - (review)
4. Black Butler, Vol. 1 by Yana Toboso - (review)
5. Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso - (review)
6. Black Butler, Vol. 3 by Yana Toboso - (review)
7. Black Butler, Vol. 4 by Yana Toboso - (review)
8. The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman - (review)
9. How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal - (review)
10. Freaks of the Heartland by Steve Niles - (review)
11. The Sandman: Vol. 4 Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman - (review)
12. The Sandman: Vol. 5 A Game of You by Neil Gaiman - (review)
13. Sandman Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

2. All things NEW (published in 2012 or 2013)



Self explanatory. I tend to gravitate to fresh 'off the press' books and wanted a category to capture these enticing gems!

BOOKS READ:
1. Clay: A Novel by Melissa Harrison - (review)
2. Love and The Mess We're In by Stephen Marche - (review)
3. Complication by Isaac Adamson - (review)
4. The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb - (review)
5. The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris - (review)
6. Care of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles - (review)
7. Type by Alicia Hendley - (review)
8. Basti by Intizar Husain - (review)
9. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn - (review)
10. A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files - (review)
11. The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway - (review)
12. Engn by Simon Kewin - (review)
13. Red Dragon White Dragon by Gary Dolman - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

3. All things EPISTOLARY



This is a category I was planning to include in my 12 in 12 and as it just didn't happened, I have dusted off the category for the 2013 challenge.

BOOKS READ:
1. The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber- (review)
2. Lady Susan by Jane Austen - (review)
3. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - (review)
4. Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril and Romance by Marthe Jocelyn - (review)
5. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole - (review)
6. Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life and Letters by Mary Todd Lincoln, Justin Turner and Linda Levitt Turner - (review)
7. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

4. All things GOTHIC



I am so looking forward to this category. Lots of great books out there I have never read that will fit perfectly here!

BOOKS READ:
1. Enter At Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices edited by Alex Scully - (review)
2. Mrs. God by Peter Straub - (review)
3. Mistress of Blackstone Castle by Patricia Werner - (review)
4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - (review)
5. Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

5. All things FABLES and FAIRY TALES - original and retold



Yes, I can be a sucker for tales, fables and everything magical! Another category to try and dive into all the books out there that are a retelling in one form or another.

BOOKS READ:
1. Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge - (review)
2. Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham - (review)
3. Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham - (review)
4. Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham - (review)
5. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - (review)
6. Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham - (review)
7. The Arabian Nights Entertainments selected and edited by Andrew Lang - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

6. All things EUROPA


I am a big fan of the books published by Europa Editions. I currently have six of their books languishing on my TBR bookcase and others waiting for me at my local library. 2013 will be a year where I will try to explore the books they publish!

BOOKS READ:
1. Sorry by Gail Jones - (review)
2. Old Filth by Jane Gardam - (review)
3. UTU by Caryl Férey - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

7. All things REGENCY - books set in or written during the British Regency period



I need a category for some tried and true escapism reading courtesy of Georgette Heyer, etc. The British Regency period is a rather tight one according to the Wikipedia article, spanning the time period from 1811 — when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent through to 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV on the death of his father. As narrow as that time period is, I will have no problem finding books to fill this category..... I may even surprise myself and dive into one or two of Jane Austen's novels!

BOOKS READ:
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- (review)
2. The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany - (review)
3. Frederica by Georgette Heyer - (review)
4. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer - (review)
5. Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

8. All things PENGUIN


Awe, that darling little aquatic, flightless bird that subtly graces the spine and cover of so many books that catch my eye! Time to pay homage to the multitude of books published by the second largest trade book publisher in the world (after Random House, and no.... I don't have a category for Random House. Maybe next year.)

BOOKS READ:
1. The Little Book by Selden Edwards - (review)
2. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

9. All things MITFORD



Another self explanatory category. I have all nine books in Jan Karon's Mitford series on my TBR bookcase and I figure this is the time to settle in and visit Midford. The fact that these are published by Penguin will make it easy to keep the books read in this category to equal a prime number!

BOOKS READ:

1. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

10. All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS, and TRILOGIES



According to LT, I have 118 series read or in progress which makes this category a must, especially for the new series that keep being brought to my attention via book bullets while reading everyone's threads! This is also a safety net for when I need to move books around from one category to another in line with Prime!

BOOKS READ:
1. A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch- (review)
2. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton - (review)
3. Soulless by Gail Carriger - (review)
4. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik - (review)
5. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear - (review)
6. Changeless by Gail Carriger - (review)
7. Deeds of Men by Marie Brennan - (review)
8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - (review)
9. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - (review)
10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - (review)
11. Blameless by Gail Carriger - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

11. All things NEWSWORTHY - books that get a lot of buzz - On LT, as prize contenders and winners, etc


A category for when I just have to find out for myself what all the fuss is about!

BOOKS READ:

1. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel - (review)
2. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - (review)
3. The Dinner by Herman Koch - (review)
4. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - (review)
5. February by Lisa Moore - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

12. All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE



As of the end of August 2012, I had 250 books on my TBR bookcase waiting for my attention. Not an awful lot of books by LT standards but still, I buy books to read them, not for them to languish on the shelves and become dust collectors..... for the record, I hate dusting. Time to move these boys, even if it is to make way for new books.

BOOKS READ:
1. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka- (review)
2. The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison - (review)
3. Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon - (review)
4. Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai - (review)
5. Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson - (review)
6. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson - (review)
7. The Alienist by Caleb Carr - (review)
8. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff - (review)
9. The Moor is Dark Beneath the Moon by David Watmough - (review)
10. The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe - (review)
11. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

13. All things WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN - The life saving 'catch-all category'



BOOKS READ:
1. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - (review)
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (père) - (review)
3. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - (review)
4. The Hopfield Tales by Mike Evers - (review)
5. Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer - (review)
6. Steampunk Voyages: Around the World in Six Gears by Irene Radford - (review)
7. Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid - (review)

CATEGORY COMPLETED

Welcome to my 'Autumn' thread. Feel free to snuggle up beside the fire, grab yourself a glass of hot apple cider, hot chocolate or mulled wine and curl up in a comfy chair for a while. Slippers will be provided.



This thread is now open for business!

Books #78 - The Moor is Dark Beneath the Moon by David Watmough
Category: - All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE



From the book inside cover flap:

After decades in Canada, Davey Bryant returns to Cornwall, England, for the funeral of a mysterious relative and lands in the middle of a property-inheritance squabble that threatens to escalate into something far worse. Distraught by the changing landscape of his beloved homeland, Davey wanders the lonely moors and is soon sleuthing his way through a farce of megalithic proportions in which a midget couple driving a Morris Mini van might or might not be reincarnations of an evil Camelot dwarf and his consort. In the course of his investigations, Davey becomes even more dislocated in time as he tries to fathom the nature of a gay family tree that besides himself may include a spinster aunt and a good-looking teenage cousin named Quentin. Magic's in the air, and it's not just the glint of the BBC cameras shooting a miniseries about Merlin and King Arthur in Tintagel. As Davey says about the moors, "Lots of things have died out here. And not just bodies, but hopes and strange loves. Nothing is really quite as it seems."

I purchased this book about this time last year when I came across a book sale while walking through the library courtyard on my lunch break. The dark cover, the dark hidden family secrets and the title all seemed to make this one a perfect fit for the October RandomCAT. Silly me didn't realize that this is book 12 in a rather loosely knit series of books all based on the main character, Davey Bryant, so it is possible that my quibbles about this story could be because I haven't read any of the previous books.

For the most part this is your typical "death in the family = return to one's roots" kind of introspective study. Problem is the book isn't all that introspective. I found Davey to be a rather crotchety septuagenarian and I had troubles coming to terms with a character that on one hand was enjoying manipulating situations while at the same time weakly finding himself subject to some unusual time shifts of memory. It also didn't help when Davey would come across as a petulant school boy when the facts being discovered - remember, there is a family mystery of sorts to be uncovered here - didn't meet with his understanding of the situation. From a settings perspective, Watmough does a good job conveying the dichotomy of a Cornwall that has never changed in hundreds of years with the Cornwall that is unrecognizable to its returning son. The ending left me unsatisfied.... pieces were still not adding up in a clean manner, but like life, maybe it isn't supposed to add up. Some things tend to remain a mystery, no matter how hard we try to uncover the truth.

Watmough has a solid biography as a writer in Canada for five decades with 20 books to his credit. He was even the first president of the Federation of B.C. Writers. Having grown up mainly in Cornwall, the setting for this story - and the trip home Davey makes after decades of living on Canada's west coast - has a hint of autobiography to it, even though Watmough clearly states in his author's statement at the end of the book that he did not conceive of this book as any kind of swan song. He admits that this novel was written to address some unfinished business and approached it with no preconceived notions... he just let the story write itself. I will probably try and track down a couple of the first Davey Bryant books, as it was probably wrong of me to start with the 'last book', so take this review with the grain of salt that there is probably a lot more to this story that might make sense if all the books in the series have been read first.

Decimal Rating: 3.16
2.75 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
2.75 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.25 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 176 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Male

Next up: The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe.

Love the new thread-topper pic!

What you say above is why I always try to read a series in order - if the first ones aren't great, it may just be because the writer hasn't quite hit his stride, but if one in the middle isn't good, you don't know if it's because you're missing information that has come before, or if this is just a rare dud in the series, or if the whole series isn't your thing. The locale sounds interesting, though, but the characters are no. 1 for me.

That picture sure is haunting (and haunted). I noticed the arched cat on the left and as I looked at it more closely I started picking out more hidden figures around the innocent little girl in her white dress. Very cool for Halloween!

Happy new thread! Settling in with a mug of tea and some gingersnaps. It doesn't feel much like fall here but I can always dream.

Congrats on the new thread. I love the illustration. We're still in the 90s here, but I'm among those dreaming of Fall.

Congrats on your shiny new thread! Sorry you didn't enjoy your last book more.

Happy new thread! Too bad you didn't like your last book so much, but I found your review interesting all the same.

Nice new thread Lori. That picture is perfectly creepy for October.

Happy new thread! It's been warmer than normal here this week, but the trees are starting to change color. I love fall! I gets lots of energy for some reason.

Nice, shiny new thread Lori. I'm finally all caught up over here, love your beaded necklaces from the last thread.

Thanks for stopping by my new thread Eva, malzel, rabbitprinces, Jennifer, Lori, Paulina, Kelly, Betty and Alana and all the great comments for the new thread and for the thread topper. When I can across the image up at the top of this thread, I just knew it would be perfect for a fall thread!

I am still 'meh' on my take on The Moor is Dark Beneath the Moon. As Eva mentioned above, I am now a firm believer that books should be read in series order. Not sure if the Davey Bryant series would redeem itself to me if I go back and start at the beginning, but it is worth a try.

Busy week and weekend. I am starting to get twitchy about Christmas crafting and have been checking on line for some interesting Christmas tree ornament ideas, preferably something that incorporates beads. I have a couple of ideas and will be making a trip to Micheal's tomorrow to see if these thoughts transport into ideas I can work with. Our Christmas tree theme has remained pretty consistent over the past five years - a red, gold and 'natural' theme where the natural ornaments are things like pine cones, mini wreaths with holly berries and some decorated wooden drums. Time to add some new ornaments into the mix so I will be hunting around for ideas that are consistent/compliment the current theme.

On the reading front, I am still working my way through The Butcher Boy, but only because it is a rather disturbing read for me and I need to walk away from it from time to time. I hope to finish it later this evening.

Books #79 - The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe
Category: - All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE

"I climbed in the back of the chickenhouse and just stood in there in that woodchip world listening to the scrabbling of the claws on tin and the fan purring away keeping the town going. When we were in there me and Joe used to think: Nothing can ever go wrong. But it wasn't like that any more."

Set in a small town in Ireland in the early 1960's against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and just prior to the start of The Troubles, The Butcher Boy is a disturbing view inside the mind of a troubled young boy, Francis "Francie" Brady. Told from Francie's point of view in a garbled stream of consciousness style of writing, this story is a deeply disturbing first person perspective of a child's hell growing up in a dysfunctional family where his Da spends his time immersed in drink and abusing his Ma and the locals refer to the Brady family as "the pigs". Even Francie's only friend, Joe Purcell, starts to distance himself from Francie's growing "dark side" of violent behaviour, disregard for personal property and brooding grudges against one of the families in town.

Filled with a lot of dark humor, confusing leaps in mental focus and horrifying scenes of macabre, this is a disturbing read as Francie's world is filled with death and loss. Francie is viewed by his neighbors as not quite human, making Francie a social outcast and all alone with no support network to help him. McCabe has done an amazing job capturing Francie's mind as he slowly decends from a child relying on fantasy as a way to escape his dysfunctional and unloving world into one of genuine insanity as Francie lashes out at the world that has shunned him. The frustration Francie feels is palpable.

The New York Times Books Review called this one "Stunning... part Huck Finn, part Holden Caulfield, part Hanibal Lecter." If you are like me, as you read this one, you will want to reach out and help Francie but at the same time, you will pull back scared to death to go near him for fear of what he might do. McCabe manages to present this dichotic image of Francie in believable terms and pulls it off with a skill that makes up for the struggles I had making sense of some of Francie's inner dialogue. While McCabe draws the reader completely inside Francie's mind, he still leaves open a window of awareness for what is going on outside of Francie's delusions and ignorance of reality as it unfolds around him.

As much as I am glad to have finally read this one, I am equally glad that it is now off my TBR pile and it can find a new home somewhere else. This one started to hit my boundaries for horror and morbidity and makes it a difficult one for me to recommend to anyone because of that.

Decimal Rating: 3.28
3.25 - Plot Development
4.50 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
2.50 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.25 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 231 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Male

The Butcher Boy is on the list of books I want to read, but I have come to realize that I'll need to pick the timing carefully to mentally manage it. Great review - thumbing away!

I don't know if I could read The Butcher Boy, but if I ever felt up to it, like Eva, I'd have to make sure it was carefully timed so I could handle it. Kudos to you!

Hi Lori, just dropping by your new thread, I've already commented in the 75 group about adding The Butcher Boy to my wishlist since I quite like taking a walk on the dark side.

I cannot believe it is only Thursday. This week has been an insanely busy one for me at work with no ability to find time to sit back, breath and assess. Friday evening isn't coming fast enough but at the same time I wish time would slow down so that I can get more done and off my desk. Does anyone have a Tardis or time travel machine I can borrow? Monday is a holiday - Canadian Thanksgiving - in my part of the world and I have booked the rest of the week off - Yah!!!! - so this crazy activity at work has me scrambling to try and clear as much as I can off my desk. The work I do is more client-driven project-based and cannot be handed over to someone else to run with while I am out of the office.

So, of course, I am super happy, given the week I have been having, to come here and find visitors have stopped by!

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> 28 and 29 - Hi Eva and Laura, thanks you both and I agree, there are some books out there that one has to mentally manage when they read them. For me, there is a rather stark reality to Francie's world that made parts of the story difficult for me to comfortably read, which is a credit to the author. It must have been challenging for McCabe to write from the perspective of Francie, especially the slow decent into mental illness and insanity. I consider myself to have a low-moderate tolerance level. I was never able to read/watch the Silence of the Lambs and the like, it was Francie's "Huck Finn" side of banter and enthusiasm that was able to compensate for the darker elements of the story, for me.It is probably a good thing I wasn't really sure what I was in for when I started reading this one and once I did find out, I decided it was a perfect read for the October sub challenge over here and that is what motivated me to carry through with reading it.

> 30 - Hi Judy, I stopped by my 75 thread before making my way over here so great to see you popping by both threads! I am looking forward to seeing what you think of The Butcher Boy if you do decide to read it.

Good review of The Butcher Boy, I quite like a bit of darkness so I am intrigued.

wow I am so far behind I had to read your old thread before this one - some great reads here!

> 32 & 33 - Great to see both of you stopping by!

Claire, it was disturbing for some of the violence in the book but more so for the window into the mind of young Francie.

Thanks Pete!

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I am now officially on vacation for the next 10 days and super happy about that. Nothing special planned, more a case of using up some vacation time that I cannot bank or carry over to next year so I am looking forward to puttering around, sleeping in late (or staying up all night and sleeping all day) tackling some minor chores around the house (We have some steamer trunks that need to be opened and the contents gone through for possible disposal) and reading, lots of reading and maybe even some crafting. ;-)

Current Reading:

The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer - currently at the half-way mark. Love the more male focus of this one and really enjoying the rapier wit it has, like the following quote:

'I collect that some meaning lies behind these cryptic utterances,' remarked Vincent. 'Or am I indulging optimism too far?'

Crazy Rich by Jerry Oppenheimer - Yup, couldn't resist a biography that gets into the nitty gritty mess that is this American dynasty. Reading it for the Reading Through Time October biographies theme.

Belated Happy New Thread! Thanks for the warning on The Butcher Boy; it's on my TBR list, so I'll pick it when I'm in the right frame of mind or sandwiched between light hearted reads. Enjoy your vacation and hope you get some good reading in!

Have a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, Lori and a great vacation!

10 days to just do whatever you want? You just described a bit of paradise. Have a great time!

Enjoy your 10 days Lori, sounds like bliss!

Being "forced" to take 10 days off? Oh no - I just couldn't. Please don't make me! Hope you enjoy your holiday and lots of good reading....and crafting.....and ....

I wish I could be forced to take off 10 days with pay right now. I could get so much done! Enjoy your time, and read some great books!

Thanks for the vacation wishes, Alicia, Judy, Eva, Alana, Betty and Lori. I probably should clarify: I am taking the vacation time because I won't be able to carry over any more vacation time into next year if I don't use it up this year. I can bank unused vacation time but at a cost that I can only cash out the banked time if and when I leave the company, and only at the value the time was originally banked at so, of course, I see no motivation to bank any time!

We did the big Thanksgiving dinner last night as tonight and tomorrow night just didn't work for all parties invited, so dinner tonight is - leftovers. I love Thanksgiving leftovers!

I have spent the day tackling some laundry and just puttering around on-line here on LT and surfing the web for crafting ideas for the Christmas ornaments I am going to make. I have now decided that I am going to make some sleigh ornaments out of crafting sticks, sheet music ornaments, vintage-style motif paper fans ornaments as well as some vintage-style wooden tag medallions. Today was a printing day - printing the sheet music and making printouts for the paper fans, as well as printing the vintage motifs that will be added to the plain wooden tag medallions I purchased at Micheal's earlier in the week. I will post some pictures of the planning and the final products, as I am not doing a very good job of describing this craft project. ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll look forward to the pictures of your latest craft project. It sounds like fun!

I know what you mean about the vacation. I've hit the ceiling with accrued leave and won't get any more until I use up some of what I have. Problem is, I'm the only one in the library 2/3s of the time and I enjoy being with the librarian the other 1/3. I take my time when school is out but I still have time off, like an extra 2 days before Thanksgiving, etc. Use it or lose it!

> 42 - Hi Carrie, thanks for the holiday wishes!

> 43 - I am with you on the "use it or lose it" quandary... always a tough call, and really hurts when we are talking about vacation time that has already been earned!

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Today was spent out and about to some of the shops that were open this holiday Monday to pick up further crafting supplies. Good news is all I need now is some clear varnish and some gold gift wrap cord and I have everything I need to get 'crafting'! I have even started my own homemade iron acetate - steel wool soaking in vinegar - which is ventilating on the balcony right now since the chemical combination of the two ingredients produces hydrogen gas. Tomorrow I will be making the tea stain and staining some of the wood pieces, before applying the iron acetate to set the stain in the wood. I am thinking of playing with different teas to see how they stain the wood differently. I am following This Tea Staining Process so we will see how it all turns out.

On the reading front I have finished another book... review below.

Books #80 - The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer
Category: - All things REGENCY



What an enjoyable comic romp, this is, and my favorite Heyer read so far. This was an exceptionally fun period piece, and the funniest Heyer read for me so far. Set in 1817, Major Hugo Darracott, recently returned to England from his war service on the peninsula, finds himself being summoned to Darracott Place by his paternal grandfather, Lord Darracott, as the new heir now that his lord's previous heir and heir apparent have both died in an ill-fated boating expedition off the coast of Cornwall. Hugo, a Yorkshireman giant in size and with a gentle disposition, finds himself under the scrutiny of the remaining Darracott family where they expect their newly discovered working class relation to "eat off his knife". Hugo finds himself surrounded by family he has never met before along with stories of ghosts that haunt the Dowager House and of smugglers and free traders that abound in that area of Sussex and Kent where the Darracott stately pile is located... and a pile it is, a huge rambling house and estate in serious need of repairs.

I am a big fan of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series so, of course, mention of the 95th rifles and some of the battle locations on the Pennisula caught my rapt attention. The characters are great - from the Corinthian cousin Vincent to his fashion forward, Mr. Bromwell wanna-be younger brother Claud to their strong-minded cousin Anthea and eighteen-year-old Richmond, who happens to be Lord Darracott's favorite. I really, really enjoyed how Heyer made the romance take back seat in this one, leaving the story to instead focus on the various male characters, their roles in society and their interactions with one another. The women are present but spend most of their time in the shadows, observing all that is happening. This story also brings some of the servants into the spotlight, kind of like a Downton Abbey experience, and written way before Downton Abbey saw the light of day! As for the adventure at the end, well, lets just say it is a caper that is worthy of reading, even if you don't gravitate towards novels set in the regency period.

Decimal Rating: 4.06
4.25 - Plot Development
4.50 - Character Development
4.00 - Writing Style
4.50 - Readability
4.00 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.50 - Originality
3.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 318 pages
Source: Borrowed
Male/Female Author: Female

Next up: Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer - So far, I am 53 pages into this unauthorized biography and not really taken with it. I will continue to read it tonight but, unless it improves, I might be abandoning this one.

Oh, you're so crafty and creative that I feel a bit like a slug. I do enjoy shopping for supplies, but I'm really bad at actually sitting down and finishing anything. Hope you post some pics when they're done!!

Sounds like a good holiday Monday! Happy Thanksgiving!

Edited for sneaky typo; darn iPad keyboard!

> 46 - Eva, I may be a crafty kind of gal but that doesn't necessarily mean my attempts are prize worthy or anything special. Besides, I am not mentioning all of the yarn, fabric, etc I have bought over the years that are still waiting for me to do something with them. I like to craft while sitting in front of the TV, although if it involves something smelly like paints, I have to be watching something my other half has no interest in... he refuses to sit and try and enjoy a show while being 'asphyxiated' by noxious chemicals. ;-)

Pictures will be posted. Promise!

> 47 - Happy Thanksgiving RP! Monday was relaxing... good thing to, because a little too much food and drink were consumed this weekend. *groans* I Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but afterwards I am always self conscious of every bit of food I consume for weeks after. ;-)

Hey everyone, Happy Tuesday!

Well, today has been productive one but not for reading or crafting, expect for tracking down and purchasing some clear varnish at Micheal's. Since Micheal's is next door to Home Sense, I ventured in there and came away with three boxes of Scottish Fine Soaps and a fantastic casserole pot - yes I acquire kitchenware like I acquire shoes (and soaps, apparently). After that, it was off to the passport office where I whiled away an hour of my day before I was served. Not complaining, more surprised at how busy our little local office was first day after a long weekend. Very happy Canadians finally have the option to get a 10 year passport so I can now check that off my to-do list until 2023. ;-)

My first ever Coursera course started this week so my afternoon was spent getting acquainted with the on-line system, watching the week 1 videos and checking out the discussion forum for the course.... For the next 8 weeks I now have two on-line time eaters: LT and Coursera.

Dinner tonight is wild rice turkey soup, which is simmering away on the stove. This evening will be TV watching at crafting so I may actually have something to report back here with tomorrow, unless I make a complete mess of things in which case, crafting never happened Tuesday evening! ;-)

Oh, I don't know, since I do in fact have a copy of your holiday card from last year and it's very pretty, so I'm expecting great things. :)

I'm another one who can't resist kitchenware, so I fully understand the appeal! :)

I've got to read more Georgette Heyer! I vaguely recall enjoying a couple of her books as a teen and I liked Footsteps in the Dark very much much when I read it a couple of years ago. I keep seeing positive reviews of her books from fellow LibraryThing members and some of my favourite SFF authors like Lois McMaster Bujold list her as a major influence on their own work. I will definitely keep The Unknown Ajax in mind.

Your soup sounds good to me at the moment. I've been a bit under the weather all week, and that just sounds like something that would be tasty!

> 50 - Why, thanks Eva! I have had a bit of a hit-and-miss approach with the current crafting project but mostly positive so I should have some pics to show soon. As for the kitchenware, even my other half was quite taken with the cassarole pot when I showed it to him.... apparently I am now on the hunt for a mini sauce pan for sauces.... we have one but need another smaller one. ;-)

> 51 - Hi Paulina, I haven't read any of Heyer's mysteries yet, only some of her historical romances, but after reading The Unknown Ajax with its bit of mystery, I am now keen to try her other novels. Interesting an SFF author lists Heyer as a major influence... I had to go check the books Bujold had written and based on the books I glanced at, I think I can see why she states her writing has been influenced by Heyer. A Civil Campaign looks like something I might enjoy.

> 52 - Sorry to read that you haven't been feeling well, Lori! I would send you a care package of soup, expect my other half ate it all. I hope you are feeling better.

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Yesterday was a day of grocery shopping, crafting and some reading.

Craft Project Update: I am almost finished the fans, the vintage wooden tags and the sheet music ornaments and I am about to start the sleighs. I hope to be completely finished with the vintage wooden tags later today and will post pics once they are finished.

Reading Update: Juggling two books right now - I am now 140 pages into Crazy Rich, Oppenheimer's unauthorized autobiography of the Johnson & Johnson family Dynasty and almost at the halfway mark of the novella Deeds of Men, an ER book I won back in August that I need to read and review. Both books are now keeping my interest and I hope to finish both before the weekend.

Craft Project Update: I have hit a bit of a snag with my fan ornaments but I am happy to report that the vintage wooden tags, the sheet music ornaments and the wooden sleighs are completed, or will be once I attach the gold hanging cords. Here are a couple of pics of the ornaments:



I am really happy with how they all turned out - in particular, I love how the tea stain with the steel wool and vinegar solution was able to give the otherwise light honey coloured wooden plaques and doweling a weathered, antique look, and goes perfectly with the vintage Christmas images I had found on line and printed! I still have stacks of supplies so I will probably continue crafting some more Christmas ornaments over the next month or so.

Reading Update: Still reading Crazy Rich, Oppenheimer's unauthorized autobiography of the Johnson & Johnson family Dynasty but I hope to finish that one this evening.

I have finished the novella Deeds of Men... review below.

Books #81 - Deeds of Men by Marie Brennan
Category: - All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES



This novella is part of Brennan's Onyx Court historical fantasy series and in series order falls between books 1 and 2. I haven't read any of the Onyx Court books before starting this one. Brennan does a nice job of bringing a reader like me up to speed with her fantasy world set in 17th century England. Our lead character, Sir Micheal Deven, has spent over the last thirty years serving in two courts: the various courts of the mortal realm (Queen Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland and now Charles I) and the faerie court, the Onyx Court, located below the streets of London, where he is consort to Faerie Queen Lune.

This one has all the intrigue and debauchery of the 17th century courts. The inclusion of the faerie realm is a seamless one and quite a fun way to bring historical events like the Spanish Armada, the Gunpowder Treason and the maneuverings of Buckingham into this one. As a first glimpse into the Onyx Court series for me, this one was a wonderfully tantalizing read in a short 72 pages. The only downside for me was I found the story jumped around an awful lot. Usually that doesn't bother me but when the story starts out with a dead body found in a Coldharbour alley on June 2, 1625 and then proceeds to jump back and forth between 1621 and 1625 (and some points in between) to lay out the events, I started to wish the story was being told in a more linear format. That is about my only quibble with this one and I am now looking forward to diving into the other books in the Onyx Court series, or pretty much anything else Brennan has written.

Recommended for readers of historical fiction/ fantasy that like their historical fiction reads to be accurate for facts of the time period and loves to read stories with political intrigue.

Decimal Rating: 3.31
3.50 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.00 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.75 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 72 pages
Source: LTER
Male/Female Author: Female

This book was courtesy of Librarything's Early Reviewer Program.

Next up: Continuing to read Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer.

Wow! Beautiful ornaments! I applaud your craftiness :D

I might have to look into the Onyx Court series.

Those ornaments came out really nice. Very cool.

Your ornaments are gorgeous, Lori. I especially like the vintage wooden tags.

Nice ornaments Lori. Wish my projects went as quickly.

Thanks rabbitprincess, BookLizard, Judy and Betty..... I had a lot of fun making the ornaments. The vintage wooden tags are my other half's favorites.

> 57 - I know, I would never have heard of the Onyx Court series of books if it hadn't been for LTER and for Caroline (craso) mentioning the series order!

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Foggy evening last night has lead to a foggy Saturday morning. Not much planned today except a trip to the stores in a little bit - after I have consumed my morning cup of coffee, that is! - to see if I can find a compartmentalized storage system for all of my beads. Then it will be an afternoon of reading and making a batch of turkey chili for this evening.

Books #82 - Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer
Category: - All things NEW

"They are a mixed-up, weird bunch, and always have been," he came to believe. "You couldn't make them up in fiction. They are dysfunctional and just don't know how to live a normal life. The whole family is like a great big spiderweb that innocent people would drop into - normal people who get caught in the Johnson web of craziness. There were the three brothers who started Johnson and Johnson, and they were smart. By the time they got down to Seward's generation this was a pretty pathetic bunch. It's almost like European royalty."

Well, they are not like any European royalty I have read about, but probably because even with the constant name-dropping Oppenheimer does to show just how connected the Johnson & Johnson family clan are with America's Who's Who in money and in politics, I lost interest in this one pretty fast. After reaching the 200 page mark and only seeing more same-old, same-old (this family really is a stuck record of broken marriages, drinking, drugs, extravagance, conniving, weirdness and tragedy) I pretty much skim read the remaining 252 pages.

What did I glean from this one? That Robert Wood Johnson, the founder of the company that we all now know as Johnson & Johnson, and his two brothers, were sharp entrepreneurs - a little too sharp for my tastes, especially when they hoodwinked Clara Barton to give them exclusive rights to use her iconic Red Cross symbol in exchange for one dollar - and that no family member has been involved in the running of Johnson & Johnson in any substantial way since "the General", Robert's son, died in 1968. The family members with any smarts went to great pains to distance themselves from the clan - or were distanced by the clan - and find their own paths in business, the arts and whatever else they could find, usually starting out with trust fund money set aside for them. This distance between the business and the family that created it is, IMO, the reason the company continues to be a success today.

While this probably is a good and well researched expose biography, I was hoping to read more about the company, its earlier product lines and its success story. If you are looking for that kind of a read, you will have to look elsewhere. At least three of the four Robert Wood Johnson's - Yup, four generations with the same flipping name! - went by nicknames "the General;", "Bobby" and "Woody" to make the story, which jumps around a fair bit, less confusing to read, but it is still a really long read about a lot of people that I really started to like less and less as I continued reading. I found myself willing to put the book down to engage in otherwise mundane choirs like wash the kitchen floor and clean the bathroom, that is how boring this book finally became for me.

Some dynasties reclaim their original glory, others become or remain notorious and some, with time, eventually fade away from memory. Regardless of whatever happens to the Johnson dynasty, I don't think they will ever regain the spark that three brothers ignited to create Johnson & Johnson.

This book may appear more to readers that like to read the gossip of a rich family or has a greater interest in some of the various players, political and otherwise, that are mentioned in this one... it just didn't do it for me.

Decimal Rating: 2.00
Star Rating: 2.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hard cover
# of Pages: 496 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Next up: I have started reading Go Ask Alice as my purse read - curious to see how this one holds up compared to when I read it as a teenager yonks ago - and I am about to start Larsson's book The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. My goal is to try and make it through all three books in the Millennium Trilogy this month.

Darn. Sorry you didn't like Crazy Rich. I was hoping it was something I could recommend to my nonfiction-loving friend.

I can't imagine Go Ask Alice will have held up well. As I recall, all it had going for it was shock value. But you've given me an idea. I need books for my reread category, so I might try The Outsiders.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo starts off slow for the first 100 pages, then it never stops. You'll want to have the next books ready to go - The Girl Who Played With Fire ends on a cliffhanger.

Yes it does! And I think book 3 was my favorite! I was so sorry when it ended.

ETA: And yet there were a few things that I didn't think were resolved at the end, leading me to believe there would have been more books had he lived. (I have heard the controversy about a book that was still on his computer, but who knows if that will ever be resolved.)

>61 lkernagh: Darn. I was getting more and more interested until you said "boring". Maybe it would have been more palatable if it had been shorter. I recently read a book that should have been about 60 pages shorter as the tension couldn't be maintained.
Thanks for the review!

> 62 - Crazy Rich didn't work for me as a book but that is not to say someone else might not find it interesting. It could be that the book doesn't really cater to a non-American reader like myself who doesn't recognize the political names being dropped or takes any kind of interest in how so-and-so knows so-and-so.

You might be right about Go Ask Alice. I think the audience for this one really were the teens of the 1970's when the book was first published and had more of a shock value then than it seems to have for me now. As an adult reading it, I find myself spending more time paying attention to different things that didn't catch my attention when I first read it as a teenager.

I loved The Outsiders! I will be very curious to see how that one holds up on re-read!

I am reading the 841 page paperback version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and already at the 200 page mark. Luckily, I collected these books and already have books two and three waiting in the wings.... I had a sneaking suspicion that I will find myself plowing through these books in short order! ;-)

> 63 - Nice to see a second recommendation that the Millennium Trilogy picks up steam! I had heard that Larsson had other manuscripts on his computer of works in progress. Would be curious to see what comes of that material!

> 64 - Awe, Jenn, you may enjoy Crazy Rich a lot more than I did..... I loose interest in books when they name drop names, I just go "Who?" and feel like I live on a different planet from the intended reading audience. ;-) Shorter would have been great, as would some control over the meandering route Oppenheimer takes in telling this one. I get wanting to deal with one family member at a time but that method leads to a lot of rehashing the same ground over and over again. I pretty much washed my hands when I reached the part about Casey Johnson when a relative retold the story of taking Casey to a grocery store when she was 12 or 14 and the girl was stunned by all that she saw because she had never set foot in a grocery story before.... stuff like that just drives me nuts. Did I mention that you might still like this one??? ;-0

->54 lkernagh:
I love those vintage tags! Lovely!

->62 BookLizard:
Yes! The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo can be read by itself, but the other two are part of the same story-arc so you'll need both.

->65 lkernagh:
I'm afraid he only had about 100 pages of notes and nothing coherent finished. His plan was for 10 novels total, but alas, that was not to be. :(

Love your decorations Lori, the vintage tags are beautiful! I see things like that and wish I had the craft gene :-)

@65-66, there was also some kerfuffle over ownership/rights management of those untold stories after he died. I've never read anything to say that those differences had been resolved as yet.

@ 54 -- I LOVE your sheet music ornaments!

Your ornaments are beautiful! My favorites are the sheet music ones.

> 66 - Thanks Eva! Good to know the first book in the Millennium Trilogy is more of a stand alone. Books 2 and 3 are ready and waiting! Darn, 100 pages isn't much to work with the give us more books in the series. Double darn!

> 67 - Thanks Alana and as for the crafting gene, I don't think I have one. Most of these projects were pretty easy and I am sure you could make these or something equally fun and special. Thankfully, crafting supplies these days - probably courtesy of the scrapbooking hobbyists - makes it easy to get a number of supplies already cut to size so that all one needs to do is spend some time with some glue, some paint and the web to come up with awesome craft projects.

> 68 - I remember reading something about the ownership issues, Dave. Wasn't there something about a live in girlfriend, no will, a family wanting control and stuff like that? Like you, I have never found out if any of that was ever resolved or if it is before the courts.

> 69 - The sheet music ornaments seem to be popular both here and over on the 75 group, Christina! Makes me smile since they were the easiest of the three projects to work on. ;-)

> 70 - Thanks paruline!

Given the interest in the sheet music ornaments, here is a link to the Sheet Music Paper Fan Christmas Ornaments where I came across this idea. I didn't trim the edges with Epson salts like the blogger did but it does give a nice effect to the ornament.
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On the reading front, I am finding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to be a rather quick read.... I am already past the halfway mark and looking forward to some solid reading time this afternoon as it is back to work tomorrow for me.

Lori, thanks so much for the how-to link! I just may have to use this as a Christmas gift idea.

>71 lkernagh: I think I managed to lose a post here, Lori. What I was saying is, if you're finding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to be a quick read (so did I - hard to put down), then you'll likely feel that way about the other two, too.

>61 lkernagh:, I'm sorry you didn't like Crazy Rich. There's nothing more frustrating than trying to finish a biography of people whose personalities you can't stand, even when it's well written. The dreck that is their lives ruins any enjoyment.

I found The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels very hard to put down when I was reading them.

Love your Christmas ornaments!

71, Lori, was a little more than a live-in girlfriend. They'd been together over 30 years. For those interested more can be read here.

> 72 - Glad to see you already have some ideas.... they would make perfect Christmas gifts, especially for musically inclined recipients!

> 73 - Hi Joe, nope, you didn't lose a post... your post in over on my other thread, but I am happy to have both of my threads graced with your presence!

> 74 - Jennifer, I think you are right... Crazy Rich was just a little too much on the gossip and
the details that I really didn't care to read.

> 75 - Paulina, the Larsson book is proving hard to put down. I was a little worried at first when I decided that I would get through all three books before the end of the month, but I'm not having those same concerns now! Thanks!

> 76 - Thanks Dave, that article refreshes my memory of the situation and reminds me that my other half and I will have to have a good conversation before we make any plans to move to Sweden or any other country that doesn't recognize common-law couples when it comes to estates. Hum, we probably should consider having that will conversation at some point, too. ;-)

Nice ornaments. I like the music sheet ornaments the best. I'll have to show my sister your pics. She always does antique looking ornaments for her tree.
Interesting story about Robert Wood Johnson ripping off Clara Barton on her red cross insignia. I -- and many,many thousands of American nurses -- got put through nursing school on Robert Wood Johnson Nursing Scholarships. Maybe the company feels guilty about what they did to Clara.

Thanks Kelly! My other half and I tend to joke that I was born in the wrong century.... if I could have modern technology and access to modern medical advances I would happily live in a rambling old style home filled with old styled furnishing and clothes. ;-)

I kind of wish the book would have made mention of the Robert Wood Johnson Nursing Scholarships... that would have provided a nice balance to the story. Makes me think Oppenheimer wanted to focus on only certain pieces of information, because it would be shocking if he had no idea about the scholarships, especially given how many nurses were recipients of it.

As far as I know, the Larsson-kerfuffle is still at an impasse. I know they never got married because of the security issues (Larsson's work on right-wing extremist groups caused him to receive death threats), but you would have wished that they had thought to make a will.

Sounds like it could take some time before the dust settles. I get it when the average citizen doing the average desk job doesn't think about things like wills until middle age (or until a heath issue crops up) but you would think that someone who receives death threats in relation to the work they engage in would have taken care of the will thing, if anything, right after the first death threat was received. *sighs*

In a way I do understand why it didn't occur to them - at the time of his death, his estate did not include millions of dollars, but rather something like an old Volvo, a summer cottage, and some clothes. :)

> 82 - That would make sense. Sad, but makes sense.

Books #83 - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Category: - All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES



I do love reading books that have seen so much traction already here on LT that I can be lazy and dive right into my thoughts/observations..... which I am about to do here:

~ ~ I am discovering that I actually like the slow building, detailed, journalistic quality story-telling approach, even if I do find myself yawning a bit at first until I suddenly find myself completely sucked into it. The Alienist, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil immediately come to mind, and yes, I am starting to think about going back to reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay for that very reason.

~ ~ I was expecting to be cringing from the violence, having watch the movie last year (with subtitles so half the time was spent reading the movie, not watching it) but surprisingly, reading the story didn't affect me the same way the movie did. Yes, the rapes and violence are things to be upset about, as is any type of an attack on another human being (or animal), but I found Larsson's writing style kept me from getting emotionally drawn into what was happening.

~ ~ For the record, they (meaning the main characters) consumed an awful lot of coffee over the course of this read, to the point where I was finding myself unable to sleep at night.... and I wasn't drinking any coffee! ;-)

~ ~ Loved the psychological aspect of this one.... really well done how Larsson captured the personalities and emotions of the characters and their reactions to situations. Lisbeth is such a fantastically complex character and one of the best character developments I have read in quite some time.

~ ~ If I had waited until next year, I would have been paying attention to the food consumed in this one (for those of you that haven't made it over to the 2014 Category Challenge yet, my theme is food based), so I figured, might as well start now:
- - vegetarian bagel with avocado - yum;
- - lamb chops in read wine sauce - Yum, yum!;
- - venison stew - Super YUM factor!!!;
- - liver pate and cucumber sandwich - okay;
- - liverwurst, cheese and pickle sandwich - no, No, NO! A thousand times, No!!!

~ ~ Love Lisbeth's T-shirt slogans, favorite being "Armageddon Was Yesterday. Today We Have a Serious Problem."

Am I sold on the trilogy? You bet I am.... I have already started The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Decimal Rating: 4.41
4.25 - Plot Development
4.75 - Character Development
4.25 - Writing Style
4.50 - Readability
4.75 - Premise
4.25 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
4.00 - Originality
4.50 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 841 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Male

Next up: Still reading Go Ask Alice as my purse read, but it is going to take a back burner to The Girl Who Played with Fire when I am at home!

Yay! Glad you enjoyed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Love Lisbeth! One of the stellar character creations out there. Glad you had such a good time with it, Lori. I jumped right into Played with Fire, too, after finishing the first one.

When I brought the trilogy to my dad several summers ago he devoured the three books in four days.

Glad you have enjoyed the first of the trilogy - the next one was my favorite. Very astute observation about how the writing style keeps one separated from the violence. I had that same experience when reading the books, but couldn't put my finger on why.

Glad you enjoyed the first one. Definitely a good idea to have the third one to hand for when you finish the second.

Very happy to see Friday night has arrived! A foggy night is predicted - kind of what we have been having every night for the past 7 days now... really weird weather! - so a good night to sit back and take things easy with episodes of Doc Martin playing on the TV while I do some crafting. Before you ask, I will be continuing my read of The Girl Who Played With Fire - currently 120 pages in - later in the evening! ;-)

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> 85 - Hi BookLizard, It really became a compelling page-turner for me!

> 86 - Joe, I agree. Lisbeth is an amazing character!

> 87 - Wow mamzel, your dad finished all three books super fast! Sounds like he found them to be page-turning reads!

> 88 - Hi Alica, I was really concerned, having read all the various comments about the violence and the rapes, that I was going to have some difficulty with this trilogy but surprisingly, no.... just like your reading experience. I am very curious to see where Larsson takes me now... ;-)

> 89 - Dave, advice noted and appreciated. Book three is at the ready where I can easily grab it! Happily, I managed to acquire all three books before I started reading book one.... seems that it does pay buy all books in a series/ trilogy before I start to read them, even if that means I am a little late to the game. ;-)

#55 Sorry to be so late in reading your review of Deeds of Men. Great review! I totally agree with the jumping between times. The author gets better about that as the series continues.

Southern California is foggy too, but it seems like it's staying all day. :( Can't go wrong with Doc Martin, though. :)

> 91 - Thanks Caroline! I am looking forward to reading more of Brennan's books so very happy to read that that they don't jump around as much as the novella. There is no such thing as being late to a thread... If there was, I would be in BIG trouble. ;-0

> 92 - Doc Martin Friday turned into a Doc Martin weekend and you right, Eva, you can't go wrong with Doc Martin!

Foggy, on a daily basis, (every morning,evening and a good part of each day) is rather unusual for Victoria. Not sure what to think about it, but I pay extra special attention during my walking commute and make sure I wear visible colours and use a flashing light to make sure people (meaning drivers when I am in a crosswalk and cyclists when I am on the bike path) can see me. It is frightening how many people dress in head to toe dark colors with no reflective gear that just suddenly appear suddenly in front of me in the fog.... I feel for the cyclists on the bike paths that suddenly encounter someone who for some inexplicable reason assumes they can be seen. We had a lovely sunny day today so hopefully we are finished with the daily fog experiences for the short term, if not longer.

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A lazy weekend of routine chores and a lot of TV watching (with some crafting) was the scope of this past weekend.

Weekend Crafting Project: I decided to mess around with my current collection of beads and came up with a rather nice black and marble-toned necklace and earring set. Because I like longer necklaces that are versatile for wearing with crop neck tops as well as with button up collars and flounce necklines, I made a 33" necklace with matching earrings. The earrings I am really happy with because I have figured out how to make post-like dangling earrings using beading wire, giving the earrings more flexibility in movement. The trick is to double up on the wire - bead one way, use a tiny bead at the bottom as a base and then feed the wire right back up to the top, crimping it off after feeding excess wire back down through the beads. Sorry, no pictures at the moment, only because I am not happy with the pictures taken under indoor lightening conditions (the lights and/or the flash washes out some of the detail) so any pictures will have to wait for a natural lightening photography moment.

Reading Update: Still reading The Girl Who Played With Fire... waiting for the action to build but for now, settling in for the recap and what is going on with the various characters. I did finish my re-read of Go Ask Alice and I have cobbled together a review with my thoughts.

Books #84 - Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Category: - All things EPISTOLARY



First published in 1971, this fictionalized diary of a teenage girl's decent into a world of drugs and her struggles to resurface from that world presented quite a shock when it first came out. it was one of those books that was still making the rounds when I was a teenager. I purchased a copy back in 2009 - not sure why, was probably something I came across on a discount table or in a used bookstore - and it has been languishing on my TBR bookcase since then. Time to dust it off and give this one a re-read. Wikipedia has a very good overview and plot summary if anyone is interested.

So, you are probably wondering, how does the story hold up, decades after my first reading experience? It is dated, that is the first thing I noticed. The book is entrenched in the 1960's and it shows in the styles, attitudes, beliefs and popular culture presented in the book. Things like hippie-style clothes, jello salads, and ironing your hair to straighten it make the story feel very retro upon re-read. I did raise an eyebrow when I was reminded that our nameless narrator made a number of her own clothes. I had either forgotten about that or it just never registered with my teenage mind when I first read it. The circumstances that lead up the the downward spiral are still plausible. What did not feel retro and what caught my attention towards the end was the peer pressure, the taunts and the bullying our narrator experienced from some of her classmates - something that we all know, sadly, continues today in our modern, 'enlightened' society. From that perspective, this story isn't dated and still has some valuable insight to offer readers of today, and not just teenage readers.

Decimal Rating: 3.50
Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 224 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Next up: Still reading, or I should say, going back to reading The Girl Who Played with Fire after a weekend of non-reading!

We have had a wonderfully sunny day today and I managed to get home early enough this evening to quickly take this picure of my weekend crafting/ beading project, while I was trying to take advantage of the remaining natural light before it disappeared. Given the length of the necklace, the easiest way to zoom in close enough for detail was to take a shot of the necklace coiled around the earrings:

Very nice!

Very pretty!

So pretty! I love the contrast of the solid black beads with the pebble-pattern beads!

Lovely! I love those patterned beads, but if you hadn't had the solids to break them up, they could become very busy.

Thanks BookLizard, Caroline, rabbitprincess and Eva! I don't do very well with sameness so I like to try and use atleast two types of complimentary/contrasting main beads with 'filler'... makes it a lot easier to mix and match the bead jewelry with my wardrobe, which is part of my 'cunning plan'.....
*queue theme music for Black Adder*

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On the reading front I am just over the half-way mark through The Girl Who Played With Fire, and I intend on finishing this one as my last October read before midnight Thursday. Some quick impressions on this one: Less coffee consumption (good), a lot of food consumed purchased from 7-Eleven (questionable if not dubious, if the 7-Eleven's I have been in in North America are anything to go by) and a very interesting parallel story of police procedural/investigative journalism. Yes, I am still hooked on this trilogy.

LOL! A quote from my own review: "(how many times can you - or should you - list what can be found at 7eleven in Sweden?)"

^ I am so glad it isn't just me that finds the amount of grocery shopping at 7-Eleven a little disturbing! ;-)

Ew, all I can think of is 7-Eleven hot dogs... :S

I love, love,love that necklace and earrings. My sister-in-law has done some for me and I might show her this picture. (Hint, hint....Christmas is coming....dear sister-in-law)

The necklace and earrings are beautiful!

I enjoyed reading your review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ... and I totally agree about liverwurst, cheese and pickle together.

> 103 - LOL! What is scary is they seem to have... or at least they do in the stores here in Victoria - a interestingly diverse range of what I classify as "late night bar crawl snack food" items available, that includes those hot dogs you mentioned. ;-)

> 104 - Thanks Betty and love the idea of showing your sister-in-law the pic... how subtle or not subtle will you have to be for her to get the gift idea hint? ;-)

> 105 - Thanks Paulina! Review for book two won't be in quite the same format - the really didn't give me very many food items to pay attention to in book two - *pouts* - but feel free to see if you enjoy the review for The Girl Who Played With Fire..... it is about to be posted below.

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I just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire and really understand all of the attention this trilogy has received... what a great page turning read it has been for me. Review Comments below.

I won't be posting up my monthly recap until the weekend but it has been a good reading month and I think I will carry on with my challenge through to the end of November then take stock of where things sit, move books to close out categories and give myself a fun read month for December.

Books #85 - The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Category: - All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES



Overall thoughts on book two - apart from my previous comments about the amount of food purchased at 7-Eleven and consumed - is that while this one took a bit of time to get going, once it did, it didn't stop. I have got nothing against providing readers with recap details from previous books in a series to refresh their memories but it can be somewhat annoying when you go straight from book one to book two. Loved the dual streams of investigation - one police procedural and one investigative journalism! Some of my favorite parts of this story are when we (the readers) know what really occurred but the police manage to come up with a different idea of what happened ... interpretation of facts and details can really mess things up if not approached with an open mind, right Faste? ;-)

I also love how we get an ever better insight into Lisbeth in this one. She is such an enigma, it is like slowly peeling back layer upon layer of onion skin, wondering if you will ever get to core of the it.

Favorite quote - and love the fact that it shows up more than once in the book:

"There are no innocents. There are, however, different degrees of responsibility."

Possible Spoiler, and a way for me to test the new 'spoiler' feature:
Glad to see we finally get to find out what "All The Evil" refers to but I have question for people who have watched the Swedish film version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo..... was there a quick flash visual of this during that movie, because when I reached the part where it is disclosed, I could actually see the film clip play in my mind and I have only watch the first movie, Swedish version, not the others.

Yes, I am completely sold on this trilogy. I finished the remaining 75 pages this evening and I will be starting book three The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest before I go to sleep tonight.... darn good thing tomorrow is Friday and, so far, my Friday is looking pretty easy, because I don't think I am going to be getting much sleep tonight.

Decimal Rating: 4.72
4.75 - Plot Development
5.00 - Character Development
4.50 - Writing Style
4.75 - Readability
5.00 - Premise
4.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
4.50 - Originality
4.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 724 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Male

Go, Lori! Nothing better than getting caught up in books like that. I had the same reaction to The Girl . . .. Lisbeth is a wonder.

In our defense, the food offerings at a Swedish 7-Eleven is at least slightly better than in the US. :)

As for your question, I saw all three movies in one sitting, so I can't tell which flashes were in which, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a trailer-part at the end of the first where that scene was shown.

Where did this new feature come from?? Did I miss a blog-post? It's brilliant, though!

Shiny! Love the spoiler feature.

Yay for spoiler tags!

No idea on the question though, been too long since I watched all the films too close together to recall.

> 108 - I tell you, Joe, these books just seem to read all by themselves! I have a three day weekend and it's pretty easy to guess where at least part of those three days will be spent.... on the couch reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Housework.... what housework? Lisbeth is important, not housework. ;-)

> 109 - I believe you on the 7-Eleven food offerings being different in selection and quality. That would make sense. I am not a heat and serve processed frozen food type of eater but get me anywhere near a Marks and Spenser food section and I will buy some of there frozen dinner offerings. I cried the day the Marks and Spenser closed in our town.

I saw all three movies in one sitting,
LOL, glad to see the movies appear to be just as addicting to watch as the books are to read! I am planning on pulling a movie marathon like that after I finish The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, so I will report back. ;-)

Where did this new feature come from?? Did I miss a blog-post? It's brilliant, though!

Re: Spoiler Feature - I should probably clarify that I stumbled across this one on another thread, followed this link to where LT staff have been playing with it, and thought I would give it a go. I haven't see any official mention that it is a new feature but it seems to operate on the simple principle of {spoiler} {/spoiler} bracketing of text you want to hid until some one clicks on it to view it by using the typical pointy brackets like when bolding and italicizing text. I hope, hope, hope it is here to stay, but I wonder if there is some way that the feature could 'break' and all of a sudden all spoilers are in full view mode.... I think I will continue to post a spoiler warning, just in case.

> 110 - It is shiny, isn't it? ;-)

> 111 - I can see the spoiler tags (wow, so that is what they are called) are going to be a big hit with LT members!

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It is Friday night after a crazy busy work day so I am looking forward to vegging in front of the TV.... I think it is going to be episodes of Once Upon A Time, now that I am once again behind in watching the shows. But first, October re-cap is ready for posting.

OCTOBER RE-CAP:

Books read:


ROOTs Read (as part of my ROOT challenge):


ROOTs read so far this year: 24 (goal for the year is 30 ROOTs read)

Books acquired this month:
None. I should clarify that I tend to forget to add in my LTER books when I receive them, especially if they are e-books.... I tend to not view them the same way I view a physical book I bring home with my or that arrives in through the mail that I have to unpackage.

Favorite book (decimal rating): The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - (4.72 decimal rating)
Least favorite book (decimal rating): Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer - (2.00 decimal rating)

CATEGORY SUMMARY:
GRAPHIC - 0 books read this month (Total = 13)
NEW (published in 2012 or 2013) - 1 book read this month (Total = 14)
- - - Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal, and Tragedy Inside the Johnson & Johnson Dynasty by Jerry Oppenheimer -
EPISTOLARY - 1 book read this month (Total = 7)
- - - Go Ask Alice by Anonymous -
GOTHIC - 0 books read this month (Total = 5)
FABLES and FAIRY TALES - 0 books read this month (Total = 8)
EUROPA - 0 books read this month (Total = 3)
REGENCY - 1 book read this month (Total = 4)
- - - The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer -
PENGUIN - 0 books read (Total = 2)
MITFORD - 0 books read this month (Total = 1)
SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES - 3 books read this month (Total = 9)
- - - Deeds of Men by Marie Brennan -
- - - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson -
- - - The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson -
NEWSWORTHY - 0 books read this month (Total = 6)
ON MY TBR BOOKCASE - 2 books read this month (Total = 10)
- - - The Moor is Dark Beneath the Moon by David Watmough -
- - - The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe -
WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN - 0 books read this month (Total = 2)

Not a bad reading month for October with 8 books reads for a total of 3,082 pages read.... love the Larsson books for pushing my page counting reading forward! For November I am motivated to make a major push on my ROOTs challenge and try to clear the remaining 6 books needed to finish that challenge.

Finally got some moments to do a serious catch-up on all my fav threads. so glad you are enjoying the Larsson books. They were excellent. And the spoiler thing is brilliant - I might try it out but how do you do it?

For the spoiler tag thingee all you have to do is use {spoiler} and {/spoiler}, replacing the {} brackets with the usual HTML code left and right pointy brackets.

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Miserable weather today so one quick trip out to the store for some grocery essentials and then barricaded myself indoors. Spent a few hours cleaning and re-organizing my fashion/costume/bead jewelry collection and in the process came across some pieces I never wear that will be disassembled.... looks like another beading craft weekend for me.

In the meantime, I thought I would post my current reading.

Currently Reading:

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson
Steampunk Voyages: Around the World in Six Gears by Irene Radford
Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid

Waiting to hear how you like Steampunk Voyages.

Glad you're enjoying the GIRL trilogy. I got a loan of those from a neighbor two years ago or thereabouts and these redefined late night readings for me. I just could not put them down! For once a series that totally lives up to its reputation for me.

BTW am I the only one who thinks that these books are at the very least as much if not more about Blomkvist as they are about Salander? Probably because of the English titles the emphasis is very much on the girl not the journalist but I often felt that he was the real leading character or at least on a par with Salander.

117> I often felt that he was the real leading character

I think you're right. He's the real main charcter, trying to solve a mystery. She's the "leading lady," for lack of a better term, who steals the show. She's much more interesting than he is.

> 116 - Since Steampunk Voyages is an e-book it is my current purse read, which means I will get through it pretty quickly if this next week is a wet one (meaning I will spend my lunch hour reading as opposed to out for a walk). I haven't read anything by Radford before so I am looking forward to it!

> 117 & 118 - The series really does live up to its reputation! You are both correct. I see more than one leading character in this trilogy and Blomkvist is just as important as Lisbeth. I agree with BookLizard - Lisbeth's character does 'steal the show' from Blomkvist. For me she appeals because she is full of surprises - all mystery and intrigue... like a puzzle to be solved. Blomkvist is a more steady and reliable character than Lisbeth and reads more like an open book - you get what you see. He brings balance to the story and good investigative instincts, so you are right, Blomkvist really does deserve more mention in reviews and discussions around the books.

Catching up after a weekend away with not much time to post - I won't see my sister-in-law until Thanks giving and sometimes I need to be pretty specific, but who knows - maybe she'll get the hint.

I think Lisbeth gets so much notice because she is such an original character, but Blomkvist is the "real" main character in my mind. Does the "Kalle Blomkvist" joke appear in the English version? In the Swedish original, Mikael is often referred to as "Kalle Blomkvist" since that's the name of an Astrid Lindgren character who is a child detective. OK, so maybe it's not a great joke, but it's funny if you're Swedish at least. :)

This isn't really a spoiler, but I wanted to try the function: Lisbeth Salander's name comes from Kalle Blomkvist's friend who is called Eva-Lotta Lisander, although her personality is more along the lines of Pippi Longstocking (also written by Astrid Lindgren). :)

It's been a while since I read the books but I seem to recall the Kalle Blomkvist reference. I got it right away as he's a popular children's book character in Germany.... at least he was when I was a child. ;-)

I did wonder how many English native speakers would get that reference.

->122 IrishHolger:
"I did wonder how many English native speakers would get that reference."
Especially since in the English translation of the Kalle Blomkvist-books, his name is Bill Bergson. :)

=> 123
Oh really? Ha, I had no idea. Yeah, I guess that makes it quite hard to get the reference. ;-)

> 120 - Here is hoping the hinting works, Betty!

> 121 to 124 - I am not too sure if the "Kalle Blomkvist" is communicated in the English version in a manner for the average reader to understand. They definitely mention the Astrid Lindgren book Pippi Longstocking and mention that the "Kalle" is in reference to a character in that book but as for understanding the joke, it was lost on me.

Especially since in the English translation of the Kalle Blomkvist-books, his name is Bill Bergson.

Good to know my feeble mind would have still had a struggle trying to make the connection. ;-)

---------------------

I didn't get as much reading in over the weekend as I had planned. Happily, my other half and I have finally reached an agreement on buying a carpet cleaning machine, because I am tired of booking cleaners to come clean the carpets and having to wait around for them to show up - they seem to operate on the same type of scheduling as the telecom folks booking a two hour window for when they might show up. Purchased the machine on Saturday and spend a good part of Sunday testing the machine out. Very happy with the results, so my other half has been informed that it is "a keeper'.

Weekend Crafting Project: This weekend I managed to sit down (in front of the TV, of course watching a bunch of shows, including the movie adaptation of The Shooting Party, which I can highly recommend for the costumes and the story!) and dismantled two pieces of fashion/costume jewelry I purchased off of eBay years ago and haven't worn in a long time. Time to reconfigure them into new pieces that I will wear. I forgot to take pictures of the pieces before I dissembled them, just pictures of the newly reconfigured pieces. The first piece was a choker necklace that had a number of beads and a bead design I didn't find very flattering once I received it in the mail. It also had too many dangling bits hanging off of it. I have converted it into a new Victorian-style choker that will be perfect for next Halloween when I dress up in steampunk costume.



For the other piece, I took a stretchy bracelet that was made from rather large amber-look resin pieces with silver accents. I never wore the bracelet - it was purchased as a complementary piece for a necklace and earring set - because I drives me crazy trying to do my computer work with large, clunky bracelets on. I converted it into a silver tone necklace, that will get a lot more use than the bracelet ever did.



On the reading front: I am still fully engaged in reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

How was everyone else's weekend?

I continue to be amazed at the wonderful pieces of jewellery you put together! Good idea to turn the bracelet into a necklace. At my work I can't really wear necklaces, especially big long ones, because I have a lanyard for my work ID and the two things clash.

My weekend was spent shopping -- managed to get a new winter coat and some extra pairs of tights, and have an idea of where to get new boots, so I will be all set for winter :)

Right now where I work I don't need to wear a work ID or security pass on a lanyard, but I have had to in the past, which drove me crazy. Like you said, long necklaces and laynards don't really go well together. ;-)

I am getting ready for a cold winter this year so smart move on your part to purchase a new coat and more tights!

I don't wear necklaces or lanyards - can't stand having things around my thoat. I have a wristlet for my keys and I hang my work ID from it.

Well done reassembling the beads into something you will wear. My friend is into beading and I'm always looking at stuff for us. "Look at all these lovely beads I found. I thought you could make a necklace out of them, and maybe a pair of earrings out of these ones for me." LOL.

More pretty stuff - looks good!! I wish I could wear necklaces, but my hair is not cooperative in any way and tends to get tangled up in them.

> 128 - Since you wear your keys on a wristlet, sounds like you are the perfect person to have around if a deal on a necklace and bracelet set comes up and the person with you likes necklaces and hates bracelets! I find it is easier to make necklaces and bracelets than it is to make earrings... probably because I find the earrings are smaller and require more attention to make them balanced. ;-)

> 129 - Let me guess.... curly hair? Thankfully, my hair behaves when it comes to earrings and necklaces, but when the humidity levels rise, I have to bind it up with a big hair clip or all my effort to make my hair look presentable is replaced with kinky, frizzy hair.... drives me nuts!

-------------------------

Well, it had to happen, the colder fall weather arrives and with it I come down with a sore throat. No other symptoms, in fact I feel pretty good but my other half has decided that we need to nip this bug before it decides to wander so I am sitting in front of the computer with one of his large, extra special Scottish hot toddies with lots of fresh lemon, honey and scotch. This should deal with my sore throat quite nicely, and knock me off to sleep pretty fast too.

Nice new jewels! My work id is also my access card to the computer, so I don't wear it at my desk and it's on a clip so I can just clip it to the bottom of my sweater or a pocket, etc. I think I would find a lanyard very annoying always swinging around.

130> I don't wear bracelets often either since they get tangled with the wristlet, but you reminded me of an amber pair of earrings I bought online that came with a ring. Maybe my friend would like the ring. Maybe she can work it into a necklace. Hmmm . . .

->130 lkernagh:
Yes, curly hair. Taking a necklace off usually involves scissors in my case, so needless to say I don't wear one very often. Hope your sore throat goes away. People at work have started the annual coughing, so I have armed myself with Lysol. :)

> 131 - I hate wearing lanyards. I have working in a number of different companies/ offices with a number of different policies. I have no problem with the offices where I need the access card to be able to enter certain areas, because I just need to make sure I have the card on me and it can hang off a clip off of a pocket or waist or even tucked into a wallet. I did not enjoy when I worked in a office where we were required to wear our access card/photo id visible at all times while in the building, even when sitting at our desks.... luckily, I don't work in that building any more! ;-)

> 132 - Great idea!

> 133 - I can see where you wouldn't want to wear necklaces if you have to cut off part of your hair just to take the necklace off!

------------------------

After three days of mild cold symptoms I woke up Friday morning with a full blown sinus cold and cough. Stayed home in bed all day yesterday and I am now living off of orange juice, chicken noodle soup and copious amounts of NeoCitran.... that is the only thing that seems to work for me with head colds. I used to be able to take Contact C, but it is no longer in the gel capsules form that can be taken apart with all the little tiny pellets inside but the must have also changed the formula because it no longer works for me. I still feel like crap so I think my weekend will be spend in bed. once I post up my review for my most recent read.

Books #86 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Category: - All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES



Jumping right in with my thoughts, I found book three in the Millennium Trilogy to be the best one in the trilogy. The characters are now solidly grounded but still have a few surprises for the readers. I really like how the book had a number of predominant characters for the reader to focus on, including more attention being paid to Berger.... it wasn't just about Salander and Blomkvist. For me this one was all about plot, plot, plot. In book three Larsson was able to manage something that other writers seem to struggle with - how to make multiple plot lines and point of views weave together into a cohesive story so that the reader doesn't feel as though they are being jumped around all the time. He keeps the pace going but not at a constant breakneck race against time pace like some suspense thrillers.... it is slower and allows the reader time to take in the information and analyses it.

Overall, a great trilogy to escape into and I can see why it appealed to such a broad range of readers. It has a little bit of everything. I am saddened that there are no more Salander and Blomkvist stories to read. I can see where, if Larsson had lived, the story would have continued.

Decimal Rating: 4.81
5.00 - Plot Development
4.75 - Character Development
4.75 - Writing Style
5.00 - Readability
5.00 - Premise
4.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
4.75 - Originality
4.75 - Length

Star Rating: 5.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hardcover
# of Pages: 576 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Male

Next up: Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid.

Oh good, Lori. I thought the third book was terrific, too. Can't believe we lost Larsson so soon.

Am glad to hear that Girl who kicked the hornet's nest is good. I have it somewhere and need to finish the trilogy.

> 135 "I can see where, if Larsson had lived, the story would have continued. "

I can easily see that he may have had every intention of continuing with the books. There are so many hints about Salander's family background that I am sure he had every intention of exploring these further. Nothing can convince me that this was only ever meant to be a trilogy.

Hi Lori, so sorry to hear you're not feeling 100 per cent. I hope you are well enough to continue to read, I hate it when I am so sick that even reading is beyond me.

Glad you enjoyed the final book. Hope the cold doesn't last too long.

I posted my comments over on your Roots thread, but basically the same as others here. I thought there were enough unanswered questions and plot lines at the end that he definitely had more books planned.

Sorry you're not feeling well. Sometimes rest is the best thing. (Maybe a hot toddy?)

> 136 - I agree Joe, it is always sad to lose an author like we did Larsson.

> 137 - Best book in the bunch, Beth, IMO!

> 138 - I agree. The trilogy idea would have probably been the publisher's idea as a way to posthumously market the stories. I think I had read mention somewhere - maybe on my previous thread? - that Larsson originally envisioned 10 books, or something like that. I would have definitely liked to have seen Lisbeth's twin put in an appearance!

> 139 - Thanks Judy. I think I was a little too confident during the early days of this bleeping cold, figuring it was something that would easily blow over. Nasty little bug obviously had other ideas! ;-) Day three of bed rest and getting super cranky that it seems to want to hang on. I won't be attending the Remembrance Day cenotaph this year at the legislature buildings, but I will be able to hear the cannons when they set them off. luckily, I am not too sick to read. ;-)

> 140 - The final book was excellent, Dave! So sad to know the story isn't going to continue. As for the cold, it is lingering but at least I have a long weekend to take things easy and try to recover. Books and bed rest, books and bed rest. ;-0

> 141 - Hi Betty, I wonder if anyone may take up the baton and try to carry on with the stories? It would be difficult to match what Larsson has written, but I think there would still be a market of readers out there wanting more. Sadly, the hot toddies were only good at making my sore throat disappear... they have had no effect on the sinus cold so bed rest it is.

------------------------

Between naps yesterday, I managed to breeze through Steampunk Voyages, a collection of short stories with a steampunk theme. Review below.

I have started Mr. Potter and enjoying the stream of consciousness writing style the story is told in.... very relaxing.

Books #87 - Steampunk Voyages: Around the World in Six Gears by Irene Radford
Category: - All things NEW



As with any anthology or short story collection written by an author I have never read before, I wasn't too sure what I was in for with this collection of steampunk-themed stories. I love steampunk as a genre so I figured I couldn't go too wrong by requesting a copy. The collection starts off with a short piece entitled "Why Steampunk", where Radford explains upfront that she likes to push the boundaries beyond classic steampunk. That prepared me a bit for what was to come, which was five short stories and one except for a novel to be released in 2015. All of the material contained in this collection, except for the short story Dancing In Cinders and the book excerpt, have been previously published in other anthologies.

Radford's stories are focused on alternate realities of the mid-19th century. The first story, Weapon of Mass Destruction is set on the battlefields of the American Civil War where hot air balloons and ectomorphic gel night vision goggles are used for spying across enemy lines where an amazing weapon of mass destruction is being created by a brilliant scientist who's 'soul' is encased in a life-like automaton. This was the longest story in the collection and interesting from the perspective of morals and loyalties. Sadly, it had a rather abrupt ending that left me thinking "What?"

Two of the stories, The White Swan and Pirate Queen of French Prairie focus on female pirateer, Trude Romanz, and adventures the crew of her dirigible, the White Swan, find themselves involved in. I enjoy a good swashbuckling adventure and the Canadian in me really got a good kick out of how Radford incorporated the Hudson's Bay Company into these two stories which involve an air battle over the South Seas with an unscrupulous slave trader and then a more stealth-driven mission to thwart a plan of Hudson Bay Company's Sir George Simpson. Yes, pirates do have a moral code, or at least in these stories they do. Unfortunately, the rollicking airship adventures these could have made for fun reading were a little stilted in delivery and too busy slinging banter, although I did find Pirate Queen of French Prairie to be a more polished story of the two. As much as I like strong female leads in the stories I read, I not a huge fan of the masculine female character that struts and swaggers. A female can be strong without having to come across as a guy.

Two other stories in the collection, Shadow Dancer and Dances in Cinders replace swashbuckling pirates and the rough territorial country setting with the respectable drawing rooms and cafes of London, England and a Parisian ballet theatre. These two stories focus on Trude's sister, Elise Romanz, also known as a Madame Magdala, a spymaster who has the gift of prophecy - she can see mysterious glimpses of misfortune in the swirls of her coffee (not tea!). These two stories caught my interest more than the previous three. I can never get enough of 19th century England alternate history stories and I loved that Radford incorporates Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage into these stories so seamlessly. The thought of a bunch of zealous Lord Byron fanatics determined to have Lord Byron's soul transferred to another body so that his soul can live on is interesting food for thought and I loved the alternate form of transport used to travel to Paris in Shadow Dancer.

The collection closes out with an except from the future Madame Magdala full length novel, Night Dancer, by Julia Verne St. John.

While Radford states that she pushes the boundaries of classic steampunk, I like her stories in that they still contain a lot of classic elements. The stories have automatons and steam power is the predominant mechanical power source. There are no werewolves, vampires or zombies littering these stories. Instead, the other body elements are floating souls in search of a new body to inhabit, in line with some of the classic writers of steampunk and the question of whether a machine can house a soul. Yes, there are some weak points. These stories aren't amazing literary fiction or stellar reading material by any means....they are interesting entertainment pieces. Her Civil War story has potential for a full blown novel with some work and I am not a fan of the air pirates stories. The Madame Magdala stories I found to be on par with Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series - fun reading to relax with and no complex characters or intricate plots to focus on. I enjoyed the Madame Magdala stories enough that I am looking forward to keeping an eye out for when the novel Night Dancer publish, in 2015.

This book was courtesy of Librarything's Early Reviewer Program.

Decimal Rating: 3.20
Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 143 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Intriguing but that cover! I don't know why but it makes me wince.

I hope you feel better soon Lori! Sending you some virtual chicken soup.

Hope you get to feeling much better soon!

Get well soon Lori!

> 144 - The cover is awful, and really doesn't capture the stories, IMO. I have no idea what they were thinking when they chose that one. I read the artist's bio at the back of the book looking for some insight and... nadda. Just learned that the artist is also a short story writer and has had some works published.

> 145 to 147 - Thanks for the get well wishes Carrie, Lori and Alana! I have now hit day four of taking it easy and lots of bed rest and this cold just wants to linger. Hopefully after today I will be healthy enough to head back into work tomorrow morning. I hate being sick. ;-(

Books #88 - Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid
Category: - All things WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN

"And this line that runs through Mr. Potter and that he then gave to me, I have not given to anyone, I have not ceded to anyone, I have brought it to an end, I have made it stop with me, for I can read and I can now write and I now say, in writing, that this line drawn through the space where the name of the father ought to be has come to an end, and that from Mr. Potter to me, no one after that shall have a line drawn through the space where the name of the father ought to be, and that through him coming through me, everyone after that shall have a father and a mother and so will inherit twofold the great cauldron of misery and small cup of joy that is all of life."

A wonderful story to read for its lyrical prose and streams of consciousness writing style, but a very difficult book to try and pin down in a review. The story, told from the point of view of one of the subject's unacknowledged offspring, depicts Mr. Potter's life as an uneducated chauffeur in Antiqua, the impact on our narrator of having no father and her impressions of the father she never knew. The story tends to repeat itself in places, almost like a mantra, cementing the information being conveyed in the reader's mind.

As I said, the writing is quite beautiful and has a wonderful relaxing flow to it, but I don't quite know what to say about the story itself. Is it the story of a daughter getting in the last word, and writing a family history that otherwise wouldn't be written? Or is it a story, warts and all, that just needs to be told? Kincaid inserts part of her own life into the story - which parts you may ask? - well, for a start her real birth name and birth date are the name and birth date for our narrator. Both were born in St. John's, Antigua, grew up on the island and both did not have contact with their birth fathers. Does that makes this story autobiographical in nature? Probably not. Best just to say that Kincaid draws upon her own life experiences when she writes and leave it at that.

Favorite quote: "And the world in its entirety and the individuals who contribute to its entirety are small and smaller yet again, and how sad, how sad, how very sad is life, for its glorious beginnings end and the end is always an occasion for sadness, no matter what anyone says."

Overall, an exquisitely written story set in Antigua that should be read when you know you will have a stretch of uninterrupted time on your hands... if you suddenly have to stop reading mid-stream, it is a bit of a hassle to get back into the rhythm and flow of the story.

Decimal Rating: 3.72
3.00 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
4.00 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
3.75 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
4.00 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hard cover
# of Pages: 195 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Next up: Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer.

I have taken stock of where I am at with my challenge. As I want December's reading to be stress-free - and considering how open-ended I made my 2013 challenge - I have moved four books from other categories into my catchall category and have now closed 9 of my categories, with each closed category having books read that equal a prime number:

1. All things GRAPHIC - Completed 13 books read
2. All things NEW - Completed 13 books read
3. All things EPISTOLARY - Completed 7 books read
4. All things GOTHIC - Completed 5 books read
5. All things FABLES and FAIRY TALES - Completed 7 books read
6. All things EUROPA - Completed 3 books read
7. All things REGENCY
8. All things PENGUIN - Completed 2 books read
9. All things MITFORD - Completed 1 book read
10. All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES
11. All things NEWSWORTHY - Completed 5 books read
12. All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE
13. All things WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN

I am currently reading Cousin Kate which will close out my REGENCY category with 5 books read. Technically, I can be finished this challenge once I finish my current REGENCY read, read one book for my SERIES category and read one book for my TBR category, but I still have 5 books to read to complete my ROOTs challenge (and Cousin Kate doesn't count as it is a library book) so I will be leaving my TBR and 'catchall' categories open heading into December and decide after I complete my ROOTs challenge when I will officially close out my category challenge.

I'm finally catching up with your reviews, which are always enjoyable to read. Too bad the steampunk short stories didn't get a higher rating from you. I had been eyeing this book when it was on the ER list, but I'm not sure I'll bother with it. I did enjoy Kelly Link's Steampunk! anthology, though, if you are looking for more short stories in that genre.

Yey for not being so sick you can't read. But, hope you're doing better - being sick gets old really fast! And, you are correct, the Millennium "trilogy" was never mean to be a trilogy, it's just that Larsson passed away before he could continue the series. It would have been great, though, I think.

> 152 - Hi Paulina, I struggled with how to rate Steampunk Voyages. It would probably be more accurate to give it a 3.2 decimal rating. it wasn't bad, but a couple of the stories were just 'meh'. I have seen mention of Link's anthology and I just might give a try.

> 153 - Hi Eva, I managed to share my sickness with my other half (he woke up coughing and head congested yesterday morning) so I spent part of the day taking care of him.... which doesn't involve much because he is a sleeper when he is sick, not a whiner. He will have to fend for himself today while I am at work but the place is well stocked with everything he will need. The good thing about being sick is it is the perfect opportunity to start a sort of cleansing diet - no junk food, no alcohol, no sweets, less carbs, etc - so I am taking the opportunity to carry on with the 'diet' as a way to drop a couple of pounds before the holiday season hits..... nothing like being able to enjoy the festivities guilt-free. ;-)

That true love for you: share and share alike. :)

I thought you were supposed to eat more and more coming up on the holidays, so that you can manage the huge dinners. :)

.... but then I run the risk of not being able to fit into my clothing! I will stick with the original plan, diet now and be guilt-free. *said as she looks at her rather small portion of crustless quiche and wonders how she will make it through the rest of the work day.*

It may turn out to be a rathere short-lived diet. ;-)

I'm sorry, but "crustless quiche"?? Did your mama not teach you not to use bad language? :)

Of course she did, but she has failed to impart the art of pie crust creation to me. Cook I can do, bake..... well, a little but I am crap at making crusts. I also don't like the shells one can buy in the frozen food aisle, so crustless it is. ;-)

Just think of all the calories you're not eating by going crustless!

So true! ;-)

Lori, I loved your review of Mr. Potter, I am planning on reading something by Jamaica Kincaid for next years GeoCat and for the Commonwealth Challenge.

Glad to hear you are feeling better, I think dieting now is a great idea. Just think how smug you will be in January when the rest of us are moaning and groaning about having to diet after Christmas overeating!

I will be reading more of Jamaica Kincaid's works, that is for sure! Kincaid's stories would be perfect for both the GeoCAT and the Commonwealth Challenge!

I am feeling better, Judy, thanks. As I mentioned over on my 75 group thread, I am still sniffly and have a little bit of chest congestion but good enough to go back to work and not feel like I cannot make it through the day.

The diet will continue for the next couple of weeks, mainly because my other half is fully supportive of a 'soup based' diet for the next week or two. Tonight I made a big pot of beef vegetable soup with wild rice and barley. Enough to keep us going until the weekend. ;-)

Books #89 - Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer
Category: - All things REGENCY



When I saw Jennifer's (inge87) review of Cousin Kate, and saw that it was a Gothic Regency romance, I immediately placed a hold for a copy from my local library. As luck would have it, I was able to enjoy this one while recovering from a cold..... for me, Georgette Heyer is comfort reading when I am feeling sick or in need of a nice change of pace.

Cousin Kate delivered as promised.... another fun and enticing Regency romance, this time with all of the trappings of a good Gothic tale. Cousin Torquil is a fantastic changeling of a character and as for domineering Minerva (aka Lady Broome, Kate's half aunt from her father's side of the family), charming Lord Broome, dashing cousin Philip and Kate's former governess, the always sensible Sarah Nidd, round out the main cast of characters for this one.

Do I have any grips about the story? Only my usual complaint, which isn't all that much of a complaint, really. I tend to roll my eyes when the female lead - who in this case was raised on the continent 'following the drum' of her military father surrounded by soldiers - displays a wide-eyed naivety that seems to run counter to some of her other actions and decisions. Other than that, another solid read by the mistress of the Regency romance genre.

Edited to add: This closes out my REGENCY category.

Decimal Rating: 4.09
4.00 - Plot Development
3.75 - Character Development
4.25 - Writing Style
4.50 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.75 - Originality
4.25 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 320 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Next up: The Night Watch by Sarah Waters as a book for my ROOTs challenge and as a perfect fit for the November WWII theme over on the Reading Through Time group.

Books #90 - The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Category: - All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE

"So this, said Kay to herself, is the sort of person you've become: a person whose clocks and wrist-watches have stopped, and who tells the time, instead, by the particular kind of cripple arriving at her landlord's door.

So begins Waters' WWII based story, The Night Watch. Having been mesmerized by Waters' storytelling abilities with her Gothic tale The Little Stranger, I was looking forward to reading this one.

The Night Watch is a bit of a strange book. The story starts out in post WWII England - 1947 to be exact. We are introduced to the main characters - Kay, Mickey, Helen, Julia, Viv (Vivien), Reggie, Duncan and Fraser - when post war life is anything but a bowl of cherries.... its more of a make do when all else fails kind of existence, sized up quite nicely by the following quote:

'Get over it. What a funny phrase that is! As if one's grief is a fallen house, and one has to pick one's way over the rubble to the ground on the other side... I've got lost in my rubble, Mickey. I can't seem to find my way across it. I don't think I want to cross it, that's the thing. The rubble has all my life in it still-'

Just as I was resigning myself to reading a story about a group of people who's connections and histories were a secret - and not all that interesting to me - the story shifts back in time to 1944, the war on the home front in London and some of the missing personal history pieces for our various characters start falling into place. The majority of the story takes place in 1944 and while it tends to jump around from character to character, this section wasn't as confusing to read as the 1947 section was. The end of the story takes one final leap back in time to 1941.

While Waters did not manage to answer all of my questions with her backward framing of history method of story telling, nor did she lead me to care deeply for any of the characters besides Kay, she has masterfully captured the sights, sounds and overall experience of wartime London during the bombing raids. That alone made this one worth the effort to read and managed to capture my waning interest in the book. While I wasn't as taken with this one as I was with The Little Stranger, I can appreciate Waters' skill in drawing the reader in to experience the story, not just read it.

Decimal Rating: 3.69
3.00 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
3.75 - Writing Style
4.00 - Readability
3.50 - Premise
5.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.75 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 544 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Next up: Blameless by Gail Carriger - yes, I need a fun read now and this is a perfect fit to close out my series category and as another steampunk read for the group read.

The Little Stranger is waiting on Mt. TBR and really must try to prioritize it for next year (but I may have said that last year too...). :)

> 165 - What are priorities except a reason to re-assess them? I did love The Little Stranger, if that is any reason to nudge it forward. ;-)

--------------

My cold has decided that it wants to be my friend so I am still dealing with the odd congestion, sneeze and cough. Not much downtime this past week..... currently going through an office move so the last few days have been packing, assessing and last minute logistics of those annoying niggley little details that can wake one up with a start at 2:00 am. Looking forward to settling into the new office on Monday.

Courtesy of RD (aka Richardderus) I have a new time suck: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Not my other half's cup of tea unless rationed out in timed intervals of no more than one episode a week but quite fun IMO and I absolutely LOVE the period costumes!

Still reading Blameless... not quite as taken with this one as I was with the first two books in the series but it is still entertaining light reading, which is just what I am in the mood for, but tonight it is going to be a quiet evening relaxing with the DVD of Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.

I'd never heard of Miss Fisher but it does look like fun. And I would have never recognized the actress as the arrogant wife from "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

We really enjoyed Miss Fisher, but now must wait for the next seasons release on netflix as there is no tv reception here.

> 167 - Jennifer, Miss Fisher is a lot of fun to watch. I understand that the shows do a good job of capturing the overall plot of the Phryne Fisher Murder Mystery novels written by Kerry Greenwood. Not sure I want to read the books, but I do enjoy the TV adaptation.

I haven't see "Girl with a Pearl Earring" so your comment has peaked my interest to look into that one!

> 168 - It's hard when a series sucks you in and then you have to wait for the next season to make it to DVD/Netflix. I had the same problem with Downton Abbey, Once Upon a Time, Doc Martin..... ;-)

--------------------

I have been having a rather productive weekend so far. This afternoon has been spent busy designing my Christmas cards for this year. I decided this year to mess around with my camera, photo software and my stash of Christmas ornaments (including the ones I recently made) to create the card cover art. So far I have been having a lot of fun playing around with compositions, camera angles, lighting and what not. I have also decided on the holiday poem for the inside of the card. I have ripped the house apart looking for my stash of card stock and envelopes with no success - where the heck did I put them?! - so it looks like part of my Sunday will be spent at the various craft/ paper stores in town for card stock, vellum paper and some other items for the cards.

It is another cold day today weather-wise, so it is a good night for a hearty homemade beef stew with garlic bread and episodes 7 & 8 of New Tricks season six, as episodes 1-3 of season seven are now ready for pickup from the library.

The reviews for Cheerful Weather for the Wedding were pretty dismal - was it good. I do adore Fenella Woolgar, so I'll probably watch it for her regardless.

Looking forward to seeing what this year's cards look like - pics please!

I can see why you adore Fenella Woolgar, she really pulls off her characters! Cheerful Weather for the Wedding was an okay movie but nothing stellar. It has its comic bits but for the most part it is more of an artsy movie (think something like Forster's Howard's End minus all the really good dramatic bits and with some rather broody characters). Not a very uplifting movie.

Yes, I will post pics once the card has been finished. ;-)

"minus all the really good dramatic bits"
But, but... That's the good part of Howard's End. :) OK, maybe I'll pass after all...

Yay, Fenella! I loved her appearance as Agatha Christie in an episode of Doctor Who ("The Unicorn and the Wasp").

>169 lkernagh: What you need to know about "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is...brooding Colin Firth.
I am so annoyed that these shows now take a year or year and a half off between seasons. I too want to know how Doc Martin is doing with his new baby. And poor Mary at Downton.
I'll be spending the afternoon finishing up Polansky's version of "Macbeth". Martin Shaw plays Banquo.

> 172 - Might be for the best, Eva! ;-)

> 173 - Considering how well Fenella fit in with the whole 1930's setting of Cheerful Weather for the Wedding the thought of her playing Agatha Christie boggles the mind.... in a good way!

> 174 - Ooohhhhh....a brooding Colin Firth..... must investigate further! Now Macbeth is a great play. It appeals to my dark side. ;-)

------------

Weekend Craft Project - Update: Well, who knew vellum paper would be so difficult to find in a craft or paper supply store! Yes, I probably could have resorted to checking out a wedding supply store but that automatically makes me think "Ca-ching", and no, Micheal's, the all crafts for all people craft store had no vellum paper for purchase. Five stores and a second Staples store later I found it.... the last package of vellum paper. Grabbed it, bought it and headed back home, happy to have accomplished what was starting to seem like the impossible.

Had a rather productive afternoon messing around with various photo effects using my photo manipulation software and finally decided upon the following image as the cover pictures for my cards this year:



I am really happy with how the photo came out, all vingette-like in appearance. I also managed to format and print the vellum page inserts for the cards, only to discover that I forgot to check the printer ink cartridges before I got started on this project. Looks like I will be purchasing some ink cartridges during my lunch-hour tomorrow, but tonight will be spend measuring and cutting some foreground matting for the pictures on the card covers.

Reading Update: Still reading Blameless but happy that the story is actually starting to pick up the pace a bit. Hope to finish it either tomorrow of Tuesday.

That's a beautiful picture!

Yes, I love the balance of shapes and colors!

Wow, Lori, your Christmas cards are going to be fantastic. I love how you composed the picture.

How did I lose this thread? I am in awe of your Christmas cards!

What a gorgeous photo for your Christmas cards! I enjoyed your review of Cousin Kate. I hope to include some Heyer in next year's reading.

Lori, you are one talented lady, that's for sure! Major props to you for doing your own Christmas cards!

Awe thanks Jennifer, mamzel, Judy, Katherine, Paulina and Laura! I am rather proud of that photo. Of course, I took like 100 photos so one would hope that there would be something usable in the lot!

> 179 - Ha ha, not sure how you lost my thread, Katherine but I am happy that you found it again!

> 180 - Thanks, Paulina! I am pretty confident that more Heyer reading will be in my future, as I glance over at the copy of The Foundling a friend has loaned me. ;-)

> 181 - Now you are making my blush, Laura! I have only recently started to make my own cards, mainly because I like the personal touch the cards can have but also because it also gives me the opportunity to make my other half happy to see me making use of the photo editing software, color printers and other 'stuff' that he has acquired for 'us' - which translates to means I mentioned something one day in passing and he decided to purchase it. I do glare at him when he starts making noises about my amazing cards and that I should consider starting a business.... the business mind of his doesn't make the distinction between hobby and work like mine does so he has some difficulty grasping the concept that I do this as a fun hobby and not as a commitment. I learned the downside of doing artistic work in a professional sense years ago when I did some part time free-lance work as a graphic artist..... the whole "create something like this by this Friday" concept killed my creative energy and it has taken over 15 years for me to get it and the enthusiasm back, so my other half has been informed "no business ideas for the near future". He is good with that. ;-)

Reading Update: I am still plugging away at Blameless - good grief, you would think this was a slog of a read considering how long it is taking me to read it! - but I am nearing the end. Should be finished tomorrow, fingers crossed, as tonight is going to be spent in front of the TV putting further crafting touches on my cards.

Love the Christmas card - beautiful colors! And so much more fun to receive than a store-bought one!

Thanks Eva! I should have the finishing touches on the cards completed sometime this weekend... I am now feeling somewhat motivated to try and finish another read before the month is out, just not sure when I am going to find the time to do that.

Books #91 - Blameless by Gail Carriger
Category: - All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS, and TRILOGIES



Either I have hit the 'middle of a series' doldrums or Carriger has. Didn't like this one as much as the two previous books in the series..... it seems to be missing something. Of course, it doesn't help that the story is divided between what is going on with Alexis and what is happening on the home front with the Woolsley pack and not to mention the problems with the other supernaturals on England's fine soil. I did enjoy more of a focus on Professor Lyall - Woolsley's Beta - but without the fun banter between him, Lord Maccon and Alexis, the story tends to limp along a bit. This was also when I realized just how much I enjoy Ivy as a character - her smaller role in this story was duly noticed. Given how much I enjoy stories with a Templer angle to them this one was a bit of a disappointment. It was Floote, Professor Lyall and good old 'one of a kind' Ivy that provided the entertaining reading for me.

Yes, I will probably continue with series but I not compelled to rush out and lay my hands on the next book in the series..... maybe I am in a bit of a reading funk right now for this one to be just a 'meh' read.

Decimal Rating: 3.13
3.00 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.25 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
3.25 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN) / Narration (Audio)
3.25 - Originality
2.75 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade paperback
# of Pages: 384 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Next up: Dale Loves Sophie To Death by Robb Forman Dew - Why, you may ask? Well, because it will count as a read for the November AwardCAT (If I can get it finished by Saturday) as well as being another read off my TBR bookcase for my ROOTs challenge. What is the story about..... I have no idea.

.... and before I forget, this completes my SERIES category.

>175 lkernagh: Fantastic photo!

I have also recently started getting a bit more serious about photography outside of the pure snapshots and can tell how difficult it is to come up with something as good as your shot. Yes, it may take 100 photos and some software to play around with.... but in the end it is all worth it.

Thanks! I am still learning how to adjust aperture and shutter speed settings to produce different images but I am hugely thankful for the digital age we live in. I cannot image trying to learn how to do this using traditional films rolls.... that would have broken my bank account for sure! I am going to head into town early this week before starting work and play around taking some holiday lighting pictures as it is still pitch black out at 7:00 in the morning.

--------------------------

I currently have two books on the go and didn't manage to finish either of them last night so both reads roll over into December. Today will be spent putting up the Christmas tree and hopefully finishing up the cards so that they will be ready for mailing out. I am also way behind on the Coursera course I registered for and need to get my act together to get the remaining 4 weekly modules finished (along with the quizzes and discussion forums) before December 8th) so I need to sit down and get that done if I want to receive the statement of accomplishment.

Oh... and I have come across this adorable cable knit pattern for a slouchy winter beret that I want to attempt to knit, so my December is becoming jam-packed with hobbies... and I have no idea when I will find time for all of this!

Onto the monthly - or in this case last - recap for the challenge.

NOVEMBER RE-CAP:

Books read:


ROOTs Read (as part of my ROOT challenge):


ROOTs read so far this year: 26 (goal for the year is 30 ROOTs read)

Books acquired this month:
None. I should clarify that I tend to forget to add in my LTER books when I receive them, especially if they are e-books.... I tend to not view them the same way I view a physical book I bring home with me or that arrives in through the mail that I have to un-package.

Favorite book (decimal rating): The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - (4.81 decimal rating)
Least favorite book (decimal rating): Steampunk Voyages: Around the World in Six Gears by Irene Radford - (3.00 decimal rating)

CATEGORY SUMMARY:
GRAPHIC - Completed 13 books read
NEW (published in 2012 or 2013) - Completed 13 books read
EPISTOLARY - Completed 7 books read
GOTHIC - Completed 5 books read
FABLES and FAIRY TALES - Completed 7 books read
EUROPA - Completed 3 books read
REGENCY - 1 book read this month (Total = 5) Completed
- - - Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer -
PENGUIN - Completed 2 books read
MITFORD - Completed 1 book read
SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES - 2 books read this month (Total = 11) Completed
- - - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson -
- - - Blameless by Gail Carriger -
NEWSWORTHY - Completed 5 books read
ON MY TBR BOOKCASE - 1 book read this month (Total = 11) Completed
- - - The Night Watch by Sarah Waters -
WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN - 2 books read this month (Total = 7) Completed
- - - Steampunk Voyages: Around the World in Six Gears by Irene Radford -
- - - Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid -

As you can see, I have decided to close out my remaining categories now and give myself a December of free reading - outside of the reading I will continue to do to finish my ROOTs challenge. This year's challenge was more to see where I focus my reading, not the number of books read in reach category. Not surprised that the majority of my reading fit my GRAPHICS and ON MY TBR BOOKCASE categories but I was rather surprised at the small number of books that fit my PENGUIN category.... until I realized that the Larsson trilogy is published by Penguin along with a couple of other books I read that I slotted into other categories.

Currently Reading:

Love Across Borders by Mamun M Adil et al - 75% finished this short story collection as a perfect fit for my Commonwealth Challenge, but it is my purse read so I don't know when I will be finished.
Dale Loves Sophie to Death - 60% finished and hope to finish it later today

Next Up:

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville - for the group read and as a read that counts towards my ROOTs challenge
Hotel Paradiso by Gregor Robinson - as a Bahamas read for my Commonwealth Challenge

187: I am still learning how to adjust aperture and shutter speed settings to produce different images but I am hugely thankful for the digital age we live in.
I am looking into getting a real camera, beyond a point and shoot, which means I'll be forced to learn this sort of thing. I too am grateful that digital takes care of the basics.

The choices of camera out there that are capable of professional photography is huge! I get scared and really confused when I try to decipher all the technical jargon of what camera has the best features for what I want.... but then I find even comparing smart phones can give me a headache! ;-)

Good luck with your camera purchase, Katherine! I have found that the best way for me to learn how to use the camera is to just focus on one aspect at a time, get proficient with it and then move on to another feature. Baby steps for me.

191: I get scared and really confused when I try to decipher all the technical jargon
That's why I haven't gotten one yet. I go round and round reading reviews, get overwhelmed, set it aside, and the next time I look, my research is obsolete and there's a whole new crop.

Technology does move fast, that is for sure!

-----------------

Well, since I have formally closed out my category challenge, and since the helpful continuation thingee showed up earlier that I was expecting it (when did it start showing up before 200 posts?), I have decided to start a new thread for my December 'overflow' reading..... please come join me!

>190 qebo:/91: Knowing that I easily get enthused about something just to let it slip by the wayside after just far too much cash on purchases, I had opted for a bridge camera, i.e. much better than point and shoot but with some missing features that a full blown DSLR has. And so far it has worked swell with me.

Of course, I have now come across situations where I would have loved to have a proper DSLR but in the majority of cases the bridge camera is totally sufficient.

Discussed possible new purchases with a friend who is a professional photographer. He steered me away from spending more by emphasising that the best equipment in the hands of a bloody amateur like myself accounts to nothing (he said it more diplomatically) and that true camera artists can do lots with little. For the time being he advised to just focus on the basics, getting to grips with all my settings, learn about composition etc and what I lack in gadgets to make up in inventiveness.

Must admit that this advice has served me well so far.

193: when did it start showing up before 200 posts
Maybe a couple months ago? So far as I know this was never announced, people just began to notice when their threads hit the magic number, which per experimental evidence is 150.

194: My point and shoot camera does well enough for my purposes with zoom, but is poor for macro. I'm looking at entry level (or not much above) DSLR; professional would be wasted on me.

> 194 - A bridge camera sounds like the perfect solution! I would be one of those photographers that a DSLR would be wasted on. ;-)

> 195 - Whenever LT does these soft launches, I tend to be completely oblivious until I want to make use of the feature and then I go "Oh, when did that happen?!" 150 posts seems reasonable, especially if the thread is image heavy so I am very happy they made that change.