CBL's Literary Adventures in 2016 Part 8

My name is Carrie, and I'm back for my 6th year in this group. I've been reading non-stop since the age of 4. I'm a baby boomer, but just barely since I was born at the tail end of that generation. (I identify more with Gen Xers since I was the oldest child/grandchild in my family.) I'm a librarian who is learning to live with the reality that there will never be enough time to read all the fascinating books that cross my radar. I have one "furbaby", Adrian (named for Adrian Monk), a very sweet 5-year-old Shih Tzu I adopted from the Humane Society in September 2013. You'll see photos here from time to time.

My reading is fairly eclectic, but I have a special love for classic mystery authors like Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Josephine Tey. And I have a growing appreciation of Rex Stout, who I recently discovered is my 3rd cousin 3x removed. I also try to fit in books about local, state, regional, or U.S. history and genealogy as part of my family history research, which I've been actively pursuing since middle school.

Here's a recent photo of Adrian and his best buddy, Stella. As you can see, the recliner was a little crowded with one human, two dogs, and Adrian's stuffed lamb!

Best of the year to date:
The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel (5) - Review
Hell Is Empty by Craig Johnson (4.5) - Review
The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes (4.5) - Review
Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies & Alison Leslie Gold (5) - Review
Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42 by William Dalrymple (4.5) - Review
How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson (4.5) - Review
As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson (4.5) - Review
The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding (5) - Review
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (4.5) - Review
Old Filth by Jane Gardam (4.5) - Review
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (5) - Review
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (5) - Review
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena; pictures by Christian Robinson (5) - Review
Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick; illustrated by Sophie Blackall (5) - Review
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (5) - Review
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome (5)
When Hoopoes Go to Heaven by Gaile Parkin (5) - Review
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (4.5) - Review
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (5) - Review
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi (4.5)
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (5) - Review
Gunpowder Girls by Tanya Anderson (4.5) - Review

Books read in November:
125. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (2) - completed 11/2/16
126. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves (3) - completed 11/6/16
127. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (5) - completed 11/11/16
128. Gunpowder Girls by Tanya Anderson (4.5) - completed 11/12/16
129. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (4) - completed 11/21/16
130. Farm Fresh Murder by Paige Shelton (3) - completed 11/25/16
131. The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope (3.5) - completed 11/27/16
132. Mexico Set by Len Deighton (3) - completed 11/30/16

Books completed in December
133. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (3.5) - completed 12/3/16
134. Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing by Megan Smolenyak (3.5) - completed 12/4/16
135. Christmas in Absaroka County by Craig Johnson (4) - completed 12/4/16
136. Out of the Silence by Terry Waite (3.5) - completed 12/6/16
137. Red-Handed in Romanee-Conti by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen (1.5) - completed 12/11/16
138. A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry (2) - completed 12/12/2016
139. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (4) - completed 12/18/2016
140. Middlemarch by George Eliot (4) - completed 12/24/16
141. The Highwayman by Craig Johnson (4) - completed 12/26/16
142. Anything But Civil by Anna Loan-Wilsey (1) - completed 12/30/16
143. Murder at Teatime edited by Cynthia Manson (3.5) - completed 12/31/16

Books added in October
64. Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson (ARC)
65. Gunpowder Girls by Tanya Anderson (September ER book)
66. Modified: GMOs and the Threat to Our Food, Our Land, Our Future by Caitlin Shetterly (purchased)
67. America Alone by Mark Steyn (library book sale)

Books added in November
68. The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt by Maria M. Cornelius (purchased)
69. Red-Handed in Romanee-Conti by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen; translated by Sally Pane (October ER book)

Books added in December
70. Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen (free ebook)
71. Grand Cru Heist by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen (free ebook)
72. Nightmare in Burgundy by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen (free ebook)
73. Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (Christmas swap)
74. When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning (Christmas swap)
75. London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets by Peter Ackroyd (Christmas swap)
76. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley (Christmas swap)
77. Anatomy of a Song by Marc Myers (November ER audiobook)
78. Dead Man's Shoes by Leo Bruce (SantaThing)
79. Dark Road Home by Anna Carlisle (Christmas gift)
80. Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance (Christmas gift)

PaulCranswick's British Authors Challenge

JANUARY
Barry Unsworth - Land of Marvels - COMPLETED 1/5/16
Susan Hill - The Various Haunts of Men - COMPLETED 1/25/16

FEBRUARY
William Dalrymple - Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42 - COMPLETED 2/29/16
Agatha Christie - Crooked House - COMPLETED 2/21/16

MARCH
Thomas Hardy - Far from the Madding Crowd
Ali Smith - How to Be Both - COMPLETED 3/7/16

APRIL
George Eliot - Middlemarch

MAY
Robert Goddard - Into the Blue - COMPLETED 5/23/16
Jane Gardam - Old Filth - COMPLETED 5/30/16

JUNE
Joseph Conrad - The Secret Agent - COMPLETED 6/30/16
Antonia Fraser - Quiet as a Nun - COMPLETED 6/4/16

JULY
Bernice Rubens - Favours - COMPLETED 7/17/16

AUGUST
Diana Wynne Jones - Howl's Moving Castle - COMPLETED 8/13/16
Ian McEwan - Atonement Sweet Tooth - COMPLETED 8/26/16

SEPTEMBER
Doris Lessing - African Laughter
Laurie Lee - Cider with Rosie - COMPLETED 9/16/16

OCTOBER
Kate Atkinson - Behind the Scenes at the Museum - COMPLETED 10/6/16
William Golding

NOVEMBER
Rebecca West - Survivors in Mexico
Len Deighton - Mexico Set - COMPLETED 11/30/16

DECEMBER
Anne Bronte - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Smiler69's Canadian Authors Challenge

JANUARY
Kim Thuy - Ru - COMPLETED 1/9/16

FEBRUARY
Helen Humphreys- The Frozen Thames - COMPLETED 2/15/16

MARCH
Anita Rau Badami - The Hero's Walk - COMPLETED 4/10/16

APRIL
Margaret Atwood - The Journals of Susanna Moodie - COMPLETED 4/2/16

MAY
Emily St. John Mandel - Station Eleven - COMPLETED 5/7/16

JUNE
Joseph Boyden - The Orenda - COMPLETED 7/12/16

JULY
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables - COMPLETED 8/9/16

AUGUST
Gabrielle Roy - The Tin Flute

SEPTEMBER
Dany Laferriere - The World Is Moving Around Me - COMPLETED 9/27/16

OCTOBER
Lawrence Hill - Someone Knows My Name

NOVEMBER
Michael Ondaatje - Anil's Ghost

msf59's American Authors Challenge/weird_O's Pulitzer Prize Challenge

JANUARY
Anne Tyler - Saint Maybe - COMPLETED 1/27/16

FEBRUARY
Richard Russo - Elsewhere - COMPLETED 2/18/16

MARCH
Jane Smiley - A Thousand Acres - COMPLETED 3/14/16

APRIL
Take Hold!: An Anthology of Pulitzer Prize Winning Poems compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins
A Few Figs from Thistles by Edna St. Vincent Millay - COMPLETED 4/23/16

MAY
Ivan Doig - Work Song - COMPLETED 5/8/16

JUNE
E. Annie Proulx - The Shipping News

JULY
John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men - COMPLETED 7/3/16

AUGUST
Joyce Carol Oates - The Perfectionist - COMPLETED 8/21/16

SEPTEMBER
John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany

OCTOBER
Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

NOVEMBER
Annie Dillard - Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Chatterbox's Nonfiction Reading Challenge

JANUARY - Biography/memoir/autobiography
The Upstairs Wife by Rafia Zakaria - COMPLETED 1/15/16
The Richest Woman in America by Janet Wallach - COMPLETED 2/2/16

FEBRUARY - History
Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42 by William Dalrymple - COMPLETED 2/29/16

MARCH - Travel
Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela by Conrad Rudolph - COMPLETED 3/8/16
Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey by Isabel Fonseca - COMPLETED 4/4/16

APRIL - Religion
Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler - COMPLETED 4/2/16
The Bloomsbury Reader on Islam in the West
Pollution and the Death of Man by Francis A. Schaeffer - COMPLETED 4/17/16

MAY - The Arts
The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance by Paul Robert Walker - COMPLETED 6/10/16

JUNE - Natural history/Environment/Health
Two in the Bush by Gerald Durrell - COMPLETED 6/24/16
The Lively Place: Mount Auburn, America's First Garden Cemetery and Its Revolutionary and Literary Residents by Stephen Kendrick - COMPLETED 6/19/16

JULY - Current affairs
The Bloomsbury Reader on Islam in the West edited by Edward E. Curtis - COMPLETED 7/27/16
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer - COMPLETED 7/24/16

AUGUST - Science, technology, medicine
Lotions, Potions, and Deadly Elixirs by Wayne Bethard - COMPLETED 8/18/16

SEPTEMBER - Philosophy, history of ideas
The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt - COMPLETED 10/10/16

OCTOBER - Politics/economics, business/commentary
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner - COMPLETED 10/21/16

NOVEMBER - Essays
The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz

My Commonwealth Challenge

The Orchid House by Phyllis Shand Allfrey (Dominica) - completed 4/24/16
When Hoopoes Go to Heaven by Gaile Parkin (Swaziland) - completed 9/4/16
The Strode Venturer by Hammond Innes (Maldives) - completed 9/20/16

I'm in the middle of a multi-year quest to read Agatha Christie's works in publication order. I'll list them here as I finish them.

Crooked House (3.5) - completed 2/21/16

I've been reading books about Jane Austen or books about or inspired by her novels. I'll list them here as I finish them.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (1.5) - completed 4/1/16

I'll be following the Hogarth Shakespeare project that began with Jeanette Winterson's retelling of The Winter's Tale as The Gap of Time. If I haven't already read the play, I'll read it first. Next up is Howard Jacobson's retelling of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock Is My Name.

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (The Taming of the Shrew) - completed 3/16/16
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (The Tempest) - completed 9/5/16

My Uncle Charlie (father's brother) had a November birthday. He would be 83 this month if he were still living. He was a very talented artist, and I have several of his pieces. This painting won a prize in an art show. My uncle titled it "Decrepit Royalty", but he always jokingly told people that it was a portrait of his mother. (It looks nothing like her, and my uncle and my grandmother got along very well. He inherited his artistic talent from her. I have one of her paintings, too.) This lovely lady hung in the hallway in my parents' home for years. When my mother decided to put something else in that space, I snatched it for myself. She hangs in my hallway now!

Currently reading:

Is it safe? Happy New Thread, Carrie. In your intro you describe yourself as being born at the tail end of the baby boomer years. I'd have to say that I feel the same way as you do. I'd regard my parents as being baby boomers, but not so much me. ( I am just 19 years younger than my parents, so room for overlap ) .

>14 vancouverdeb: Yes, all safe! And I find that I do have another hour to spare, so have an extra one tonight on me!

My parents were both in their mid to late 20s when I was born. I had an older sister who lived for only a few hours. My mother had toxemia and barely survived herself. My parents both had memories of WWII. My father was nearly 6 when the US entered the war, and my mother was 7 when the war ended. Definitely not baby boomers.

Happy new thread, Carrie. I love the painting.

Hi Carrie! How is that book How to Read Literature like a Professor going? Sounds intriguing!

Happy new thread, Carrie! I *love* your uncle's painting! How great to have some to remember him by.

Happy new thread, Carrie.

Happy new thread Carrie!

Happy new thread Carrie!

>16 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!

>17 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I am nearly halfway through How to Read Literature Like a Professor. It's been very readable so far. The chapters are short and topical. The chapters I've read so far discuss trips/quests, eating, vampires, sonnets, allusions, Shakespeare, the Bible, fairy tales, Greek myth, violence, symbols, and politics. I think I would enjoy taking one of his literature courses.

>18 susanj67: Hi Susan! I have two more of my uncle's paintings. My brother has the gargoyle-like sculpted ash trays that my uncle made. Unused, because no one in my family smokes! I hope my SIL didn't get rid of them.

>19 PaulCranswick: >20 souloftherose: >21 The_Hibernator: Thanks Paul, Heather, & Rachel!

Hi Carrie, I noticed your ambitious reading-plan for November. Even if you only read half of the list, it will be interesting to read what you think about it (although I already have a pretty good idea you will feel about A House for Mr. Biswas. Kidzdoc once named it as one of his favourite books, but I never got round to reading it so far. However, I sometimes have this slightly self-destructive inclination to read books that some people really dislike, to see if they are right.

Thomas Foster is fun, isn't he?

>23 Trifolia: Hi Monica! I hope I haven't been overly ambitious! And I'm having lots of fun with Thomas Foster. I also have his How to Read Novels Like a Professor in my TBR stash.

Adrian and I went to the fall festival at a local animal shelter this afternoon. I came home with a book! Maria Cornelius has been covering the Lady Vols for about 20 years. She's written a book about Pat Summitt's final season. It was recently published by the University of Tennessee Press. She autographed my copy, and she's donating much of today's proceeds to the animal shelter.



The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt

Happy new one, Carrie! I love the photo of Adrian and Stella - all settled in!

Happy new thread, Carrie.

>26 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! Yes, Stella makes herself at home here!

>27 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

125. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
TIOLI #10 Title can complete the phrase "I am thankful for..."

In the 1960s, twenty-something Eileen Dunlop lives with her alcoholic ex-cop father and works in a local prison for juvenile boys. Describing Eileen's family background as dysfunctional would be an understatement. Eileen's behavior indicates a desire to be unnoticed. She's anorexic, she hides herself in her dead mother's clothing, and her neglect of personal hygiene seems at least partially motivated by a desire to keep others at arms' length. Yet underneath all this, Eileen desperately wants to be noticed and loved. It doesn't take long for new prison employee, Rebecca, to break through Eileen's defenses. The perfect Rebecca seems to offer the friendship Eileen craves, but it comes at a price.

There's a good short story somewhere in this overwritten novel. Eileen wallows in her own filth for chapter after chapter. There's no reason, except perhaps shock value, that so many pages need to be devoted to this. Do readers really need detailed accounts of Eileen's bowel movements? Eileen writes as an old woman remembering who she used to be. But perhaps she hasn't changed as much as she would have readers believe, and she is still trying to keep others at arms' length. If so, she just may succeed. I suspect that more than a few readers will abandon Eileen to her squalor.

This review is based on a complimentary electronic reading copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

2 stars`

Hi Carrie. Nice photo of you, Adrian, and Stella. It's a good thing you told us who all was in that recliner because it's a little hard to tell! :-)

>25 cbl_tn: Very, very cool.

>30 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen!

Happy new thread, Carrie! I plan on reading How to read Novels etc etc. next year. It's been on my shelf for way too long!

Have a great day!

>29 cbl_tn: I think you are being kind - I'm not even sure about there being a good short story here! I was expecting something better.

Ohh! I have Eileen sitting around. Two stars. Hmm. I may have to pass on the book. No, I don't need to read about anyone's bowel movements, not even from a Booker shortlist.

>32 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! Just finished the Foster book. It's excellent! I would have enjoyed literature classes a lot more if I'd had him as a teacher. I always felt like I was missing something, but no one ever really told me what to look for.

>33 charl08: I don't see how this one made the Booker shortlist, or any other shortlist, for that matter. Except maybe the Shirley Jackson Award. Maybe.

>34 vancouverdeb: I would advise giving Eileen a pass. I suspect that you wouldn't like it any better than I did.

126. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
TIOLI #1 - Bird on cover with beak pointing toward spine

Shetland Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and his fiancee, Fran, are spending a few days on the remote island of Fair Isle. Before their marriage, Fran needs to meet his family and friends and see where Jimmy was raised. Even though he no longer lives on Fair Isle, it's still a part of him. The morning after their engagement party at the island's bird observatory, Jimmy receives a call from the observatory. There's been a murder. As the only police officer present on the island, and with stormy weather cutting the island off from outside access, Perez must investigate this one on his own. The suspects are limited to the small observatory staff and the few guests at the facility. He's unable to solve the case quickly enough to prevent another murder.

This is a locked room mystery on a couple of levels. The first murder takes place inside a locked building, and this limits the number of suspects. The murderer is also trapped on the island, as neither boats nor the small plane that services the island can get in or out until the storm passes. If this sounds like an Agatha Christie novel to readers, it felt like one to the characters, as at least one acknowledged! The crime plot isn't executed as well as the plots of the previous books in the series. Perez's parents and fiancee distract him from giving his full attention to crime solving, and the consequences are disastrous. The vivid Shetland Island setting is still the most appealing feature of this series, and I'll continue to read it just for that experience.

3 stars

127. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
TIOLI #5 - Author's first and last names have the same number of syllables

Whether you're a relatively new reader of literature or you have decades of reading experience under your belt, you're sure to learn something from this book to enrich your future reading experience. Although I'm convinced that I will never achieve Foster's depth of analysis, Foster has also convinced me that reading is a skill that I can improve through practice. Foster reassures his readers/students that ”if the story is good and the characters work but you don't catch allusions and references and parallels, then you've done nothing worse than read a good story with memorable characters. If you begin to pick up on some of these other elements, these parallels and analogies, however, you'll find your understanding of the novel deepens and becomes more meaningful, more complex.” So, it's not like I've been reading the wrong way all these years, but I can work at becoming a better reader and have a better appreciation of what I read. I'll be referring to this book often from here on out. Highly recommended.

5 stars

128. Gunpowder Girls: The True Stories of Three Civil War Tragedies by Tanya Anderson
TIOLI #3 - Book I acquired in October

Before their granddaughters and great-granddaughters went to work for the war efforts in World Wars I and II, women and young girls were employed on the home front in the U.S. Civil War. This book provides a history of three tragedies affecting young women and girls working in Civil War ammunition factories in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Anderson describes their work, provides details of the circumstances that led to each disaster, and gives an account of each of the subsequent investigations. Anderson provides a list of all who were killed in each of the explosions. She has calculated the victims' ages from their ages in the 1860 census. The plentiful and clear illustrations enhance the reader's understanding of the more technical details in the text. The primary sources for Anderson's research are the historical newspaper accounts of the tragedies. Anderson provides both a selected bibliography of resources with information about these three events, as well as recommended reading lists on the Civil War and on women and child labor reform. This well-written history is recommended for all middle and high-school library collections. Anderson's compilation of lists of fatalities for each explosion will make this a worthwhile purchase for many genealogical collections as well.

This review is based on an advance review copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

4.5 stars

Gunpowder Girls was one I considered requesting through the ER program. I'm glad to see that it was well done. Perhaps I'll look up a copy someday.

Hi Terri! I'd be glad to pass this one on to you if you like. Leave me a PM with your address if you're interested.

Excellent reviews, Carrie. I've enjoyed Ann Cleeves in the past. I enjoy the atmosphere, but they tend to be overlong for the topic matter, I think. I may have read How to Read Literature Like a Professor in the past, but I'm not sure.

>41 vancouverdeb: This one seemed just the right length. It was a fairly quick read.

Gunpowder Girls looks interesting, Carrie. US Civil War history is one of my interests.

>38 cbl_tn: Sounds really good - I had no idea women worked in munitions in the 19c.

>37 cbl_tn: How to Read Literature Like a Professor is one I've long wanted to get to. A 5-star book, no less. Glad you liked it.

>43 Familyhistorian: I like Civil War history, too! I'm glad that this book lives up to its description. So many of them don't.

>44 charl08: Hi Charlotte! I had no idea about that either. I knew that women worked in munitions in WWI & II, but everything I've read about those wars made it sound like that was a new thing. This book says that the armory supervisors first tried teenage boys, but they were too careless with the dangerous materials. They thought that women and young girls would be more careful.

>45 lindapanzo: I loved this book, and I wish I hadn't let it sit unread for so long. I have his How to Read Novels Like a Professor and I'm eager to get to that one now.

Can't remember whether you do the Christmas Swap (the 75ers one, not Santa Thing). The thread is up.

>47 lindapanzo: Thanks Linda! I've signed up again this year. Last year was the first time I joined the swap, and it was fun!

Teenage boys and explosives? Crumbs.

I've just got a Netgalley of Radium Girls which sounds like it might have similar themes.

Morning, Carrie! Nice string of reviews. I have seen that How to Read one and wondered if it was any good.

>49 charl08: Radium Girls sounds interesting! I grew up near Oak Ridge, so I've been hearing about the health effects on employees and local residents for years.

>50 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I think you would like the How to Read book. It's a fun read!

I have an extra dog for a few days while Stella's "parents" are out of town. Meanwhile, Adrian has developed a UTI. I noticed symptoms earlier this week but wasn't able to get a vet appointment until this afternoon. The vet seems to think I caught it early and the antibiotic shot should clear things up for him.

Poor Adrian. Hoping the antibiotic shot does the trick.

>53 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! He doesn't seem to be in any pain. The vet didn't seem to be too concerned. If it doesn't clear up with the antibiotics, she'll want to run tests to see if he has a stone.

Oh, I forgot to add that I got a free psych evaluation! The vet said I wasn't crazy for thinking I saw a trace of blood in Adrian's pee. (He made a puddle next to my kitchen trash, and I thought I could have dripped watermelon or cranberry juice there without noticing it.)

>55 cbl_tn: This made me chuckle. Amazing what they'll throw in at the vets these days...

Morning, Carrie! You made me laugh with the free psych evaluation. Look at you getting more for your money!

>55 cbl_tn: It is often said that our pets make us sane; that could now of course be extended to their physicians!

Have a great weekend.

>56 charl08: Yes, isn't it?!

>57 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I like to make the most of every opportunity!

>58 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I love Adrian's vet. She's great with animals and her instructions and explanations are very easy to follow and understand.

Coincidentally, today I received a rebate check for Adrian's heartworm & flea medication. It will cover more than half of the cost of yesterday's vet visit. :-)

It's taking me ages to listen to My Brilliant Friend. I haven't been able to walk outdoors because of the poor air quality, and I haven't been spending much time in the car or in the kitchen. I did listen to a bit this morning while I was mixing up blueberry muffins for breakfast. I'm enjoying it except for the reader's quirk of occasionally changing the pronunciation of Lila. Most of the time she pronounces it "Leela", but occasionally she'll say "Lie-la". You'd think the audiobook producer would have caught this.

Great reviews, Carrie. Gunpowder Girls sounds great, and I've enjoyed the other books by Foster that I've looked at. That change in pronunciation of the audiobook would make me crazy.

Have a great weekend.

>61 BLBera: Hi Beth! I hope you've had a good weekend!

I hope you have a great week, Carrie, and that the smoke clears up soon.

Oh my. My heart goes out to the families in that horrific bus crash in Chattanooga. All those kids.

>63 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! The rain we had on Saturday morning helped to clear the air. It may get worse again since there are still fires in the area, but things are good right now.

>64 lindapanzo: Chattanooga is about 2 hours from here, but it's a top story in our news. I keep getting news updates on my iPad. It's been just about 2 years since we had a bus crash with fatalities here in Knoxville, and I'm sure the news is bringing back bad memories for those families.

129. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
TIOLI #8 - Has a blind main character

A blind French girl and an orphaned German boy come of age during the Second World War. Marie-Laure's father is the locksmith for Paris's Natural History Museum. As the Germans approach Paris, Marie-Laure and her father flee to her great-uncle's home in Saint Malo. Werner is one of about a dozen children in a German orphanage run by a French nun. Werner's mechanical aptitude is eventually noticed by German authorities, who draft Werner into army service even though he is under age. Marie-Laure and Werner's paths finally cross as the occupation of France nears its end.

It shouldn't be surprising that senses are emphasized in a book with a blind protagonist. The roar of the sea, the sound of music, he hiss of radio static, the whorls of a snail's shell, the smoothness of a stone, the aroma of flowers, the scent of salt air, and the taste of summer fruit are all vividly described. Foreshadowing is used effectively, and the parallel plot lines are evenly paced as they approach their intersection. However, an otherwise powerful story is somewhat weakened by a hint of magical realism that seems out of place.

4 stars

>66 cbl_tn: I've had that one at the top of the pile for months. Hoping to get to it soon.

>37 cbl_tn: I think his description of reading makes me feel a lot better about knowing that I have not fully grasped the meaning behind a lot of the heavy books I have read, such as American Gods for example. The Reece's in which went totally over my head.

>66 cbl_tn: so when you pick a book for the TIOLI challenge, do you have to have read some of it before seeing if it fits the challenge? Or do you read anything and make it fit a category?

Just dropping by to say hi!
It seems like I really need a copy of All The Light We Cannot See.

I enjoyed All The Light We Cannot See. Great review. I confess I enjoyed The Nightingaleby Kristin Hannah even more. It seemed more realistic to me.

>67 lindapanzo: Hi Linda! I think you'll like it whenever you get to it.

>68 LovingLit: Hi Megan! Occasionally I have to read at least part of a book before I know if it fits a TIOLI challenge, but most of the time I know before I start reading that it will fit. I plan my reading a couple of months ahead. I juggled several challenges this year. Sometimes I have two or three books in mind that will fit other challenges, and I make my final pick after I see which one will fit one of the TIOLI categories.

>69 mstrust: Hi Jennifer! It's a popular book, isn't it?!

>70 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! I noticed that LT is recommending The Nightingale as a similar read. I'll have to add it to my library TBR list. Five Quarters of the Orange is another WWII novel I liked better than All the Light We Cannot See. It is also set in France during the German occupation.

>70 vancouverdeb: >71 cbl_tn: Adding Kristin Hannah's book to my wish list. It may already be there, but I didn't have it on the short list for next year's reading -- and it's there now.

>72 thornton37814: I don't know if I'll get to it next year, but it's certainly on my radar!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating today!

Happy T-Day, Carrie!
Yeah, that bit of magical realism in ATLWCNS was a little awkward.

I am thankful for your presence in the group, Carrie.

Happy Thanksgiving, Carrie!

>75 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! I'm glad it isn't just me with the magical realism issue with that novel.

>76 The_Hibernator: >77 PaulCranswick: >78 mstrust: Thanks, Rachel, Paul, & Jennifer!

>80 ronincats: Thanks Roni!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Carrie.

>82 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! It was a lovely day, but I missed being with Adrian. He stayed with his friend, Stella, and had a good time there. He seemed glad to see me when I picked him up yesterday.

Carrie, we were away from our dog most of Thanksgiving, too. I felt sad for him staying home alone but I did sneak him a bit of turkey so he forgave us! I have both of the Foster books and enjoy his hints and love of literature. I got some good hints from them while I was reading but should have written them down. I may do that next year so I can be a better reader.

I seem to remember in the Ferrante books that Lila had two pronunciations because one was a nickname. I can't remember the particulars but I'm pretty sure she answered to both names. lol

>84 Donna828: Hi Donna! I'm glad to know that about the pronunciation of names in My Brilliant Friend. I've noticed more instances of the different pronunciation since I mentioned it here.

I don't know if this has made national news, but I've been watching our local news nonstop. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are major tourist destinations near me, and parts of both were evacuated last night because of wildfires. Fires are still burning this morning. The pictures and stories are terrifying. Employees and guests are trapped in a hotel with fires blocking the exit routes. It's rainng now, but the rain is moving out of the area. More wind is expected today, followed by more rain tonight.

Our local broadcast stations are all covering the story. If you're interested in following it, the local stations with coverage are WATE, WBIR, and WVLT.

Yes, I've seen it on the news, Carrie! How's everything by you? Are you near the wildfires? It seems like it's been going on for a week or so as my neighbor was anxious about it driving in that direction for Thanksgiving. Hope all subsides soon.

>87 Carmenere: I'm close enough to the fires to have smoke and haze. The air quality has been poor most days for the last 3 weeks. I haven't been spending much time outdoors since I have asthma. The fire that started in Walland on the 17th is the closest to me. I took Adrian to see the vet that afternoon and I could see the plume of smoke most of the way. It was still burning as of yesterday. Those in our local media who've been around for a while say they haven't seen anything like this since they reported on Katrina.

A couple of colleagues here at my institution collected donations this morning. They're on their way to buy food and water to deliver to the firefighters and first responders. Many of the local emergency crews are our friends and neighbors.

Some of the bigger concerns right now are the animals in Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg (all employees were forced to leave) and Dollywood.

Wow! I did see Dollywood on the news but not the aquarium. I imagine relocating all that sea life would be a tremendous undertaking. Stay safe, Adrian too!

Earlier this morning Ripley's Aquarium's webcam showed the building in tact. Also some WVLT reporters showed the building before they were forced out of that area, and it appeared to be in tact. I'm just praying it is okay. The amount of homes and cabins consumed by the fires is mind-boggling. I'm wanting to hear about the historic buildings in Roaring Fork. I fear they are gone. That will make me so sad because that was just about my favorite spot in the Smokies. I'm also concerned about the park headquarters (and its library). They have stuff there that is not replaceable from a historic standpoint. We need to get some digitization projects going!

PS - I did hear that no structure in the Dollywood Park were damaged. However, I think some of the cabins and possibly part of the Dreammore Resort may have been affected.

>89 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! There will be a news conference in about 20 minutes so we'll know more about the status of some of these landmarks after that. It's hard to know which reports are accurate and which aren't. An earlier report from TEMA said that Ober Gatlinburg had been destroyed. They later corrected that report. As of this morning it's still OK.

>90 thornton37814: I may hear something about the park's archives at some point. One of our former student workers interned there last year.

Gatlinburg's fire chief took questions at a news conference. He said that things got bad very quickly yesterday evening due to 87 mph wind gusts (hurricane force) that brought down power lines. The downed power lines started multiple fires in addition to the Chimney Tops fire that they were already battling and that spread due to the wind.

Just got back from taking Adrian to the vets. He has a UTI that didn't clear up completely after the first round of antibiotics so he got another shot. I asked if they knew someplace that is accepting food donations for displaced animals and found out that they took in several of them in their boarding facility. They're accepting donations for the care of those animals. I have to go back tomorrow and pick up more medicine for Adrian, and I think I'll take a bag of dog food with me.

Another press conference just started, and they announced that there are 3 confirmed fatalities. I won't be surprised if that total increases. TEMA estimates that 14,000 were evacuated just from Gatlinburg last night. That doesn't include those evacuated from Pigeon Forge. It's a miracle that there seem to have been so few fatalities under the circumstances. There are still active fires, but more rain on the way.

The National Guard brought in three Black Hawk helicopters to assist, and one of the pilots told a local news anchor that he hasn't seen anything like this since he was in Iraq. Someone from the Department of Transportation also described Gatlinburg as resembling a war zone.

Horrible news! CNN is reporting the worst is over hope that's true!

We hope the worst is over. We have another front moving in with wind on the front end tonight.

Carrie, just checking in and glad you're safe from the fires. Sorry to hear about all the evacuations too - scary stuff! I hope & pray the worst is over.

I haven't been to Gatlinburg since the early 70s but remember it fondly. I hope the fires are under control quickly!

>96 bell7: Hi Mary. Yes, I'm safe where I am. Gatlinburg is about 25 miles away. Close, but not too close.

>97 ronincats: Hi Roni. I think everyone will breathe easier once we get through this evening. The wind is supposed to pick up as the front approaches, followed by rain in the morning. We all hope the winds don't stoke the fires that are still burning. I think you'll be happy to know that downtown Gatlinburg and the arts & crafts district is mostly OK. Some of the oldest & most historic buildlings in Gatlinburg are in the arts & crafts district.

The front heading this direction seems to be spawning tordadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, and West & Middle Tennessee. We do not need tornado damage on top of fire damage.

I attended an annual conference for several years held at the Gatlinburg Inn--I'm sure it's grown a lot since then.

>100 ronincats: Yes, it has grown since then. The newer parts of town were the worst hit.

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

And it's just getting better. There is a tornado warning in the area and Pigeon Forge is in its path.

>101 cbl_tn: Oh, good grief! you're not on a fault line, are you?

>102 Carmenere: We do have minor earthquakes here fairly regularly, but they're usually under 3.0. Not strong enough for structural damage. We've had flash flooding in Knoxville, and we're under a flash flood watch here. My home and workplace are both on a hill, so if it floods here it would be of biblical proportions. Some areas have had storm damage, but it seems minor in proportion to the devastation from the fires. I believe Pigeon Forge is under a flash flood watch today, and that could hamper some of the relief efforts. Sevierville and Pigeon Forge are low and flat and there are areas that often flood with the spring rains and snow melt from the mountains.

For goodness sake, it's just one thing after another! Stay safe, good karma on the way!

>104 Carmenere: 8 more fires started last night due to the wind and downed power lines. The last report is that only one fire was still burning in Gatlinburg. There are still other fires outside Gatlinburg. We had another small town that sustained a lot of damage last night from an EF-2/3 tornado (135-136 mph). Some of the damaged areas are still inaccessible because the only road is blocked.

I heard a really encouraging report on our local news this evening. The fire inside the park has mostly burned leaf debris on the ground, and most of the trees and other foliage will be OK. The areas that did sustain heavy fire damage are the spur between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, the Gatlinburg bypass, and the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. All of the park structures are OK - visitors centers and such.

Our beautiful mountains aren't going anywhere. Please come and visit our National Park!

I'm glad to hear there wasn't more damage!

Carrie - The news from your corner of the world is heartbreaking. I hope people can get back to their homes soon and start to rebuild.

>107 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. The fires aren't completely under control yet so there could be more damage to come. I'm hopeful that they'll have the fires out soon, though.

>108 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. The search and rescue operation was completed yesterday, and the authorities allowed people into the fire damaged areas today to view their properties. Insurance adjusters were allowed to go with them. There are still a couple of roads that haven't been opened to the public yet, but they're working on getting those open soon. They're dealing with both fire and storm damage, and there's an enormous amount of work to do to make it safe for the public.

130. Farm Fresh Murder by Paige Shelton

The one day Becca Robins is running late, she arrives at the farmer's market to find that one of her fellow vendors has been murdered. Matt Simonson was a long-time vendor at a farmers' market in a neighboring community and hadn't been at Bailey's Farmers' Market long. Apparently he was there long enough to provoke someone to murder. Suspicion soon falls on Becca's good friend, Abner, who had a public quarrel with the dead man shortly before the murder. Becca's fraternal twin, Allison, manages Bailey's market, and Becca wants to do whatever she can to help Allison calm the fears of the remaining vendors. When Abner disappears before the police can arrest him, Becca is even more determined to do some sleuthing of her own to see if she can uncover the real murderer. Her fellow vendors may be more willing to confide in her than in the police.

This is the author's first cozy. It's better than many first-in-series books, but there isn't anything that makes it stand out in the crowd of other cozies with a food, farming, or rural theme. The sense of place isn't strong enough to draw readers, either. The book is set in South Carolina, but the farmer's market sounds like it could be in any rural community in the South or Midwest. By the end of the book, Becca has two potential romantic interests competing for her attention. Hopefully the author won't allow that situation to drag on as long as Joanne Fluke did with Hannah Swensen's two boyfriends in her long-running series.

3 stars

This week's local tragedy absorbed most of my attention when I wasn't working. I'm behind on reviews and behind on threads, and I haven't been reading much. The stories about the reunion of animals that survived the fires with their owners are heartwarming. Adrian has been getting lots of extra hugs this week.

Adrian had a chance to talk to Santa a couple of weeks ago. I think he had a pretty long list!

>11 cbl_tn: I realized it had been days since I picked up a book except for the daily devotion I've been reading. I did read some today, but I had other things to do also. I'll probably read more this evening. My heart is absolutely broken about the family of Michael Reed. The grandmother's pain, as she was telling the media about the two bodies (still officially unidentified) but near Constance the mother had been recovered too, was so overwhelming. It was a multi-tissue moment. I think we all wanted a miracle with those little girls and their mom.

>106 cbl_tn: I hope to visit your "beautiful mountains" one fine day, Carrie (and you of course!)

Have a peaceful and relaxing weekend as things there get back to something approaching normalcy.

Scary situation with those wildfires, Carrie. I hope things have calmed down. Our news reported that 14 had died and that two were a couple from Canada.

I hope things have calmed down weather-wise around your place, Carrie! Adrian is such a darling with Santa! Poppy is so anxious she would likely take a bite out of Santa's beard as she clambered to get away from him. Perhaps if my husband dressed up as Santa, that would work out for Poppy.

>113 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I will see a couple at church this morning who were in the Wears Valley evacuation zone on Monday. Their house survived. I'm sure I'll hear some news that hasn't been reported in the media. Every family will have a story, and the media can't talk to everyone.

>114 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. The death toll reported here is 13. One of the 13 died of a heart attack in the aftermath of the evacuation. There was one other death on Monday during the high winds. A lineman on a utility pole was killed by a falling tree. He was near the evacuation area, but was outside it. The death was weather related but not caused by the fire.

I did hear about the Canadian couple. I think 5 of the 13 fatalities were tourists.

>115 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah. No weather emergencies at the moment. I woke up to a steady rain, which we need. There is a wind advisory for the mountains 10-10 today, and that could stir up the fires that are still burning.

Santa's day job is veterinary medicine, so he's used to animals. Adrian wasn't nervous at all, and he hopped right up on Santa's lap without any encouragement. I am so thankful to have such a laid-back dog!

Happy Sunday, Carrie! Your update of the Gatlinburg area is very encouraging though I am so sorry to read of the casualties. Hope the wind does not get things burning again. Enough is enough!

>117 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! I was glad to see my church friends this morning who had to evacuate Monday night. They could see the fire from their home. It didn't reach their home and they were able to go home the next day. They had a lot of wind damage in their neighborhood.

I found out that another church friend (one of our former student workers) manages the Gatlinburg branch of a local bank. They've moved her around a lot and I didn't realize that she was at that branch. Her mother says that she was able to go check on things on Wednesday and Thursday. She found a little damage on the outside of the brick building, but another building just a few yards away had burned.

131. The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope

Plantagenet Palliser has reached the height of his career. When neither the conservatives nor the liberals can garner enough support to form a government, they turn to the Duke of Omnium (as Plantagenet is now) to serve as prime minister at the head of a coalition government. The Duchess (the former Lady Glencora) is ecstatic and immediately sets out to form a shadow government among the leading women of the country. But the poor Duke couldn't be more miserable when he discovers that his position, and the stability of the government, hinges on his complete inaction. (Except for ceremonial stuff.)

A secondary plot concerns Emily Wharton, the only daughter of a wealthy London gentleman who is determined to marry Ferdinand Lopez over her father's objections. Mr. Wharton objects to Lopez because he's not an English gentleman. (In other words, he's foreign and has Jewish ancestry.) Emily quite rightly objects to her father's prejudice. Unfortunately, while they're focused on Lopez's ancestry, they both fail to note that his primary occupation of futures trading will not provide the necessary financial stability to support a wife and family. The results are both tragic and predictable.

In a way, this is a story of frustrated ambition and of two unhappy marriages. The Pallisers' temperaments make them ill suited for each other, with seemingly incompatible goals. Plantagenet wants to be useful, while Glencora wants to be important. Plantagenet is unhappy when he's in an important position without useful work. Insufficient income seems to be at the root of the Lopez's marital problems, but as the Pallisers' situation proves, it takes more than money to make a happy marriage.

3.5 stars

132. Mexico Set by Len Deighton

After a colleague and friend runs into a Russian spy in Mexico, the agency sends Bernard Samson to “enroll” the Russian. Samson is too close to someone who recently went over to the other side, and he realizes that this assignment is a test of his loyalty. It seems that someone is doing his or her best to keep Samson from succeeding and to set him up as a traitor. But is it the KGB's doing, or someone on his own team? Samson will have to outwit both the Russian and his own side if he wants to keep his job, his children, and his home. This is the middle book in a trilogy, and the plot isn't as strong as the first book. It was too easy to put down, and that's not a good sign for a thriller.

3 stars

November Recap

Best of the month: How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Worst of the month: Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

Physical books owned: 3
Physical books borrowed: 2
Ebooks owned: 1
Ebooks borrowed: 2
ARCs: 2

Morning, Carrie! I am sure that Adrian will get everything on his list, as I am completely confident that he was a very good dog this year. Saying that reminds me that my Dad used to say that it was not about being good, it was about being kind. Anyone can be good, he said, but kindness takes thought. I am even more confident that Adrian was kind this year.

>122 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Adrian has been mostly good this year, and he is always kind. And your dad was a wise man!

Happy Friday! Hopefully Adrian gets all he wants!

>124 The_Hibernator: He'll get everything he asks for, unless it's a puppy or a kitten!

133. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
TIOLI #9 - Author's name contains only two different vowels

Lila is the brilliant friend of the book's narrator, Elena. Perhaps “frenemy” would be a more accurate description of Lila. The girls are as much rivals as friends. They both excel in school, but Elena must work at her studies while learning comes easily to Lila. As the girls become young women, their peers in their poor Naples neighborhood become more significant in their lives. Their paths diverge at high school when Elena continues her studies while Lila must drop out and enter the family shoemaking business. Eventually, both girls will have to choose between staying in the neighborhood and negotiating a position within its hierarchy or escaping its confines.

This is one of the few audiobooks I've tried that hasn't worked well for me because of the format. There were too many characters to easily keep track of, and most characters had at least one nickname. If that wasn't enough, the narrator seemingly couldn't decide how to pronounce Lila's name. Most of the time it was “LEE-la”, but she threw in the occasional “LIE-la”. I'll try the second book in print and see if it works better for me.

3.5 stars

Next up in audio: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

134. Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing by Megan Smolenyak
TIOLI #1 - Book by living person I admire

Megan Smolenyak takes readers behind the scenes in many of the genealogical cases she has researched for television, magazines, newspapers, and federal and local governmental agencies. The cases she researches are high interest, with subjects including celebrities, politicians, and other notable persons. When it comes to describing her methodology, Smolenyak mostly sticks to generalities, making me wonder if she considers her research methods to be trade secrets. Her methodology sometimes seems unorthodox, but this may be due to the nature of her assignments. She often works under tight deadlines, which would make it difficult to conduct the reasonably exhaustive research required by the Genealogical Proof Standard. Cautiously recommended.

3.5 stars

135. Christmas in Absaroka County by Craig Johnson
TIOLI #4 - Book with a number in the first sentence

Christmas in Absaroka County is a collection of four short stories featuring Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire and his daughter, Cady. The stories are bittersweet, reflecting a sadness and loneliness that too many people experience during the holiday season. The first story is set shortly after Walt's wife's death, when the daily routines of life (like personal hygiene and dressing) are more than Walt can manage in his grief. The second story also gives readers another glimpse of Walt's deceased wife, Martha. Troubled souls come to Walt for help because they see in him a fellow wounded spirit. Recommended for all series fans.

4 stars

136.Out of the Silence: Memories, Poems, Reflections by Terry Waite
TIOLI #1 - Book by a living person I admire

In the final decades of his life, humanitarian Terry Waite reflects on his experiences and relationships through poetry. Each poem is preceded by a short prose narrative that puts it into the context of Waite's life. Waite spent nearly five years as a hostage in Lebanon, and he seems to have become acclimated to solitude while in captivity. Solitude is a recurring theme in this collection of poems. Waite has earned worldwide respect for his survival through five years of captivity and for his many years of humanitarian work. Through poetry, he is able to share the wisdom he gained through the painful passages in his life.

The prose portion of this book was primarily written while Waite was on a retreat in New Zealand. Black and white drawings by Jenny Coles enhance Waite's poetry and prose. This collection would make a thoughtful gift for someone with an interest in humanitarianism, the events of the late 20th century, or New Zealand.

This review is based on an electronic advance readers copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

3.5 stars

Morning, Carrie! Nice string of reviews. I could not get into that Ferrante book, but I seem to be in the minority with that.

>126 cbl_tn: I can imagine how confusing it would be in audio. There are definitely tons of people to keep track of. And yeah, it sounds like the narrator kept forgetting to use the Italian pronunciation of Lee-la and instead slipped into the Americanized version of Lie-la. That's unfortunate.

>130 Crazymamie: It took me a while to warm up to it, and until the end to really like it. I tend not to enjoy reading about young kids, and they spent a lot of the book being pretty young.

>130 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! >131 ursula: Hi Ursula! I had hoped to like the Ferrante book more than I did, and I suspect the format was at least part of my problem with it. I'll try to time the second book when I'm not extraordinarily busy. With so many characters to keep track of, I think it would help to read it when I have larger blocks of time available.

>132 cbl_tn: Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea. I wanted to dive right into the second book after where the first one finished ... but then I haven't really settled down with it and my enjoyment of the story has suffered as a result. I've got it on the back burner until the new year now.

>133 ursula: I'm afraid book 2 will be on the back burner for a while for me, too. I don't want to wait too long, though, or I'll forget who's who among all the characters I met in the first book!

Carrie, I am finding out that as I am listening to more audiobooks I am becoming a better listener. I'm not sure why the Ferrante books resonated so much with me. I pretty much gobbled them up in a fairly short time, all on audio. I found the narrator's voice soothing. I tend to listen more than read now before bedtime. I can set the timer and go to sleep but with a book I tend to keep turning those pages.

So glad the terrible forest fires are over. So much destruction and loss of life. Very sad. I'm glad to hear that many of the animals are getting back with their owners. Which reminds me of the very cute picture upthread of you and Adrian with Santa. It sure made me smile.

>135 Donna828: Hi Donna! I think part of my problem is that I didn't have as much listening time last month. This was largely due to the fires plus the shorter days after the time change. The air quality was poor most days, and since I have asthma, I stayed indoors as much as possible. I usually get a good 45 minutes of listening time when I walk Adrian in the evenings, and that time was gone.

I am so glad that the fires are under control now. Gatlinburg is open for business again. One of my friend's sons works at a resort in Sevierville and they've had lots of cancelled reservations since the fire. We really need visitors to come back in order to recover from the fire damage.

>136 cbl_tn: During today's news conference, the Gatlinburg mayor told folks the number one thing they could do to help Gatlinburg was to come back and come back soon!

>137 thornton37814: I'd like to do some shopping there myself soon.

Since I'll be traveling over Christmas, I opened my swap packages early. My Santa did a great job picking books from my wishlist. I can't imagine a better combination!

Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards
When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning
London Under by Peter Ackroyd
A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley

The anthology of Christmas mysteries will likely be making the trip to Mexico with me!

Sounds like you got some good ones!

Poppy has been enjoying our bout of snow much more than I have been. Our snow is supposed to turn to rain on Monday! I sure hope so! I worry about Poppy's feet getting cold in the snow, but no way is she going to wear boots. Enjoy your trip to Mexico!

Mmm, Mexico. Sounds warm. Enjoy your trip, Carrie.

>139 cbl_tn: Are you staying in a particular place in Mexico, Carrie, or travelling around a bit? Whichever, have a lovely time and stay safe.

>140 thornton37814: I did! I can't wait to dig into them!

>141 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! I can't see Adrian wearing boots, either. He doesn't like wearing his coat, but I make him wear it when it's below freezing. It's for his own good, but try telling him that!

>142 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>143 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I'll be in Merida, where my SIL's family is gathering for Christmas. Her oldest and youngest brothers and her youngest sister live there. Another brother and sister are making the trip up from Chetumal. It's been several years since I've seen some of them, so I'm looking forward to catching up with them. My brother and SIL are going to Chetumal first, and I timed my arrival in Merida to coincide with theirs. There is a large bookstore in the the city center, so I may get a chance to do a little book shopping. :-)

My brother & SIL are already in Mexico. Today they're seeing Mexico City with one of their nieces who's never been there before. They're on one of those city bus tours, and my brother keeps texting me photos. They're great photos. Just wish I could see it in person!

>145 cbl_tn: Oh I'm green. Went years ago, with a large group, and would love to go back individually and do more exploring. Hope you have a great trip.

>146 charl08: I'm traveling to Mexico by myself, but I will be with a large group when I get there. My brother says there will be 19 for Christmas! It will be fun even if I don't see many new sights.

Morning, Carrie! Wishing you safe travels to Mexico - when do you leave? 19 for Christmas for Christmas sounds like the Christmas days from my teenage years when I was still at home, but my sisters had all moved out, and some had gotten married and had kids. Noisy and chaotic and fun gatherings! Hoping yours is full of fabulous!

>147 cbl_tn: Mornng, Mamie! I leave on Friday, so I still have a few days to get ready. My SIL had 8 full siblings and a half brother, and we'll see most of them while I'm there. I'll miss Adrian, but he will be in good hands with Stella's family.

It's a good thing I'm traveling later than my brother and SIL. I have a list of several things they forgot that I'll need to find room for in my suitcase.

What a nice selection of books to bring to Mexico! We love "The White City" and really enjoyed their zoo. Of course, Will was just a little boy the last time we went but the zoo was a high point, non the less.
Hope your travels and Christmas celebration are absolutely wonderful!!

Thank you thank you for the beautiful card!

>126 cbl_tn: - I'm sorry to read that you did not like this book as much as I did. I wonder if it has anything to do with the multitude of characters, as you noted, which does not work as well in audio-books. Or maybe it's not your type of book.
Enjoy your stay in Mexico. It must be great to catch up with your family there.

>151 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! My reading material for the trip will include print books Silent Nights and Anything But Civil by Anna Loan-Wilsey. I'll have all of my ebooks with me, but my priorities will be The Highwayman by Craig Johnson, A Wild Goose Chase Christmas by Jennifer AlLee, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, and The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro.

>152 mstrust: You're welcome! I'm glad it arrived so quickly!

>153 Trifolia: I think the format was part of the problem and the limited listening time I've had for the last couple of months. I usually get a lot of listening in while I'm walking my dog. The air quality was poor for several weeks when we had wildfires in the area and it kept me indoors and doing other things.

I'm not sure what my priorities are for the rest of the year. I have a couple of ARCs I should probably read. One of them may be abandoned if it doesn't start picking up for me. I think it's a case of "not the right time" more than anything else. I started an audio book on the return trip from Raleigh, but I was distracted by JoyFM's Christmas music as I traveled across North Carolina and could pick it up on stations from the Mebane area to a little past Morganton. I'll probably listen to it going to and from Sevier County tomorrow and hopefully finish it Friday. Then I have the audio CDs from Early Reviewers which were here when I returned from Raleigh.

Hi Carrie

I send all good wishes for a bright, happy New Year.

>155 thornton37814: I'm behind on reviews, and won't get caught up until I get back from Mexico. I thought I might have time to write some reviews today, but that didn't happen!

>156 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda! I wish you a merry Christmas and a fantastic 2017 as well.

Safe travels and happy holidays, Carrie.

>158 BLBera: Thank, Beth! I hope you have a lovely Christmas and some quality time with Scout.

I noticed that Julia had posted her top 5 books on her thread and I thought I should do the same. These are the books I added to LT's top 5 books of 2016 list:

1. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden
2. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
3. The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
4. The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
5. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

My current audiobook, Homegoing, might belong on this list. It's a 5-star read so far.

Hi Carrie! Folks are starting to post their top five reads of 2016 and it's the sort of thing I never feel like I can do. Maybe I'll give it a shot. But there are so many books I've loved this year!
In any case, over the long haul, The Orenda is one of my all-time faves. And I, too, thought that Homegoing was excellent.

Have a wonderful trip to Mexico!

Leaving this wish for the season....

>161 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! I've read so many good books this year that I could easily have settled on a different five. These five all left a lasting impact, though.

I'm really missing Adrian right now. I'm sitting at the gate waiting for my flight to Mexico. The family next to me is traveling with a Shih Tzu.

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

>164 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! We're making a good start on it in this group.

I made it safely to Merida last night. After I checked into the hotel, we went out fir tacos at a place recommended by my brother's 7-year-old nephew. Then we got a carriage ride back to the hotel. I noticed on the way back that there is a Starbucks and a Walmart within walking distance. I always stock up on vanilla in Mexico so the Walmart will come in handy.

I came close to finishing Middlemarch en route yesterday. I should be able to finish it today.

Have a an exciting, safe, and satisfying Christmas, Carrie!

Best wishes, Carrie!

Merry Christmas, Carrie!

Hi Carrie

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve

This is the Christmas tree at the end of the Pacific Beach Pier here in San Diego, a Christmas tradition.

To all my friends here at Library Thing, I want you to know how much I value you and how much I wish you a very happy holiday, whatever one you celebrate, and the very best of New Years!

>167 Matke: >168 lyzard: >169 Crazymamie: >170 Whisper1: >171 ronincats: Thanks Gail, Liz, Mamie, Linda, and Roni!

Roni, I love that photo of the pier. Those Pacific sunsets are spectacular.

Christmas isn't turning out exactly as planned. As soon as we got to my SIL's sister's house for dinner, my brother started asking for ibuprofen. He has a fever and nausea. I suspect he's become lax in watching what he eats here in Mexico. I always bring an antibiotic and prescription medication for diarrhea with me as recommended by the health department, but my brother and SIL don't do that. If he gets much worse, the hotel has a doctor on call who will see you in your room. I have plenty of reading material if I'm stuck in the hotel tomorrow.

Carrie, sorry to hear that your brother isn't well. I hope it passes and you can enjoy Christmas day and the rest of your break. It sounds like a lovely gathering of the whole family.

>174 susanj67: Thanks Susan! It was a nice family gathering. My SIL's nephew enlisted her aid in setting up a proposal to his girlfriend. No one else in the family knew he was going to propose last night. She said yes. It was such a sweet moment.

Merry Christmas, Carrie.

>173 cbl_tn: Hope your brother feels better.

The proposal sounds very sweet, how nice for all the family.

>176 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>177 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! The doctor was just here to see my brother and left him with an antibiotic and something for pain and fever. He agreed with our diagnosis - it was something he ate.

Sounds like you are having an eventful Christmas; both good and bad. I hope it is clear sailing from here on out, Carrie.

>179 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! If anyone gets sick at Christmas it's likely to be my brother. When he was 5 or so he had to go to the ER on Christmas day.

>180 cbl_tn: So a family Christmas tradition then LOL.

>181 Familyhistorian: Exactly! His inlaws just arrived to cheer him up. He's a favorite tio of all the sobrinos.

Wishing you a blissful day after Christmas!

Merry belated Christmas and a very happy New Year, Carrie!
May it be filled with excellent books, warm friendship and sweet dogs!

>183 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! I've already fulfilled your wish. We stopped this afternoon to get a frozen chocolate drink that tastes just like hot chocolate. Just the thing to cool you off on a hot afternoon!

>184 Trifolia: Thanks, Monica! I will start the year with plenty of all three!

We bought ticjets this afternoon for a tour bus to Chichen Itza tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing it! We won't have long there, but atleast I'll get to see part of it. Something is better than nothing!

I hope you're having a great time, and that your brother is feeling much better!

Well, I hope your trip and your brother's status have both improved!

>187 mstrust: >188 EBT1002: Thanks, Jennifer and Ellen! My brother is almost back to normal, we had a wonderful day trip to Chichen Itza today. The nine in our group included my SIL's brother, sister, SIL, and 3 nieces. We went on a tour bus. We stopped for an hour at a cenote and my SIL and one of the nieces swam. I'll post a few pictures when I'm home.

Now that I'm home with a laptop instead of an iPad Mini or smartphone, I can post a few photos from my trip. These are all from yesterday's bus tour to Chichen Itza. We stopped at the cenote on the way.

Looks like you are getting to see a lot, Carrie.

Great photos, Carrie. Thanks for sharing them.

Happy Thursday, Carrie! Nice photos - I especially like the last one.

>191 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! We managed to pack a lot into a few short days.

>192 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>193 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! The time of day made it hard to get a good shot of the pyramid, but I finally found a good angle! I like the clouds in that one.

The first time my brother visited Chichen Itza visitors were still allowed to climb the pyramid. They've since made it off limits. My brother and SIL saw a 20-something man arrested on Tuesday for attempting to climb the pyramid. I don't think I ever would have been brave enough to attempt it. Going up wouldn't have been too bad, but I would have been terrified trying to climb down.

>190 cbl_tn: Excellent photos! It looks like you had an adventure.

It sounds like you are having an excellent holiday adventure, Carrie. Stay well.

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Carrie

>195 mstrust: Adventure is a good word for it! I enjoyed this trip and I look forward to the next one, whenever that may be.

>196 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I had a better trip than my brother. He was sick last weekend, and now they're having trouble getting home due to flight delays and cancellations.

>197 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I'm looking forward to 2017. I'm excited about the BAC lineup and I can't wait to get started!

137. Red-Handed in Romanee-Conti by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen; translated by Sally Pane
TIOLI #17 - Book that has nothing to do with a holiday in December

In this installment of a long-running series, wine consultant Benjamin Cooker and his assistant Virgile are working with a Burgundy vineyard. Upon their arrival, they learn of the murder of a grape picker on a neighboring estate. Since they've solved other murders, they're naturally curious about this one. Maybe too curious, since Benjamin soon becomes the prime suspect in the murder. He'll have to solve the murder to clear his own name. In a secondary plot line focuses on Benjamin's aging father in London, who is beginning to show signs of dementia.

The mystery plot is no more than a vehicle for information about vineyards and wine-making. Weather is a focus in this novel. Storms and hail threaten to ruin the current year's harvest. The estate employs a female winemaker, which it seems is still unusual enough in the 21st century to be remarkable.

I was disappointed with the mystery plot. Benjamin's investigation is disorganized, and his behavior evidences a lack of discipline and focus. You don't get to be one of the top experts in a field by going off on tangents that aren't any of your business. Time is money, as they say. The dialogue is unnatural, but it's hard to say if the problem lies with the writing or with the English translation. Not recommended.

This review is based on an electronic advance readers copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

1.5 stars

138. A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry

Recently-widowed Charles Latterly arrives on the island of Stromboli for the Christmas season. His fellow guests in the small hotel are all British, and it's soon apparent that there are tensions among them. Most of the other guests were already acquainted before their arrival at the Italian hotel and it seems they brought their rivalries and disagreements with them. The teenaged Candace is the one bright spot for Charles. Candace is still young enough to speak her mind without restraint, and Charles' shock and alarm at her frank assessments of their fellow guests is tempered with admiration for her spirit. The tension comes to a head as the island's volcano comes to life, and Charles and his fellow guests must flee for their lives while wondering which one of them is a murderer.

Anne Perry's historical crime novels focus on motive and psychology. They can be excellent when she hits it just right. When she doesn't hit it right, they become too melodramatic. This novella is heavy with melodrama. Recommended only for series completists.

2 stars

Oof, Carrie! Sorry about those last two being duds.

>201 Crazymamie: Sadly, neither one was the worst book I've read this month. I've got 4 more reviews to write today to finish off 2016. (5 if I finish one more book today.)

Oh, dear!

A Happy and Healthy New Year, Carrie!

>203 Crazymamie: :-(

>204 Matke: Thanks, Gail!

Too bad the last books of 2016 weren't a hit. I wish you a lot of wonderful books in 2017!

>206 Trifolia: I know! I plan to start 2017 with a bang, though. First up is The Hare with Amber Eyes. I've been looking forward to this one for ages.

>207 cbl_tn: Looks interesting, Carrie. I'll wait for your review, but it looks very promising, to say the least. Is it part of a challenge? Sorry if I make you repeat things but it is a bit busy right now with all those double threads. Believe me, as much as I enjoy it, I'll also he happy to get back to normal again.

I love your travel pictures, Carrie. I have never been to Chichen Itza, and probably never shall. But I love to live vicariously through others' travel photos.

And, JustJoey (at post 184) - love that picture, too! It's not often I can see a lovely travel picture and be able to say - I've been there! I had a wonderful gluehwein near the spot from which that picture was taken, before boarding our canal cruise.

>209 countrylife: Really? It's practically my backyard, so I thought it appropriate to post it here, since I think it's one of the best views. Sorry for hijacking your thread, Carrie😑

>208 Trifolia: It's actually for two challenges. The AwardsCAT in the Category Challenge group is featuring the Costa (formerly Whitbread) award in January. The Hare with Amber Eyes won the biography category in 2010. Suzanne's Nonfiction Challenge in the 75 books group is featuring award winners in January, so it will also count for that challenge.

>209 countrylife: I never dreamed I would ever go to Mexico. Then my brother married a Mexican woman and now I go there regularly. Maybe you'll make it to Chichen Itza one day!

>209 countrylife: >210 Trifolia: Hijack away! A European river cruise is on my bucket list. It will probably have to wait until I retire. The cruises that include the Netherlands and Belgium all seem to be spring cruises and it's almost impossible for me to get away then as long as I work in an academic institution.

139. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
TIOLI #6 - Book with an auto on the front cover

A couple of decades after first setting foot in Great Britain and preparing to move his family to the U.S., Bill Bryson spent several weeks traveling from one end of the island to the other. Some places on his itinerary were familiar and dear, while he hadn't set foot in others since his arrival some twenty years earlier. First impressions and other memories intermingle with the contemporary travel narrative. Bryson's affection for his adopted country is apparent. The humor is as much at his own expense as at the expense of others. I felt a particular kinship with Bryson as another American who made a home in Great Britain as a young adult. Both natives of Great Britain and Anglophiles will find a lot to like here.

4 stars

140. Middlemarch by George Eliot
TIOLI #3 - Book I had already started and wanted to finish by the end of 2016

Middlemarch is, as much as anything, a domestic novel illustrating the importance of marriage. The decision to marry, to entrust one's future and well-being to another person, is not to be taken lightly. In a desire to be useful to a man of letters, beautiful young Dorothea Brooke ties herself to a melancholy and jealous man who is unworthy of her devotion. Dr. Lydgate rashly chooses a wife based on physical attractiveness rather than depth of character and lives to regret his decision. Both Dorothea and Lydgate find a measure of peace by submitting their own desires to those of their mates, without receiving much in return. Mary Garth proves to be as shrewd as she is pretty. Both Mary and her suitor are fully aware of his shortcomings, and their partnership enables him to succeed where he would otherwise have failed. George Eliot's keen insight into human nature makes this character-driven novel feel as fresh as a contemporary novel. Highly recommended.

4 stars

141. The Highwayman by Craig Johnson
TIOLI #4 - Number in the first sentence

Modern legend Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear confront a legend who haunts the Wind River Canyon in this novella. Rosey Wayman of the Wyoming Highway Patrol has recently transferred to the Canyon. Rosey has been hearing officer needs assistance calls from Bobby Womack, a Native American highway patrolman who was killed in the canyon 30 years ago. Rosey's boss hasn't been able to find any evidence to corroborate Rosey's story, so he turns to Walt Longmire for assistance. Walt has had his share of supernatural experiences, so he is sympathetic to Rosey's plight. Walt is convinced that there is a rational explanation for the things that have been happening to Rosey. He and Henry just have to find it.

The strong sense of place and the well-rounded secondary characters both contribute to the success of this novella. This would work as a good introduction to the Walt Longmire series since it will work as a standalone, unlike the regular novels in the series that build upon prior installments. There are a few references that will communicate more to readers who are familiar with the series, but these are kept to a minimum. This may be my favorite among all of the short stories and novellas in this series.

4 stars

Look at you knocking out the reviews! Nicely done, Carrie!

>215 Crazymamie: And I have another one ready to go! I'll get 2016 wrapped up this evening and I'll be ready for a fresh start in 2017!

142. Anything But Civil by Anna Loan-Wilsey
TIOLI #7 - Author has two capital letters in her last name

Secretary Hattie Davish has recently been hired by former employer Sir Arthur Windom-Greene, who is researching Civil War history for a book he plans to write. Sir Arthur has rented a house in Galena, Illinois, in order to interview retired General Cornelius Starrett. Starrett's son, Captain Henry Starrett, is also a Civil War veteran. Captain Starrett's return to Galena triggers a chain of events that end in murder. Hattie has successfully solved a murder before, and she's going to have to do it again when someone close to her is arrested for the murder.

I had read and enjoyed the first book in this series so I was eagerly looking forward to this one. It was a disappointment. The dialogue is unnatural, and Hattie and the secondary characters are driven by emotion rather than reason. A good detective story should bring order out of chaos, and chaos has free reign in this book. I won't be looking for any more books in this series.

1 star

143. Murder at Teatime edited by Cynthia Manson
TIOLI #3 - Book I had started before December and wanted to finish in 2016

Although short stories aren't my favorite format for crime/mystery fiction, I like to read the occasional anthology. I've discovered a few authors I enjoy that way. Most of the authors in this collection were already well known to me – Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers, Michael Innes, Christianna Brand, Ruth Rendell. The biggest surprise to me is a story by P. G. Wodehouse. I had no idea he wrote any crime/mystery pieces. His “Strychnine in the Soup,” Dorothy Sayers' “The Necklace of Pearls,” and E. C. Bentley's “The Ministering Angel” are among the better stories in this volume. This collection will appeal to fans of classic British mysteries.

3.5 stars

December Recap

Physical books owned: 3
Physical books borrowed: 2
Ebooks owned: 2
Ebooks borrowed: 3
Audiobooks borrowed: 1
ARCs: 2

Best of the month: Middlemarch by George Eliot
Worst of the month: Anything But Civil by Anna Loan-Wilsey

>220 Crazymamie: There's that flying pig again!

Now for the end-of-year meme:

Describe yourself: Sweet Tooth

Describe how you feel: Quiet as a Nun

Describe where you currently live: Crooked House

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: Land of Marvels

Your favorite form of transportation: Three Men in a Boat

Your best friend is: The Reluctant Detective

You and your friends are: Trespassers in Time: Genealogists and Microhistorians

What’s the weather like?: Blue Lightning

You fear: A Serpent's Tooth

What is the best advice you have to give?: Don't Throw It to Mo!

Thought for the day: Do Not Say We Have Nothing

How I would like to die: The Richest Woman in America

My soul’s present condition: Saint Maybe

>222 cbl_tn: If you want to die that way, you'd better marry the richest single man in America.

>223 thornton37814: No need to marry! Every day I get email offers from strangers in who want to give me millions of dollars in exchange for my assistance in their financial matters. ;-)

Ha!