lindapanzo'a lucky 7 category challenge

Hi, I'm Linda (lindapanzo) and this 2017 challenge marks my 8th consecutive year doing the category challenge, going back to the 1010 challenge in 2010. Welcome!!

CHALLENGE ACCOMPLISHED!!

As was true for 2015 and 2016, I'm going with a simplified approach for 2017, though with 7 categories, instead of 4, as I've done the past two years. In each of those 7 categories, I'm aiming to read 17 books. This would give me a total of 119 books, but I'm allowing myself 7 overlaps.

I actually started my challenge on 12/17.




CATEGORY 1: BOOKS WITH A NEW YORKER CONNECTION--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED
CATEGORY 2: NONFICTION--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED
CATEGORY 3: SPORTS--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED
CATEGORY 4: REAL PRINT BOOKS I OWN--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED
CATEGORY 5: MYSTERIES--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED
CATEGORY 6: MORE MYSTERIES--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED
CATEGORY 7: FICTION--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

CATEGORY 1: BOOKS WITH A NEW YORKER CONNECTION--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

In this category, I intend to read books about the New Yorker magazine, as well as books published by New Yorker contributors, which includes an astounding number of authors I've meant to read.

BOOKS READ:
1. Moonglow by Michael Chabon--finished on 2/4/17
2. Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel--finished on 4/18/17
3. My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout--finished on 5/20/17
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote--finished on 6/17/17 (New Yorker contributor)
5. The Committee: The Story of the 1976 Union Drive at The New Yorker Magazine by Daniel Menaker--finished on 8/16/17
6. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell--finished on 8/17/17 (New Yorker contributor)
7. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz--finished on 8/25/17
8. Insider Baseball by Joan Didion--finished on 9/3/17
9. Here Is New York by E.B. White--finished on 9/23/17
10. A Day in the Life of Roger Angell by Roger Angell--finished on 10/7/17
11. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White--finished on 10/9/17
12. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White--finished on 10/10/17
13. Stuart Little by E.B. White--finished on 10/17/17
14. An Unexpected Twist by Andy Borowitz--finished on 10/19/17
15. Five Seasons by Roger Angell--finished on 11/11/17
16. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel--finished on 11/16/17
17. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty--James Thurber--finished on 11/16/17

POSSIBLE READS INCLUDE:
--Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel
--About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made by Ben Yagoda
--Here at the New Yorker by Brendan Gill
--Great Books by David Denby
--What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
--Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
--The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
--Summerland by Michael Chabon
--Great Plains by Ian Frazier

--The Receptionist by Janet Groth
--Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell

CONTRIBUTORS TO LOOK AT:
--David Denby
--Malcolm Gladwell
--Joan Didion
--Jeffrey Toobin
--Andy Borowitz
--Ian Frazier
--Michael Chabon

List of current New Yorker contributors includes: http://www.newyorker.com/contributors

List of past New Yorker contributors includes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_New_Yorker_contributors

CATEGORY 2: NONFICTION--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

In this category, I foresee reading history and other nonfiction.

BOOKS READ:
1. Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights: A Cultural History of American Christmas Songs by Ronald D. Lankford--finished on 12/21/16
2. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly--finished on 12/24/16
3. Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam by Gordon M. Goldstein--finished on 2/10/17
4. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch--finished on 3/16/17
5. Me, the Mob, and the Music by Tommy James--finished on 3/29/17
6. The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter--finished on 5/9/17
7. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder--finished on 6/1/17
8. My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues by Pamela Paul--finished on 6/11/17
9. The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters by Tom Nichols--finished on 6/16/17
10. Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession by Dave Jamieson--finished on 6/20/17
11. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough--finished on 7/3/17
12. Fear City by Kim Phillips-Fein--finished on 7/19/17
13. The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency by Chris Whipple
14. America's First Great Eclipse by Steve Ruskin--finished on 8/15/17
15. A People's History of Chicago by Kevin Coval--finished on 8/21/17
16. Intellectual Property: Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights in a Nutshell by Arthur R. Miller--finished on 9/21/17
17. Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair: The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago by William Elliott Hazelgrove--finished on 10/23/17

CATEGORY 3: SPORTS--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

What would a lindapanzo category challenge be without a sports category?

Most of my reading here will focus on baseball and hockey but other sports interests, such as football and swimming, might make an occasional guest appearance.

BOOKS READ:
1. Relentless Spirit by Missy Franklin--finished on 12/19/16 (swimming)
2. Throwback by Jason Kendall--finished on 1/3/17
3. When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World by Carli Lloyd--finished on 1/8/17
4. Sum It Up by Pat Summitt--finished on 1/17/17
5. Faithful by Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King--finished on 2/15/17
6. The Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Audacious Blueprint for a Cubs Dynasty--finished on 5/7/17
7. My Cubs: A Love Story by Scott Simon--finished on 5/15/17
8. Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages by David Ross--finished on 6/12/17
9. Fathers & Daughters & Sports by ESPN--finished on 6/18/17
10. How Football Explains America by Sal Paolantonio --finished on 9/9/17
11. Hot Hands, Draft Hype & DiMaggio's Streak by Sheldon Hirsch--finished on 9/14/17
12. Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60-Goal Man by Dennis Maruk--finished on 10/2/17
13. The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen--finished on 10/22/17
14. Heart of the Blackhawks: The Pierre Pilote Story--finished on 10/30/17
15. Replays, Rivalries, and Rumbles: The Most Iconic Moments in American Sports by Steven Gietschier--finished on 10/31/17
16. Pass Judgment by Jerry Brewer--finished on 11/18/17
17. No Heavy Lifting: Globetrotting Adventures of a Sports Media Guy by Rob Simpson--finished on 11/26/17

CATEGORY 4: REAL PRINT BOOKS I OWN--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

In recent years, I've been trying to purchase mainly books on Kindle. I still own probably more print books than I could read in my lifetime and I'm trying to cull the unwanted ones or already read ones.

I'm hoping that this category will motivate me to read at least 17 of the books that have been piling up everywhere in the house, and I do mean everywhere.

BOOKS READ
1. The Mystery of the Cape Cod Tavern by Phoebe Atwood Taylor--finished on 12/29/16
2. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau--finished on 1/20/17
3. Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey--finished on 1/26/17 (ER book)
4. Walking by Henry David Thoreau--finished on 2/16/17
5. My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King--finished on 2/23/17 (ER book)
6. By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates--finished on 3/21/17
7. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan--finished on 4/25/17
8. Death at the Opera by Gladys Mitchell--finished on 4/30/17
9. Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates--finished on 5/10/17
10. Copy Cap Murder by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 6/20/17
11. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney--finished on 6/24/17
12. A Hiss Before Dying by Rita Mae Brown--finished on 6/25/17
13. Fizz: How Soda Shook Up the World by Tristan Donovan--finished on 6/30/17
14. Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates--finished on 8/20/17
15. Much Ado About Murder--Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 12/10/17
16. Cocoa Crush by Jessica Beck--finished on 12/13/17
17. Mistletoe Murder by Karen MacInerney--finished on 12/16/17

CATEGORY 5: MYSTERIES--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

I can never read too many mysteries.

BOOKS READ:
1. Egg Drop Dead by Laura Childs--finished on 12/18/16
2. At the Drop of a Hat by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 1/13/17
3. Mixed Malice by Jessica Beck--finished on 1/19/17
4. 'Whale of a Crime by Karen MacInerney--finished on 2/5/17
5. Thoreau at Devil's Perch by B.B. Oak--finished on 2/19/17
6. Ill Met by Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 2/25/17
7. Tasty Trials by Jessica Beck--finished on 3/5/17 (3.5)
8. The Crepes of Wrath by Sarah Fox--finished on 3/20/17
9. Peach Pies and Alibis by Ellery Adams--finished on 4/2/17
10. Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs--finished on 4/13/17
11. The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon--finished on 4/26/17
12. Vanilla Beaned by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 4/28/17
13. Baked Books by Jessica Beck--finished on 5/3/17
14. Murder Is for Keeps by Elizabeth J. Duncan--finished on 5/14/17
15. Caramel Crush by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 5/18/17
16. Grace Among Thieves by Julie Hyzy--finished on 5/25/17
17. Dead Spider by Victoria Houston--finished on 5/27/17

CATEGORY 6: MORE MYSTERIES--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

Even more mysteries. Maybe I'll narrow this and category 5 further. Nah.

BOOKS READ:
1. Cranberry Crimes by Jessica Beck--finished on 5/28/17
2. Grace Takes Off by Julie Hyzy--finished on 6/2/17
3. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear--finished on 6/27/17
4. Assault and Beret by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 7/6/17
5. Boston Cream Bribery by Jessica Beck--finished on 7/8/17
6. In the Woods by Tana French--finished on 7/12/17
7. White Nights by Ann Cleeves--finished on 7/17/17
8. An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd--finished on 7/22/17
9. The Missing Masterpiece by Jeanne M. Dams--finished on 8/7/17
10. Tightening the Threads by Lea Wait--finished on 8/11/17
11. Glass Houses by Louise Penny--finished on 9/1/17
12. Nickeled and Dimed to Death by Denise Swanson--finished on 9/4/17
13. Cherry Filled Charges by Jessica Beck--finished on 9/7/17
14. Dead Man's Chest by Kerry Greenwood--finished on 9/12/17
15. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz--finished on 9/29/17
16. Scary Sweets by Jessica Beck--finished on 10/4/17
17. Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney--finished on 10/13/17

CATEGORY 7: FICTION--READ 17 OUT OF 17--CATEGORY COMPLETED

I foresee this as focusing on nonmystery fiction but, once I fill up categories 5 and 6, I'll work on filling up this category with any kind of fiction.

BOOKS READ:
1. A Gentleman in Moscow--finished on 1/8/17
2. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan--finished on 3/3/17
3. Persuasion by Jane Austen--finished on 4/8/17
4. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery--finished on 6/10/17
5. Fall of the Birds by Bradford Morrow--finished on 6/11/17
6. The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz--finished on 8/9/17
7. Vermeer to Eternity by Anthony Horowitz--finished on 9/29/17
8. Turkey Trot Murder by Leslie Meier--finished on 10/16/17
9. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles--finished on 10/17/17
10. Gone Before Christmas by Charles Finch--finished on 10/18/17
11. Killer Characters by Ellery Adams--finished on 10/26/17
12. Thread the Halls by Lea Wait--finished on 11/3/17
13. Death in the Stacks by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 11/19/17
14. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate--finished on 11/20/17
15. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert--finished on 11/22/17
16. A Christmas Return by Anne Perry--finished on 11/23/17
17. Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany--finished on 11/30/17

Great to see you back, Linda!

Welcome back and have fun!

Glad to see you here, Linda! And looking forward to lots of BBs again next year.

Looking forward to following along again!

Thanks for all your warm welcomes. Still fine tuning but, for another few weeks, focusing on my 2016 mini challenge.

Happy reading, Linda, and good luck with the real print books!

Lots of room for mysteries, I like that. Enjoy your reading!

I've got you marked!

So happy to see you here! And thanks for giving me some category ideas. I've been thinking about them for a few weeks now, and I'm coming up with either nothing, or ones that I've done before. That reminds me, I should probably check in on my own cat thread for this year. It's been embarrassingly too long since I last updated there.

Great to see you back for another year of category reading, Linda!

Good to see you back this year too!

I'm looking forward to following your progress.

Hope you enjoy all the books you read!

Hi Linda: just stopping by to star your thread and of course I will be on the look out for new mysteries!

Nice to see so many people stopping by.

Since this was 2016, I started on Dec 16 last year. For 2017, I will be starting on Dec 17.

Starred. :-)

lurking::::

I expect lots of ideas for mystery reading here.

Nice to see everyone stopping by. I start, officially, on Sat. It's supposed to be a snowy Saturday and a frigid Sunday (with below zero high temps). I start my Christmas time off on Friday so I suspect I'll have a big burst of reading at the beginning, between the bad weather and the time off.

If it does snow on Sat, this'll be the third straight weekend with heavy snow here.

>27 lindapanzo: I'm actually kind of jealous of all your snow! I grew up in the South, where it hardly ever snowed, and I've never had a white Christmas. Stay warm! :)

With my start date for 2017 only a couple of days away, I think my current reads will be counting towards this new challenge. Still enjoying the novel, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I'm starting the autobiography of swimmer, Missy Franklin, called Relentless Spirit, and am also starting a new mystery, Egg Drop Dead, the new Cackleberry Club mystery from Laura Childs.

My holiday time off has begun!! I don't go back to work until Dec. 27 so I hope to get a nice jump on my reading.

Some great categories!

I was hoping to finish a book on my official start date, 12/17/16, but I missed by about 10 or 15 minutes.

I finished Egg Drop Dead by Laura Childs just after midnight. This is the new, latest installment in the Cackleberry Club series. Suzanne, one of the 3 co-owners of the restaurant, and, as usual, she gets involved with solving the murder of a friend and neighbor. Very enjoyable cozy.

Congratulations on getting that first book of your challenge completed. Happy holidays and happy reading!

Congratulations on a fine beginning! Happy New Year!

>31 lindapanzo: I hope to get caught up on that series this coming year. I really liked the ones I read, but our library didn't have the next one, and I never could find it at the used bookstore. If it still isn't available, I'll order it. I know the next one after it is. I think they just missed one.

I am off to a good start, finishing another book last night. I'm off of work for more than a week for the holidays so, at this point, getting a lot of reading in.

>34 thornton37814: I hope you can get caught up with it. It seems less popular than her teashop and her scrapbooking series but for me, it's second only to her teashop series, which is probably my favorite one of all.

Relentless Spirit by Missy Franklin--finished on 12/19/16

Since my niece has gotten really involved in competitive swimming, both at the club and high school level (and maybe in a few years, at the college level), I've become quite a big swimming fan. This summer, I watched the Olympic trials every day for a full week and the same with the Olympics. I go to lots of her meets as well.

One person on the international stage, who is highly admired by the swimmers, is Missy Franklin, an only child from Colorado, who achieved Olympic success at an early age. After her disappointments in Rio, she is probably even more well respected for how she handled her setbacks this summer.

This book is her swimming memoir, written along with her parents, of her early years in the sport, along with more recent successes and disappointments. A very interesting read for swim fans and non-swim fans alike.

Much of the swimming stuff was very familiar to me, because of my niece, but at a higher level. The part about her decision as to whether to keep training with her college team or to return home to Colorado to keep training with her club was especially interesting to me. Only those at the very highest end of the sport face this issue. Loved this book!!

Stopping in to admire your simple but ultimately rewarding challenge for 2017! Your niece is lucky to have you rooting for her on the sidelines. What fun to follow her successes! I like how balanced you are with fiction vs. nonfiction. And we are all trying to reduce the number of books around our house. (How many of us are actually successful, however?) There's always those gorgeous bookstores and library book sales to divert us from our goals.

I hope 2017 will find you healthy and reading lots of great books!

>37 mamzel: "Simple but ultimately rewarding" describes it perfectly, I hope. I've come around to thinking that I should keep things simple and focus on what I like to read. The World War 2 category is the only real change but I do like to use one category to focus on an area I'd like to read more about in the upcoming year.

Yet the categories are broad enough to suit me. For instance, my current read, a history of Christmas songs in the U.S. can easily fit into the Nonfiction category. There's enough discussion about the role of WW2 that I could probably put it into that category instead, if need be.

I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning, two emails from Amazon with Kindle Christmas Swap books sent to me from Ellen.

Two great choices. Faithful, a book about the 2004 Boston Red Sox, by Stewart O'Nan, which will be perfect for O'Nan month in the American Author Challenge.

The second one will fit perfectly in my World War 2 category challenge. The Rape of Europa by Lynn H. Nicholas, which is about the looting of Europe's art treasures by the Nazis.

Looking forward to reading both of these.

Thanks to Ellen for two perfect choices.

Hi Linda!

Hi Linda, I'm making the rounds, leaving my holiday wish in case I'm not back on LT in the next couple of days.
I'm glad the two books I chose from your wish list are appealing to you!

Happy Holidays Linda!

I've been ignoring the threads on the 2017 group, but have decided I need to catch up on some.

>31 lindapanzo: - I haven't started this series yet but love the tea shop series even though I'm fairly far behind.

>36 lindapanzo: - I saw an interview she did about the book on the Today show and even though I'm not a big biography fan, it sounded interesting.

>41 EBT1002: >42 lsh63: Thanks, Lisa and Ellen

>43 dudes22: Of course, I want to follow along with the 2016 threads but, now that Christmas Eve has arrived, I'll be paying a lot more attention to the 2017 threads. In fact, I need to set up my thread for the 2017 75ers group.

Once again, I awoke, quite late, since I was up til 1:30 am finishing up one of my likely top 5 book, Hidden Figures, to find a number of Amazon Kindle gift emails from my Santa Thing Santa, Rodneyvc.

Quite a haul, in more ways than one since, of the 5 "books" I received, one was actually a collection of 4 mysteries, so I feel like I got actually got 8 books.

Great choices!! The first two were on my wishlist but the last 3 were not and I'm glad to have those, as well.

--Saving Italy by Robert Edsel--I read his other book on Nazi art theft and saw the movie and am hoping to get to this one asap
--The Cotswold Mystery Collection, which includes four mysteries from Rebecca Tope, including the first one A Cotswold Killing
--Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
--Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed
--Olmec Obituary

Very glad to hear Hidden Figures was good! I have a hold on it at the library.

Great SantaThing presents! Girl Waits with Gun is also on my to-read list :)

Girl Waits With Gun is also on my to-read list.



Have a wonderful Christmas, Linda. I will be away until after the New Year so I will catch up with you then.

Wow, lots of great books from the Christmas Swap and SantaThing! I think all are already on my TBR. ;)

A friend just gave me some cozies she no longer wanted - do you have any interest in these? I'd be happy to save them for you for whenever we get together next.
50% off Murder by Josie Belle
Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen
A Killing in Antiques by Mary Moody
Murder on the Ghost Walk by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett
One Book in the Grave (this is book 5 in the series) by Kate Carlisle
A Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton
Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay

>48 LauraBrook: Lots of great cozies there, Laura. I will let you know.

RL Christmas did not include much in the way of books. I think people were too busy getting me Cubs World Champs stuff. I did get a book about the Cubs 2016 season but that was it. I may use some of the $$$ I got for an Amazon gift card.

My 13-year old nephew, who has grown a foot in less than 1.5 years, finally got a Montreal Canadiens jersey from me. I was afraid he'd outgrow anything I bought it but seems to have slowed down in the growth dept so I finally got him one. After asking for one for 2 or 3 years for Christmas, this year, he didn't ask but this year, his hockey-loving auntie got him a Max Pacioretty jersey, his favorite player., to his astonishment His paternal grandma whined that she wanted to get him one but she is not a hockey fan. I started talking about the various options and she said not another word. John was very excited.

Looks like your LT Santas did a good job! Happy reading.

Ah! You finished Hidden Figures! I am not done yet.
I'll be watching your WWII category!

Thanks for stopping by.

Hidden Figures but did not put it on my top 5 list for the year, after all. It reminded me too much of The Girls of Atomic City. Still loved it though and am eager to see the movie.

I've got a few books in progress but I'm unlikely to finish any of them, not even A Gentleman in Moscow, which I'd hoped to finish. For the year, I read 117 books, which is exactly one book more than I read in 2015 so I am pretty consistent.

I'm still puzzling over my top 5 for the year. For the LT Top 5, I think I will go with:

1. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry--this has become one of my all-time favorite books
2. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
3. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny--my favorite mystery of the year
4. The Train To Crystal City by Jan Jarboe--my favorite work of nonfiction for the year
5. The Echoing Green by Joshua Prager--my favorite sports book of the year

As I look ahead to January, I want to finish the Amor Towles novel, see above, but I also want to focus on sports book for the month.

I'm planning to read (1) the new Arnold Palmer book, (2) the new hockey stories book by Wayne Gretzky, (3) the new autobiography by soccer star Carli Lloyd, (4) Sum It Up by legendary basketball coach Pat Summit, and at least one baseball book. I'm in the midst of Throwback by long-time MLB catcher Jason Kendall, which talks about the inner secrets of the game that are second nature to players but fans typically aren't aware of.

Happy New Year, Linda!

Happy New Year! Dropping a star.

>55 The_Hibernator: >56 Sace: >57 tymfos:

Happy New Year!! Hope there's lots of great reading ahead for you this year.

Last night, I finished my first book of 2017.

Throwback by Jason Kendall--finished on 1/3/17

When it comes to baseball, hockey, other sports, even most life matters, I'm an old school, throwback sort of person. I believe in working hard and doing things right, not striving for shortcuts, so this book was ideal for me.

I also pride myself on my baseball knowledge. I thought I knew a lot about the game but this book was eye opening. While reading it, I realized how little I know, even though I've been following baseball for 50 years.

The language in this book often isn't what I'm used to but Kendall was a big league catcher for many years and knows his stuff and explains it well.

I thought of this as almost a master class on the inner workings of the game.

The only off putting thing, as is often the case, is the "guys today are soft and things were better in my day" attitude. I tried to read around that.

Very good baseball book but not a quick read, because there's just so much there.

>59 lindapanzo: Wow! Sounds like it was a good read for you.

>60 VictoriaPL: It was, though it had the feel of a textbook. One with the expletives deleted but still, a lot of information packed in.

Ahead, I've got the autobiography of soccer star, Carli Lloyd, a collection of hockey stories from Wayne Gretzky, and a slim volume from the late Arnold Palmer.

After that, I'll probably move on to other topics besides sports, for awhile at least. Until spring training starts.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles--finished on 1/8/17 (4.5)

This novel was outstanding. In lieu of execution for being an unrepentant aristocrat, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel, a top, grand hotel across from the Kremlin. In what ought to be thought of as a small, confined world, the count really lives. He's a well-read, thoughtful man, and makes a number of friends, both in the hotel and others who come to visit.

This was a beautiful book, a book that is meant to be savored. There were parts of the first half that were a bit slow for me but once it got going, it was an absolutely top notch book, one I'd recommend to anyone. Absolutely loved it. The count has to be one of my favorite fictional characters ever.

Checking out your mystery reads. A Gentleman in Moscow sounds like a good one.

>62 lindapanzo: I'm 17th in line for A Gentleman in Moscow on Overdrive. I keep debating just buying it because the wait is so long. At least it seems it'll be worth the wait.

>62 lindapanzo: This doesn't sound like a book that you would typically rave about, so it must be tremendous, First BB of the year goes to you, looking forward to it.

Do you think it would be good for book club?

>62 lindapanzo: - That was one of my favorite books from last year! Happy to see another fan. Agree that the count is such a great character.

>65 cyderry: Cheli, from the reviews I've seen, I think it's a popular choice for book clubs.

I just handed over my copy to the woman who sits next to me at work and explained that it's not a page turner but just a good story, one meant to be savored.

>66 LittleTaiko: It took me about 3 weeks to read. Not that it was a difficult read but, especially early on, I was just enjoying it in small doses. Once the Sofia character came along, for me, the pace really picked up and I read the second half in just a few days, staying up til 1 am Sat night to finish it.

I already have my eye on A Gentleman in Moscow. I need to see if I can nudge it up the TBR list.

>68 cbl_tn: If I get it back from my friend (she's usually good about returning books), I'd be happy to send my copy to you, Carrie.

>69 lindapanzo: That would be great! There are several copies in the public library system, but it looks like there is a waiting list.

>70 cbl_tn: I'll check back when Melanie finishes it and returns it to see if you've gotten a library copy yet.

My Thingaversary is coming up this Friday, January 13th. It'll be 8 years!!

In the usual LT spirit of buying books for the number of years, plus one to grow on, here's what I've picked up for myself so far:

1. Ill Met by Murder by Elizabeth J. Duncan
2. Books for Living by Will Schwalbe
3. Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander
4. At the Drop of a Hat by Jenn McKinlay
5. The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner
6. Mixed Malice by Jessica Beck--FINISHED
7. Whale of a Crime by Karen MacInerney--FINISHED
8. The Last Innocents by Michael Leahy
9. Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver

>72 lindapanzo: Happy Thingaversary!!

Happy early Thingaversary! Looks like you have a good selection of books picked out :)

Happy Thingaversary, Linda!

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Linda. Mine was a few days ago, but because of moving, I decided not to indulge in book buying this year. Maybe a trip to the used book store in Ct in May instead.

>72 lindapanzo: Happy Thingaversary. Great choices so far!

Happy Thingaversary!! Wonderful list so far - really wanting to get the Will Schwable book myself.

Happy Thingaversary, Linda! Looking forward to what your last few fill-ins will be!

Thanks for the Thingaversary wishes. Can't believe it'll be 8 years. It seems like I've known many of you for forever. It was a snow day from work that day, as I recall.

Laura, the last three will include at least one baseball book and maybe a hockey book. The "one to grow on" could be anything. Maybe a new first in the series mystery or something special. I know that there'll be a bunch of Cubs 2016 season-related books but I don't want to wait that long.

My Thingaversary is coming up this Friday, January 13th. It'll be 8 years!!

Happy Thingaversary, Linda!

Uh, oh, until I read that post, I hadn't thought about the fact that we have a Friday the 13th this week. Lets hope we all have a lucky 13th tomorrow.

>82 tymfos: A co-worker and I discovered that we have this one in January and another in October this year.

I'll have a hectic day at work but then she and I are going out to dinner and a movie. Hidden Figures.

Happy thingaversary, Linda!

>84 MissWatson: Thanks.

I've finished buying the last two Thingaversary books. The Last Innocents, a baseball book, naturally, which I've had my eye on for quite awhile, and, a book somewhat outside of my usual, a series of essays by Mary Oliver called Upstream.

Happy Thingaversary! Nice haul of books planned!

>86 VivienneR: Thanks. I've already finished one of them.

I love the Jenn McKinlay Library Lovers cozy series. It's among my favorites. I also love her cupcake cozy series. However, I'd never really warmed up to her hat shop series, until the one I finished last night, which is the third in the series.

For 5 weeks (since Dec 8), I've obsessed over my leaking tire. I planned my day around it. it was the first thing I thought of every morning and the last thing I thought of every night. I had it into 2 different shops a total of 5 or 6 times. I tested the air pressure at least twice a day and added air probably, on average, of every other day (more if I was going to or from work). At long last, I think they've finally gotten to the bottom of it. I think. I pray. Keeping my fingers crossed. Knock on wood.

Last week, I took it to our local, independently owned tire shop in town. They said the tire itself was fine but that there was some corrosion around the rim so they sanded it down and sealed it. Worked fine for a couple of days, til about Thursday, when it got cold again.

Brought in back in this morning. Told the owner that the pressure was 31.5 after I left the movie theater last night (I saw Hidden Figures which was excellent, though I wouldn't advise sitting in the front row, as we did). Drove for a half hour at less than 55 mph and the pressure was down to 25.5 when I got home. In fact, it should go up a bit since I was driving, not down so substantially.

Sitting in the waiting room and the woman at the desk came by and apologized and then apologized again. It seems that, last week, once they found the rim leak, they stopped there, though their policy is also to examine the sensor valve (I think this connects the TPMS to the spot where you measure the air pressure). At any rate, she said that they should've caught it last week so they felt that they couldn't charge me for the additional labor today. Only for the sensor valve kit or whatever it's called so my repair cost me $6.25 plus tax.

I love that they're an honest, ethical business.

Wishing you a belated Happy Thingaversary! That's great news about the tire, although I'm sorry it took so long to get it fixed.

Thanks, Carrie. I was so relieved last week when I thought it was truly fixed and so discouraged when that turned out not to be the case. Very relieved again.

In the fall, I bought new tires, had brakes repaired, and got a new car battery for my now 5 year old car, just so I wouldn't have to worry about these key things during the harsh winter. I hope the rest of the winter is drama free, at least in terms of my car. I wouldn't mind drama free weather either. December had a lot of snow and cold which sometimes means that the rest of the winter isn't so bad. Hoping that's the case at least.

At the tire store last week, I was reading (and finished) Carli Lloyd's autobiography, When Nobody Was Watching. I am not a big soccer fan but I like to watch the U.S. National Women's Team in international competition and Carli is my favorite. Oddly, as I was reading, the tire store had a soccer game on TV in its "TV area." I was sitting in the separate, much quieter "reading area."

Today, as I waited for my car at the tire place, I started reading the autobiography of famed women's basketball coach, Pat Summitt, called Sum It Up. Oddly enough, in the TV area, the tire store had a basketball game on.

I'm also reading an overdue ER book. Our Man in Charleston by Christopher Dickey, about Britain's secret agent in the South during the Civil War. I really need to get this one read and reviewed.

>88 lindapanzo: Glad you got it fixed....AND that you have such an honest tire shop!

>92 Sace: I am pleased. It seems like a lot of shops aren't honest.

Well, it's only a few weeks into the new year but I feel a change of category coming on. I was reading the New York Times today and saw a review of a new Thoreau bio. I hadn't realized that this is the 200th anniversary year of his birth. I think this would be an ideal time to re-read some of HDT's works and to read some of the ones I've missed, as well as essays, HDT bios and even a mystery series I've come across featuring HDT.

I've visited Walden Pond and, going back as far as I can remember, I buy two Walden Pond wall calendars I've been a member of the Thoreau Society.

The more I think about it, the more a Henry David Thoreau category this year feels right to me.

Great idea for a category!

I'd be interested to hear about the Thoreau mystery series in particular, if you get around to it.

>94 rabbitprincess: I'm looking right now to see which of his works I have on Kindle but also note that I picked up the first book in the mystery series, of the three, last summer. The first one is Thoreau at Devil's Perch by B.B. Oak. I have no idea how good it is but I'd like to give it a try.

You will have to tell us how the Thoreau mysteries are. They sound intriguing.

The Thoreau mysteries sound intriguing. I love historical mysteries with real people solving crimes.

>93 lindapanzo: That's a great category idea!

>95 lindapanzo: Can't wait to hear what you think of the Thoreau mystery.

I'd better get to that Thoreau mystery soon then. I admit that I'm curious myself.

Here's my most recent read. My first 5-star book.

Sum It Up by Pat Summitt--finished on 1/17/17

As you probably all know, I am a huge sports fan but my main focus is on baseball and hockey. I do occasionally follow basketball and football (especially the Packers) but not as often. I certainly don't follow women's basketball as avidly I did back during my college years + early 20s.

This book would make me change that. This autobiography of the legendary coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team is probably the best sports autobiography I've read in recent memory. Knowing that she wrote it after her dementia/Alzheimer's diagnosis make it even more incredible.

In particular, I loved reading about the team members and the team dynamics and how Pat motivated them.

I wish I'd paid more attention to her when she was in her prime. I was vaguely aware of her diagnosis and, last year, of her death. What an incredible life story she had.

I don't think you'd even need to be a sports fan to like this one.

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau--finished on 1/20/17

I thought this was an appropriate day to read this Thoreau essay. I didn't realize how radical Thoreau was.

Interestingly, this was written to show his opposition to the Mexican War of 1846. He refused to pay a poll tax and was imprisoned for a night.

Lots of food for thought here.

Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Chirstopher Dickey--finished on 1/26/17

ER book

First 5-star book of the year!!

I've read quite a bit on the Civil War but had never heard of the forgotten man, Robert Bunch, Great Britain's Consul in Charleston, SC during the pre-war and war years. Despite his abhorrence of slavery, Bunch cultivated contacts among the pro-slavery crowd and offered honest, perceptive dispatches to his superiors both in Washington and in London of events, people, and his perceptions, even in the face of rising danger as passions grew as the war approached.

One of the cover blurbs said something about this being a "beach read." When I first saw that, I was doubtful, though, in the end, I would agree. It's not quite a page turner but it's close. A fascinating look at pre-war and wartime Charleston. Quite possibly the best ER book I've ever won.

Highly recommended!!

>62 lindapanzo: The library didn't have A Gentleman in Moscow, so I've borrowed Amor Towles's Rules of Civility instead. It looks very promising.

Gentleman, Civility - looks like a theme. will be interested to see what comes next.

>102 pamelad: Oh wow, I hadn't noticed that. I would like to go back and read his Rules of Civility sometime soon.

I'm still reading, and savoring, the new Michael Chabon nove Moonglow. Heh-heh, for me that's a nice way of saying that I'm reading it steadily but not advancing through it too fast. I think my Kindle copy from the library is due back on Wed. I may have to avoid turning on my Kindle wi-fi for a time, or else pick up the pace. I'm closing in on halfway through, though, so maybe I will make it.

>103 lindapanzo: turn off my Kindle wi-fi... ah, the little tips and tricks. LOL

>104 VictoriaPL: I don't think they can take if back if I don't put on my wi-fi. OTOH, I won't be able to download my NY Times newspaper if I don't put it on.

You might like Chabon's Moonglow. A man learns all about his grandfather's life during the last few days of that life. Among other things, the grandfather loved space travel and that subject is touched on quite often.

>105 lindapanzo: That sounds interesting!

Moonglow by Michael Chabon--finished on 2/4/17

I'd never read any Chabon before but, after this, I definitely will. Chabon spends time with his dying grandfather during his grandpa's last days. Normally a reserved man, the medication he's taking has loosened up his tongue and, in this autobiographical novel, Chabon tells his grandfather's story.

Let me say, overall, I loved it. However, it was slow starting and, by the end, he seemed to run out of gas. The middle 80% or so was excellent, though.

For me, the best parts involved his exploits during World War 2, especially.

I'm torn between putting it in my fiction category or my nonfiction category. It's a novel in the sense that memories aren't always completely accurate but it is more nonfiction than fiction. Even so, it has received awards for best novel of the year and it's included in the fiction category at the library and so I will go with that.

Happy belated Thingaversary! You also did really well on your SantaThing - congrats!

Whale of a Crime by Karen MacInerney--finished on 2/5/17

One of my favorite cozy series is the Gray Whale Inn series set in Maine. This newest one, the 7th in the series, does not disappoint. As usual, I love reading about what the characters have been up to.

>108 -Eva-: Thanks!! I need to get to some of those books I picked up. I've finished my second one of these, last night.

>109 lindapanzo: I'm behind on that series. Maybe I'll catch up.

Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam by Gordon M. Goldstein.

I finished my Feb Obama Book Club book, Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam by Gordon M. Goldstein. It was very well done but, unfortunately, I'm not as familiar with the Vietnam War as I am with many of America's other wars and I'm afraid that much of this flew over my head. At some point, I think I'd like to read The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam to get a better understanding of what was going on.

Even so, the book provides an interesting look at horrible wartime decisionmaking, in both the JFK and the LBJ administrations, particularly in LBJ's. These advisors were incredibly smart and shrewd yet they provided incredibly stupid, uninformed, poorly thought out advice.

The author was working with JFK/LBJ security adviser, McGeorge Bundy, on a book about 30 years after the fact and was garnering insights in order to write a retrospective look at the war with Bundy. Alas, Bundy died and his estate refused to let the book get published. Even so, the author generally would talk about what was happening, what Bundy and the other advisers suggested, and also, somewhat, what Bundy said about those decisions in hindsight, during the mid 1990s.

Of most interest to me was the chapter involving what might've happened in Vietnam had JFK not been assassinated. When JFK died, I think American casualties in Vietnam numbered only in the hundreds but, by the end of the war, I think they exceeded 50,000.

What Bundy thought in hindsight doesn't excuse his poor leadership/organization regarding the Americanization of the Vietnam War but he was honest 30 years later and willing to consider what could be learned from his 1960s actions.

For a knowledgeable reader, this would probably be an excellent book. For me, just very good.

Went to my niece's club conference swim meet today. She had a pretty good showing with a first place medal, two second place medals, and two fourth place medals.

Earlier, I'd mentioned the Henry David Thoreau mystery I'd picked up. Thoreau at Devil's Perch by B.B. Oak. Finished it this morning before I left for the meet. Really enjoyed it and will certainly pick up the second in the series soon.

It took some getting used to at first. Set in the mid 1800s, a different era from the usual mystery. Dr. Adam Walker and his first cousin Julia Bell are ably assisted by Henry David Thoreau. In the end, absolutely loved it.

>113 lindapanzo: - That one sounds intriguing - I might have to seek it out sometime soon. You know, once I get through all the other books on my wish list. :)

>113 lindapanzo: Congrats to your niece, and glad you liked the Thoreau mystery!

>107 lindapanzo: It was interesting to read your thoughts on Moonglow. I really liked it too, though I find it difficult to say exactly why.

My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King--finished on 2/23/17 (ER book)

Earlier, Mrs. King wrote about her life with Martin. This time around, her informative memoir focuses on her own life story (and the hurdles she had to overcome) as Coretta (Corrie to family and close friends), as well as on her love for Martin and her children, and the MLK Center for Nonviolence and other matters she worked on after Martin’s assassination. She also provides insights into her friendships and interactions with world leaders, such as Nelson Mandela and Corazon Aquino, as well her thoughts on Jesse Jackson and other black leaders. I learned plenty in this book and now I want to read more on this topic. Excellent book.

>114 LittleTaiko: The Thoreau mystery seems different, at first. I don't read many mysteries set during the 19th century so that took a bit of getting used to. Thoreau isn't the lead sleuth but it is still interesting to see him in the storyline.

>115 rabbitprincess: Thanks. Tomorrow is what the swimmers consider the start of their post-season. Regionals!! She's swimming at a HS in Chicago that she's never been to before. 4 events plus a relay on Sat and 4 more on Sun so she'll be a busy kid.

>116 mathgirl40: I liked it though my mood towards it while reading did change periodically from time to time. I don't recall reading any other Chabon but now want to give him a try.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan--finished on 3/3/17

We all love books and I, for one, tend to love books about people who love books, including this one.

Nina loses her job as a librarian in Birmingham, in England. A few people will be hired on but the focus of the new jobs really isn't on books so Nina uses her life savings to buy a van and run a mobile bookstore in Scotland.

A lovely book that has a fair share of romantic elements. I'm wondering whether it's the first in a series or a standalone. I hope it's the start of a series.

Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch--finished on 3/16/17

Subtitled America in the King Years, 1954-1963, this LONG book (1,100 pages long) provides an overview of the civil rights movement during the years in question, with an emphasis on Dr. Martin Luther King.

One of the most eye opening books I've ever read, yet one of the most difficult, painful books I've ever read. I'd read an hour or two before bed every night and alternated between cheering their victories and nearly crying at the horrific portions, such as murders, bombings, beatings, vicious dogs being let loose on children, and power hoses being used to knock down kids.

It's an unforgettable read and, after spending some time reading other lighter books, I'd like to start volume 2 in the MLK trilogy.

Highly, highly recommended!!

>120 lindapanzo: I thought the book I'm reading is a chunkster. You win!

>121 thornton37814: Once I got past the "who's in which civil rights group" the book moved right along.

So pleased to have two new (to me) wonderful new cozy series, the two cozies I was reading simultaneously were both very good. One series featuring a librarian on the NC Outer Banks is by Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany). The other, by Sarah Fox, features a woman who runs a pancake restaurant.

Realized that the first quarter of the year is over. I'm just slightly behind my pace to reach my category challenge goal but it's still in sight.

Not too bad, really, considering that one of my nonfiction books was well over 1,000 pages. Maybe look for some shorter nonfiction books coming up.

Every few years, sometimes more often, I change my mind about a category. My enthusiasm for my new Thoreau category quickly diminished but my current read, about long-time New Yorker magazine contributor, Joseph Mitchell, has led me to look at the long, long list of others who've contributed to the New Yorker and who've also published books.

In new first category, I intend to read books about the New Yorker magazine, as well as books published by New Yorker contributors, which includes an astounding number of authors I've meant to read.

Great idea for a new category!

That is a great idea, Linda, and I'm looking forward to seeing which authors make an appearance.

Judy. this could be a multi-year endeavor. I bet I could get 80 to 100 books out of that list, easily.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan--finished on 4/25/17
(ER book)

This is probably my favorite work of fiction so far in 2017 and certainly one of my best ever ER books.

This one reminded me quite a bit of the beloved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book I read a few years ago, except that the focus is a ladies choir, rather than a book club. It's an early World War 2 story set in an English village during the summer of 1940 and told through letters, diaries, and journals of five women in the village. Most of the men in the village are off to war and so the ladies (and girls) of the village have to band together in the choir and in other things.

I’m a sucker for this kind of book and absolutely loved it as the focus shifted from the womens' personal lives to the war, and then the impact the war had on them. Wonderful, well-drawn characters.

I would love to see more of this kind of book, or even a continuation of this book, from this author. Highly recommended!!

>128 lindapanzo: - Definitely adding this one to my wishlist.

>128 lindapanzo: You got me with that comparison to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I loved!

>128 lindapanzo: - Yes - I'll be taking a BB for this also.

ETA: Looks like I already have this as a BB from the Oct 16 ER list and also from Lori (thorton37814). Guess I should get going and read it.

Vanilla Beaned by Jenn McKinlay--finished on 4/28/17

When it comes to cozies, Jenn McKinlay could write the phone book and I'd read it. I love all three of her series, the library series, the cupcake shop series (of which this one was the second newest), and the British hat shop series.

I rarely taking a strong liking to secondary characters but I thought Holly, the Vegas showgirl who wants to become a cupcake baker, really stood out. I hope she has a role in future books in this series.

Death at the Opera by Gladys Mitchell--finished on 4/30/17

After that last golden age murder mystery last week, by Farjeon, I wanted to read something better. Gladys Mitchell was hailed, by contemporary critics, as one of England's "big three" female mystery writers, along with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. I've read nearly all of both Christie and Sayers but had never read a Gladys Mitchell book before. Why did I wait so long?

I really enjoyed this one, written in 1934, the murder of an inoffensive "arithmetics" teacher at a progressive English day school. The murder occurred while the school was performing its version of the opera, The Mikado. The sleuth was the elderly psychoanalyst/sleuth Mrs. Beatrice Lestrange Bradley.

After I finished, I learned two things. Many of the Mrs Bradley mysteries are available on Kindle at no charge under the Kindle Unlimited program. I have it and intend to take full advantage.

Secondly, a number of the Mrs Bradley mysteries were on TV. I think the BBC did them. Anyway, they're available via ILL at the library. Diana Riggs played Mrs. Bradley. The back cover mentions that Death at the Opera was filmed but the Diana Rigg version had a different motive, killer, and method of murder. It'll be interesting to see how that version turned out as I loved this book but thought the ending was only so so.

>128 lindapanzo: That was a BB for me!

The Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Audacious Blueprint for a Cubs Dynasty--finished on 5/7/17

This is the first book I've read about the magical 2016 Cubs season. Or at least how Theo et al put the team together. As much as I love baseball (15+ games a year plus 300+ baseball books read in all), this book is too soon.

The parts with the inside info about putting the team together were interesting. The parts about the 2015 and 2016 seasons, I could've written myself.

I think David Kaplan, the author, is a great sportscaster. He's the in-house studio host on a local sports channel. He offers a lot of insider info on things. It isn't the book, it's the topic.

Except for the David Ross autobiography, I think I'll hold off on Cubs books for awhile.

The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter--finished on 5/9/17

I read this one for the President Obama Reading Club. It's very good, very interesting.

My gripe with it is that it's billed as a book about FDR's first 100 days. I think that's a bit misleading. FDR's inauguration on March 4, 1933 doesn't take place until about two-thirds of the way in and, even after that, much of the focus is on factors influencing his actions, such as his first-class temperament. There's also a section on the second 100 days.

All told, there's probably only one or two chapters on those actual first 100 days.

Even so, looking at the period from the campaign through mid 1933, it's very interesting, especially at conveying the hopelessness of the American people. It makes me want to read one of those lengthy, in-depth FDR bios, such as the one by Jean Smith.

I just saw a thing on TV (on "60 Minutes" I think about Theo and the manager/owner/coach?) about how they built the team over 4 or 5 drafts, choosing hitters to build the team for a go at the Series. Theo used to be here in Boston when they were doing well.

ETA: Yea - it was "60 minutes". It was on last Sunday.

>135 dudes22: Thanks. I need to see that. A few people have mentioned it to me but, when I came home from my niece's swim meet (held in warm temps, though not quite a sauna), I was so tired I took an early evening nap and missed it.

Theo is an interesting guy (as is Maddon).

That's who it was!

>137 dudes22: Joe Maddon does a lot of interviews locally but Theo doesn't do too many.

I love my Cubs but they're not looking that great this year.

As for books, at lunch, I finished Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates, which is the second in the Lighthouse Library series, which is becoming one of my favorite cozy series.

Sadly, I learned this afternoon, from the author's FB page, that the publisher didn't renew her contract on this series and so it'll end with the third book. Too bad. Fortunately, Eva Gates/Vicky Delany has some other series but this one was my favorite.

Couldn't she just find another publisher?

>139 dudes22: You would think so. I know plenty of authors who've lost their contracts, even for long running series. Jeanne Dams and Victoria Houston spring to mind.

I suppose we have no way of know how popular/profitable an author is even though we might like their books. I would think profit is unfortunately the overriding factor in the decision to cancel an author.

>141 dudes22: I was thinking about this. Eva Gates/VickyDelany (not sure which is her real name) has several other series. Perhaps they're with that same publisher and she doesn't feel like she can move to another publisher for just this one series.

If she lost all of her contracts, that would be a different case. However, the first in a new series just came out in HC a month or two ago.

>139 dudes22:, >142 lindapanzo:, Whether she could go to another publisher for one series is just dependent on the particular contract she has with the publisher, but if she's got other series going with them, it seems like they'd keep going with all of them since readership would probably feed across lines. Most publishers wouldn't outlaw moving to another publisher for a book in any case, though they'd want first crack at an author's new book. I don't know if this would be different for series, though, honestly...

It does sound odd in this case--I've never heard of a publisher cancelling one series with an author, and continuing others! I wonder if she just lost interest in this particular one, and doesn't want to say so?

>141 dudes22:, it is usually profit, but at least one of the publishers I work with has also, on a few occasions, cancelled authors because they were so consistently difficult to work with, or missing deadlines; the trouble just wasn't worth the profit.
I imagine it's happened elsewhere, too. That said, I doubt this would be the case with her since she's got other series going also :)

>143 whitewavedarling: Thanks for the insights. That's all very interesting.

Her website says that Penguin has declined to renew the Lighthouse Library series (the one that I like).

Hmm, that's odd. The new series out in HC is published by Crooked Lane Books, which sounds like a smaller publisher.

Then there's the Year Round Christmas series, which is published in pb by Berkeley. That's my favorite series of hers.

I think she has a few others that I've never heard of and don't see reading in the near future. One is the Constable Molly Smith series, which is published by Poison Pen Press.

I guess we can scratch off not wanting to move to a different publisher off the reason list.

All this talk of cozies...my current read, right now, is the brand new Elizabeth J. Duncan cozy, Murder is For Keeps. This is the 8th in the Penny Brannigan series, which is set in North Wales.

In other news, I finally got my annual wellness incentive, a substantial Amazon gift card. I will try to control myself!!

>144 lindapanzo:, yeah, she definitely didn't want to move from Penguin, so my guess is that they decided they weren't making enough profit. If wants to continue with the series, though, her agent will be shopping it around to other publishers--having been with Penguin, she's definitely got one, so it'll just be a matter of whether she wants to continue, and whether they can find a home for it!

I finished my first category of my challenge last night. Naturally, it's mysteries. I have another mystery category and several other ways to squeeze mysteries in so I'll be ok. It's not like I won't be able to read anymore mysteries the rest of the year.

Great news!! The library lighthouse series has been saved and it'll continue.

>148 lindapanzo: Her website is still not reflecting it has been saved.

>149 thornton37814: I noticed that, too, but she mentioned it on her FB page. In fact, she's holding a contest to celebrate.

I haven't read a good book about books/reading in awhile but now I'm reading just such a book by the editor of the New York Times Book Review, Pamela Paul.

Like me, she's kept a book journal/list of every book she's read. I've kept a list since 1976 and I think she's done so for 28 years. However, she wrote a book about Bob, which is what she calls hers. A Book of Books. My Life With Bob is the name.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery--finished on 6/10/17

I've long wanted to read this one but didn't realize that there are so many books in the series. Eight books, I think.

Anyway, so many people came up to me, either here on LT or at work, to tell me how envious they were that I got to experience Anne for the first time. I really liked it, though didn't love it, but the book grew on me as it went along. I thought they young Anne was a bit annoying.

Definitely will continue with the next books.

Fall of the Birds by Bradford Morrow--finished on 6/11/17

This is a novella, aka a Kindle single. Beautifully written with a father and a daughter, avid birders, coping with the recent death of wife/mother. The daughter notices that birds aren't coming around as often as they used to. The father, an insurance claims guy, is sent to report on various claims of damage done by birds just falling out of the sky.

I read the author's bio and noted that, among other things, he's written 6 novels, so I quickly snapped up his first novel, Come Sunday.

I finished two excellent books this week.

Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages by David Ross--finished on 6/12/17

Any Cub fan would probably love this autobiography of Grandpa Rossy, the veteran backup catcher and very popular team member of last year's World Series Champs. There was 3 streams of text. One involved game 7 of the 2016 World Series, one involved his i-Phone journal of the 2016 season, and one traced his career. It was initially confusing but I quickly settled in.

Loved it!!

The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters by Tom Nichols--finished on 6/16/17

Absolutely loved this look at the loss of respect for experts, why it's happened, and what this means for American society. Fascinating and one I may re-read at some point.
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>153 lindapanzo: The Death of Expertise sounds like an interesting read but one that may cause gnashing of teeth on my part. It is frustrating to have one's expertise devalued.

>154 rabbitprincess: It was interesting to see why though.

One of my biggest frustrations is that seemingly everyone believes that their opinion on something is just as valuable as everyone else's, including those of experts.

Many factors in this book angered me but I suspect that I'm not alone in my anger.

>155 lindapanzo: My library has the book, so I'll request it and give it a go. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

>153 lindapanzo: Book bullet on Expertise - got me big time.

Just past halfway through the year and I'm just past halfway through the challenge so my pace is good. Most of the categories are coming along well, except for the New Yorker connection challenge. I'm hoping to read some books in that category in upcoming weeks.

Just traipsing along in my category challenge. My 80-year old mother has severely blocked carotid arteries but we're waiting to see our options, surgery or something else.

One of the noteworthy books I've read this summer is one I finished at lunch...

The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz--finished on 8/9/17

At lunch, I finished another outstanding college-based novel from Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Devil and Webster. A small, ultra progressive New England liberal arts college president faces an out of control campus protest. Back in the day, the president herself was a protestor but, apparently, the rules have changed and she struggles to deal with the students and others protesting the denial of tenure for a black professor. The situation is made worse by the fact that one of the protestors is her only child.

This author finds interesting ways to present hot button issues (this is the second academic novel I've read by her and, along with Admission, this is another 5 star read for me. A novel I won't forget.

Just signed up for the 2018 category challenge!!

Preliminary thinking on my categories for next year is that I love the simplicity of my categories. I'd probably keep 6 of the 7 categories, maybe add another mystery category, too. For my final category, I'd probably replace the New Yorker connection with something else. Maybe a food and drink category. I've come across quite a few books I'd like to read on food history, for instance.

I'd probably also do a two-tier approach. One tier, with the mysteries, would likely have more books. Say 20 books in 4 different categories and 10 books in the other 4 categories.

Obviously, early days, but just what my current thinking is.

As for the current challenge, I'd like to focus on the New Yorker books and also the sports books. Those two seem to be laggards right now.

Hi Linda, I have been thinking about my next year's challenge as well although I would like to hold off on posting anything for awhile yet. At this point I am thinking of trying to go for the full 18 categories, if I can can come up with 18 workable subjects. I am trying not to spend too much time on thinking about next year as I still have plenty that I want to get done this year but there is something about planning and listing books that is irresistible!

>161 DeltaQueen50: I know that I'll want to read mysteries, sports books, and nonfiction. I figure there's one flexible category each year for me.

Reading in 18 categories would be wonderful but I think I got bogged down at about 12 or 13 categories.

It's always fun planning the categories for the following year.

I haven't been doing the categories in equivalence to the year in quite some time. I'm brainstorming how I want to handle category challenge next year.

I decided that in 2018 I'm going with a baseball theme, so don't steal it!

>164 cyderry: Maybe I can go with hockey?

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz--finished on 9/29/17

I read a lot of mysteries. This one was unlike any other I've read and I'd rate it as my favorite mystery of the year. Thanks to all who urged me to read it. You certainly steered me right.

>160 lindapanzo: A two-tier approach sounds like a good idea. I always end up with my categories very unbalanced.

>166 lindapanzo: - That was such a fun read! I loved both stories.

>168 LittleTaiko: That first half really had a classic mystery feel for me. The second half started slowly but I quickly got into the spirit of it.

Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60-Goal Man by Dennis Maruk--finished on 10/2/17

(from Net Galley)

If asked to name the 20 men who’ve scored 60+ goals in an NHL season, most hockey fans would likely be able to name the big stars who did so but would likely be hard-pressed to recall that Dennis Maruk achieved this fear in 1981-82, achievement that was overshadowed by Wayne Gretzky’s recordsetting season. Playing for such teams as the California Golden Seals, the Cleveland Barons, and the Minnesota North Stars, Maruk was probably best known for his Fu Manchu mustache.

This excellent book helps show what an excellent, though unheralded, NHL career Maruk had, as a prolific scorer (with 356 goals and 878 career points) and tough guy. Beyond that, Maruk is brutally honest in discussing his post-hockey challenges. He also offers up plenty of insights into the guys he played with and against, as well as the coaches he played for, such as Herb Brooks. As an added bonus, he talks about celebrities he met in his various post-hockey jobs, including setting up furniture for Goldie Hawn and working as a farmhand for John Oates (of Hall & Oates).

Hockey fans should love this book. It certainly brings back memories from 1970’s/80's hockey era and talks about what like really was like in the NHL back in those days. Definitely recommended reading for the hockey fan.

Borrowing an idea from Judy, here are my 5 favorite reads from the third quarter (June--Sept).

1. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
2. Glass Houses by Louise Penny
3. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
4. The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

>171 lindapanzo: A great list, Linda! I have penciled in the Magpie Murders for December and I am looking forward to reading it.

>172 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for the great idea, Judy!!

I've caught a bug and feel absolutely miserable. Reading lightweight books for now since I'm having a hard time concentrating.

>173 lindapanzo: Hope that you are feeling better soon.

>171 lindapanzo: Judy's idea is a good one to copy. It's where I get a lot of BBs! Love your list! I have Horowitz's Magpie Murders and McCullough's The Wright Brothers on the shelf. You've just moved them up to the top. I'm currently reading an earlier Louise Penny so it'll be a while before I get to Glass Houses.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

Thanks for the get well wishes. I actually feel better and then work issues come up but I'm dealing with those. At least I can talk again and I slept all night, last night.

Down to 28 books to go. Soon, maybe around the 25 to go level, I'll put together a list of books I intend to read to finish the challenge.

I've been on a real roll, reading-wise, in recent days, and am now down to 20 books to go to complete my 2017 category challenge. Definitely time to compile a list for the rest of the year.

BOOKS TO COMPLETE THE 2017 CATEGORY CHALLENGE

1. Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel--COMPLETED
2. Five Seasons by Roger Angell--COMPLETED
3. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber--COMPLETED
4. An Unexpected Twist by Andy Borowitz--COMPLETED
5. Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair by William Elliott Hazelgrove--COMPLETED
6. Heart of the Blackhawks: The Pierre Pilote Story by Pierre Pilote--COMPLETED
7. The Chicago Cubs by Rich Cohen--COMPLETED
8. Replays, Rivalries, and Rumbles by Steven Gietschier--COMPLETED
9. No Heavy Lifting by Rob Simpson
10. The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page
11. The Loyal Son by Daniel Mark Epstein--READING
12. The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis by David E. Fishman
13. Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
14. Eve in Hollywood by Amor Towles--READING
15. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate
16. Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany
17. Death in the Stacks by Jenn McKinlay
18. Thread the Halls by Lea Wait--COMPLETED
19. Christmas Return by Anne Perry
20. Killer Characters by Ellery Adams--COMPLETED

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

Way to go, Linda. Looks like you will be finishing up 2017 in a timely manner. :)

>179 DeltaQueen50: I hope so, Judy. I like to start the following year a bit early. In late 2016, I started the 2017 challenge on Dec 17 and so I'm aiming to start the 2018 challenge on Dec 18.

I'm interested to see what you think of Eve in Hollywood as I haven't decided if I wanted to know Eve's part of the story.

>181 LittleTaiko: I think the Eve stories are told from different points of view. When I heard from him, it sounded like he wanted to turn this collection into a full-length novel.

Still moving right along on my remaining 19 books for the challenge but, with just a few exceptions like the Eve book and some of the mysteries, many are longer and I expect my progress to slow a bit.

Right now, I've got a history of the Chicago Cubs as well as an interesting book about Al Capone and the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress World's Fair. I'd never heard a thing about this 1933 Chicago book but spotted it on our library's list of available Kindle books and, with my love of Chicago history books, I knew I'd grab it right away.

As soon as I put together a list of "books left to read," I always need to change it.

I snagged a Net Galley book, one of those British Library Crime Classics books, and so I'll want to read that one soon. It's Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate. Besides the mystery elements, there's also the Britain on the WW2 homefront angle. Looking forward to that one.

>183 lindapanzo: Ooh, that sounds up my alley! I'll be interested to see what you think.

>183 lindapanzo: Those are on NetGalley? I'll have to take a look! Not that I need any more reading cmmitments right now...

I met one of my new neighbors and her dog yesterday. The dog's name is Rizzo. She and her husband moved here from Chicago a few months ago.

>183 lindapanzo: Ooh yes looking forward to your report on that one! I love the British Library Crime Classics.

>185 cbl_tn: >186 rabbitprincess: Yes they are. There look to be a half dozen or so. They've also got a number of Kerry Greenwood Miss Fisher books but I've read all of them. Hopefully they'll get to one of the few I haven't read yet.

The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen--finished on 10/22/17
(received from Net Galley)

As a Chicago Cubs fan since the mid-1960’s and who has read several hundred baseball books, I’m not often impressed by many new baseball books but this one was absolutely terrific.

Author Rich Cohen provides an interesting look at Cubs history but really starts to shine when he talks about the Cubs from that ill-fated year, 1969, and on, but especially when he talks about the magical 2016 championship year.

The book is filled with great stories from Ernie Banks and other Cub greats but I especially liked those stories he recounts from his own lifetime of Cubs fandom.

Very impressive and highly recommended!!

Replays, Rivalries, and Rumbles: The Most Iconic Moments in American Sports by Steven Gietschier--finished on 10/31/17

Each of the nearly two dozen essays in this superb collection takes a look at an iconic moment in American sports history and provides fascinating insights into what really happened, and now just what we “know” happened. A wide variety of sports and issues are addressed, including some that are to be expected such as the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics and the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, and some surprises, such as American flag bearers and the “dipping” of the flag during the parade of nations at the Olympics and the unbelievable defeat of wrestler Dan Gables.

For the diehard sports buff, this book is a true gem. One highlight is that each essay concludes with a “for further reading” section which provides a treasure trove of additional books/and or resources in case the reader wants to learn even more on the subject. What a find!!

(I received this book through Net Galley)

>189 lindapanzo: - I have a couple of people on my Christmas list that I think might like this book ( and might let me borrow it too).

>190 dudes22: Hope they like it.

Well phooey. I got a free copy of Radio Free Vermont from First to Read but, apparently, they caused it to be expired and I no longer have access to it. Didn't realize that could happen.Oh well.

>178 lindapanzo: Good luck with your reading for the rest of the year! I'm also at the point where I'm trying to figure out what I can squeeze into the remaining weeks in order to complete all my challenges.

>192 mathgirl40: Good luck to you, too. I'm tweaking my list a bit, particularly as to my "real print books I own" category. For instance, I'm planning a shared read with someone. I own a print copy and would put it into that category but she is waiting for her library copy to come in. It doesn't matter to me if I read it late this year or early next year.

I'm down to 13 books to go to finish, which I think is do-able.

I still have 21 books to go, sure hope and can finish.

I've "won" a number of Net Galley books as well as, now, a First to Read book. I'll need to read these in the next month or two. Trying to slot them into my remaining slots. Decisions, decisions.

>195 lindapanzo: I've got several NetGalley books right now too. I might finish one tonight, but certainly I'll finish it tomorrow. I'm nearing completion of the audiobook I began on the trip to West Virginia. A couple of my NetGalley titles are non-fiction so I should be able to finish those pretty quickly. I've also got one ER book that arrived while I was out of town.

I've returned to the fold and am trying to catch up on everyone's threads. Good luck with finishing your 2017 challenge.

>196 thornton37814: I really need to get cracking on those Net Galley books. Fortunately, only two have a publication date in the first half of December, I think.

>197 mamzel: Thanks for stopping by. I hardly seem to get around much at all on LT. After tonight, I'm hoping to be down to only 10 books to go to finish.

Ten books to go!!

1. Pass Judgment by Jerry Brewer--COMPLETED
2. Stars and Strikes by Dan Epstein
3. The Loyal Son by Daniel Mark Epstein--READING
4. The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis by David E. Fishman
5. Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
6. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert--COMPLETED
7. Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate--COMPLETED
8. Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany (or else The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce)
9. Death in the Stacks by Jenn McKinlay--COMPLETED
10. Christmas Return by Anne Perry--COMPLETED

Somebody at the Door by Raymond Postgate--finished on 11/20/17

(Net Galley)

I love the fact that the British Library Crime Classics, featuring lesser-known mysteries from the Golden Age, are being made available to a wider audience. I’ve read a number of these and this terrific police procedural of murder during World War 2 is among the best I’ve read in this series.

Grayling, a man on his way home from work in a train in wartime England, sits in a railway compartment with neighbors and coworkers. When he is later found dead (and the company payroll missing), many of the people in his compartment are found to have great reason to want to kill the man. This mystery wonderfully tells their stories, including the relationships each had with Grayling, and why each had a reason to want Grayling dead.

This is a well-written police procedural which sheds light on wartime life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

>200 lindapanzo: Ooooo adding that one to the TBR!

>201 rabbitprincess: Net Galley has a whole bunch of the British Library Crime Classics books. No charge but you have to review them. Now that I've finished one of them, I may ask for another. I think they've got about a half dozen currently available.

>202 lindapanzo: Just what I need -- more NetGalley books. LOL Actually I only have two at the moment, but I have a book checked out of the library and an ER book I'm currently reading. (I'm also listening to an audiobook on my commute.)

Linda, thanks for the information about the Raymond Postgate book, I have pre-ordered it for my Kindle this morning.

>203 thornton37814: Enjoy, Lori. I'd love to get all of the class British mysteries but I am just not used to that writing style and I think it'd be too much for me.

>204 DeltaQueen50: I'd like to track down his other mystery, which is said to be even better. That one is Verdict of Twelve.

As I mentioned, Poisoned Pen Press has a number of these classic British mysteries on Net Galley. I've requested Quick Curtain but my request is pending.

Oh, also forgot to mention. I love all three of Jenn McKinlay's mystery series, the library series, the cupcake bakers' series, and the British hat shop series. In her latest library mystery, Death in the Stacks, which I finished over the weekened, McKinlay has the characters from the cupcake bakers series and the characters from the British hat shop series visit the town where the library series takes place. All three sets of characters interact, though the cupcake bakers and the hat shop people tend to do more sightseeing than anything. That was lots of fun and very clever, since McKinlay also gave updates on the characters lives (between books).

>205 lindapanzo: I'm not familiar with the British hat shop series. I'll look it up.

>206 thornton37814: The first one, I think, is Cloche and Dagger. It took me a book or so to warm up to that one but I loved the cupcake and the library series right from the start.

Currently, I'm reading the first in another new library series. Victoria Gilbert's A Murder for the Books. Very good.

>207 lindapanzo: I read that one earlier this month.

>205 lindapanzo: Verdict of Twelve was available on NetGalley and is now archived but you can get it on Kindle.

>209 cyderry: Thanks Cheli. I got it on Kindle for a cheap price. Used up the remainder of my ebook settlement. I just finished my wellness activities for the year and so, within 6 to 8 weeks, I'll get my wellness credit on Amazon. Maybe I can pick up my Thingaversary books with that credit.

I'll probably finish A Murder for the Books and then maybe read the new Anne Perry Christmas book (very short) tonight or tomorrow. Making great strides lately towards finishing the challenge.

>210 lindapanzo: I read A Murder for the Books and have the Anne Perry Christmas Book.

I have 13 books left for my challenge.

>211 cyderry: You can do it. I always aim to finish by mid December because I like to start the following year's challenge on December whatever the next year is (December 18, this year).

If I finish early, I hope to use the time between finishing and Dec 18 to read some print books off the shelf. Probably mysteries. Then put them in the bag for Laura B's mother.

>202 lindapanzo: I hadn't considered joining NetGalley before, but that is a mighty tempting proposition ;)

>213 rabbitprincess: There are a few who automatically allow you books. University of Illinois Press springs to mind. I've done those and indicated a few key area of interest--mysteries and sports-- so a few others typically allow me books. I did get rejected a few times, at first, on books that I later loved. I don't have a blog or anything but do post here and sometimes on Amazon, as well.

The British mysteries I've been getting are from Poisoned Pen Press. I think they let you have books after you've done 5 reviews. Each publisher is different. This is all I know about it.

A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert

This first in the series, the Blue Ridge Library Series, cozy shows great promise and Victoria Gilbert is an author I’ll be watching for, as to subsequent books.

Our sleuth, Amy Webber, is a small town librarian who has moved in with her aunt after Amy’s love affair has gone bad. Amy teams up with her new neighbor, Richard Muir, a dancer, in investigating family and town history, as well as a murder. As a library mystery, of course there’s book talk but especially lots of research into the past to help solve the mystery and the historical questions.

I love a good library mystery and this is one I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters and the concept are interesting and definitely offer something that could develop into a long-running series. I hope so, at least. Loved it and would recommend it to my friends and family who like cozies.

>204 DeltaQueen50: Linda, now you have tempted me to load Verdict of Twelve onto my kindle!

>205 lindapanzo: Oh oh! I've taken another bullet for the Jenn McKinlay series. The hat shop series looks different.

>216 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, hope you like it I'm trying to finish my category challenge, of course, and, of the 5 remaining books, 3 are in the "actual print books I own" category so Verdict of Twelve won't fit it but I hope to get to it soon after I finish my category challenge for the year.

>217 VivienneR: I really grew to love those characters. Hope you like it, too.

As mentioned, FIVE books to go.

FIVE to go!!!

1. No Heavy Lifting by Rob Simpson--COMPLETED
2. The Loyal Son by Daniel Mark Epstein--READING
3. The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis by David E. Fishman
4. Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly--READING
5. Hark the Herald Angels Slay by Vicki Delany--COMPLETED

Good luck with the last books of your 2017 Challenge, Linda. Also a very Happy Thanksgiving!

>219 lindapanzo: - You can do it... and have free reading time to boot!

After today, I'm off on Fri, the weekend (as usual) and also Mon and Tues.

I've had a lot of coughing/congestion this week. Felt OK but tired from all the coughing. Anyway, besides Christmas shopping etc, I hope to get a lot of reading in.

>222 lindapanzo: Hopefully you can rest (and read) so you can recover!

I hope you are feeling better.
I am really enjoying Endurance. I’m at pg 103 and can’t put it down. You picked a great book for us!

Thanks for the get well wishes.

>224 VictoriaPL: I think the space book will be a good one to read because it keeps my interest.

The ER book I've been trying to read for forever, which is interesting but not holding my interest, wouldn't be a good choice. Except for the times I need to sleep. Maybe try reading that one a half hour before bed every time.

Down to three books to go. I've now finished 6 out of 7 categories and have only 3 books in my "real print books off my shelves" category left to go.

I've got a few days off and will be focusing on astronaut Scott's Kelly's memoir about his time on the International Space Station. Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery. Reading it with Victoria.

I'm also hoping to, once and for all, finish my ER book about Ben Franklin.

The third one will likely be one of my two other remaining ER books. Either The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis by David E. Fishman or else Katherine Hall Page's latest, The Body in the Casket. More likely to be the cozy after reading these other two nonfiction books. We'll see.

I hate to get medical treatment for just a cold but am thinking of going tomorrow. Cough is keeping me from sleeping and I'm exhausted. It's ridiculous. I took all this time off and barely have enough energy to walk from one room to another.

>227 lindapanzo: Sorry to hear you're still suffering. The same happened to me, with all the coughing I couldn't sleep and finally crawled to my GP. I'm not a fan of medication, but the codeine he prescribed did help.

Hope you are feeling better soon. That's the kind of condition that can hang around for ages and the lack of sleep makes everything worse.

I spent about six hours in the urgent care center. My oxygen level was dangerously low and I barely had enough breath to walk from the start into the building.

Anyway, I have double pneumonia but the oxygen greatly helps. I have a phone and my space book. I may have my restful night in awhile since I'm not coughing as much.

>230 lindapanzo: - Oh no..... Glad that you went to urgent care and are being taken care of!

Stay in bed with a good book(s) and you'll better in no time! If you have a chance check out my 2018 category challenge and let me know what you think!

Get well soon!

I was admitted into the hospital. Looks like I might be hereafter days. I've actually had the strength and interest to pick up and read a book for the first time in days. The most important good news is no blood clot.

So very sorry to hear things turned out even worse for you. Best wishes for a speedy revovery!

Hopefully, you'll be better and home for the holidays.

The good news is that you are being cared for and feeling better. I hope you get home in good health soon.

I'm sorry to hear you are in the hospital but glad to read you felt like reading. Prayers for a speedy recovery.

Yikes! Hope you're feeling better soon and that you have lots of good books to enjoy while you recover.

Oh Linda, I just read about your double pneumonia and came over here to add my concern and support. Rest up and let the doctors and nurses do their magic. One thing you will need now is patience as it will take some time to get over this. Thank heavens you got yourself some help and are now on the road to recovery.

I have a copy of my astronaut memoir but since I have about a 20 minute attention span, I think I'll switch to a cozy on my kindle app.

Thanks for your good wishes. It means a lot.

Feeling much stronger today.

>240 lindapanzo: Cozies are perfect when your attention span is short. Chapters are usually short so you can stop when your attention is up.

So sorry to hear about your pneumonia but glad that you got help. I didn't want to say in my last post, but that's exactly what happened to me last year. I wish you all the best for good health and reading. Take care.

Sorry to hear you're in the hospital. Get well soon!

Maybe coming home on Thurs or maybe on Friday.
Doctor said I came in extremely sick but responded extremely well to treatment and bounced back fast.

Sadly it sounds like this will impact my reading. The long
Term fatigue is said to be amazing. I'll need to get extra sleep which will cut into reading time. On the other hand, I'll probably need to take it easy more often so
Maybe more reading time.

Oh good news! Glad to hear it.

Oh, goodness. Take care Linda!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Take care of yourself.

Home from the hospital.
Alas I only partially passed my walking test. My step was fine but my oxygen levels were not so I will be on oxygen for a time. Maybe a few months.

Thanks for all your good wishes.

I've not been here in a few days, but am glad to hear you are home. Nasty stuff - pneumonia. My husband's been hacking for 2 weeks now and is refusing to go to the walk-in or even call his doctor. It's that time of year. Hope you can come off the oxygen soon.

>248 lindapanzo: Glad you are home, even if it is with supplemental oxygen. It's always nice to be home though.

Checking in on you, glad you are doing better.

Glad to hear that you are home, Linda, I always find myself far more comfortable being surrounded by my own things. Do remember to take it slow and easy as pneumonia takes quite a toll on the body.

Glad you are home. Take care of yourself-pneumonia is such a scary illness.

Thanks for all your good wishes. It's nice to be home from the hospital, even if I won't be sleeping in my own bed for awhile.

Feeling stronger every day. I'll be back in the office on Tuesday but will try to work from home as often as I can, at least for a few weeks. I know I'm getting stronger but not that strong. Plus, I still get incredibly, unbelievably tired.

In the really good news front, I read for 30 minutes straight yesterday!! The first time this month. Lighter reading for awhile. Nothing heavy or depressing for now.

Take extra good care of yourself. Like me, you may experience brain-fog for a quite a while. Don't expect to be able to take on your usual workload.

Glad to see you are home. While the recovery may take some time, always best to listen to your body and let it tell you when you are pushing things.

Thanks for all the good wishes. I've been back in the office part of the day the past two days and have felt more tired. However, last night, I slept straight through from 11 pm to 8 am and feel like a bundle of energy. Haven't slept that well since before Thanksgiving.

One book to go to finish my challenge!!

Close to your goal, wow!

Mission Accomplished!! Challenge Completed!!

I will start on the 2018 challenge on 12/18 (I started on the 2017 challenge on 12/17). Please join me over on my 2018 challenge thread over at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/270093

Let me be the first to offer my congratulations! I'm not going to make my goals this year, but I'm still excited over those that do.

>260 dudes22: Thanks. It was looking iffy at the end when I got hospitalized but I did it!!

I'm thinking cozy mysteries and light, fluffy fiction for the rest of the year. Maybe start the 2018 challenge with a Debbie Macomber Christmas novel or something. I have zero Christmas spirit this year but this last book I read, despite the murders, left me with a "feel good" feeling.

Excellent work!

>261 lindapanzo: Macomber's Christmas novels are always "feel good." Donna VanLiere's are too, if you haven't tried hers.

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

Congratulations! Looking forward to following your 2018 thread!

WAY TO GO!

Congratulations on reaching your 2017 reading goal, Linda.

Woohoo, congratulations! I fully support light, happy fiction for the rest of the year!

Hi Linda, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

>269 lkernagh: Thank you. Happy holidays to you, as well.

Once again, this year, I participated in both the LT Santa Thing and also the 75ers' Christmas Swap.

I love the fact that I'm getting Christmas Swap books sent to my Kindle at varying times thanks to my Christmas Swap Santa. So far, I've gotten Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum and also Bruce Springsteen's autobiography Born to Run. Great choices!!

Also just got my Santa Thing Kindle books. The new The Great Halifax Explosion, A Square Meal which is a culinary history of the Great Depression, What Angels Fear which is a C.S. Harris mystery, Nothing to Envy which is about ordinary life in North Korea, and No Graves as Yet which is the first WW1 mystery from Anne Perry.

Great choices all.

>271 lindapanzo: Wow! What a fabulous haul! Have a very Merry Christmas!

My BF got the Halifax Explosion book for his dad. I may angle to borrow it from him...

>259 lindapanzo: Congratulations on finishing your challenge! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Linda!

Hope you are feeling better.

Linda - My wish for you this Christmas:

Thanks for the holiday and get well wishes. I have good days and bad days and, unfortunately, Christmas Day was among the worst. Still, I made it to my sister's house and pretty much just sat there and listened and ate. They were so happy to see me and my 14-year old nephew was so gentlemanly in escorting me into and out of the house so I wouldn't fall on the ice that it did my heart good.

I noticed that, once again, LT has a place to list my top 5 books for the year. Below, I've listed my top 10.

1. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
2. Glass Houses by Louise Penny
3. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
4. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
5. The Death of Expertise by Thomas M. Nichols

6. The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan
7. The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz
8. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
9. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
10. Sum It Up by Pat Summitt

>280 lindapanzo: I'm glad to see our legendary coach made the cut!

Congrats on finishing your challenge! A Gentleman in Moscow was one of the many BBs that hit me this year and I'm glad to see it topping your personal ranking. See you on the new thread in 2018!