KatieKrug Reads in 2016 - Part 19

Hello Old Friends and Welcome New Ones!

About me: I'm in the process of re-locating from Dallas to the New York metro area and very much look forward to being more settled soon! I live with my husband and two cats and a dog. The cats are his; the dog is ours. He (the dog, not the husband) is a black lab mix named Louis and may just be The World's Best Dog. I work in association management, currently at a membership association for engineers and other professionals in the upstream energy industry. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling (my job usually takes me to interesting places!), snark, participating in shenanigans, and drinking wine. I have over 3000 unread books on my shelves and Kindle and a very understanding husband.

I have been a 75er since 2011. This year, I plan to participate in the American Author Challenge and the Nonfiction Challenge, as well as a few of the challenges in the Category Challenge group, where I will also be maintaining a thread. A few of my goals for the year are to read more of the Pulitzer winners on my shelves, to read more global lit, and to be more selective in my reading - both in what I pick up and in giving myself permission to put things back down if they are not engaging me.

CURRENTLY READING
(Print) (Audio) (Kindle - year-long project)

BOOKS COMPLETED in DECEMBER
81. The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard (audio)
82. Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb
83. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (audio)
84. Carsick by John Waters (audio)
85. The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry (audio)
86. The Maytrees by Annie Dillard
87. Skating on Thin Ice by Jami Davenport
88. Midnight at Tiffany's by Sarah Morgan

BOOKS COMPLETED in NOVEMBER
74. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
75. My Southern Journey by Rick Bragg (audio)
76. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (audio)
77. Being There by Jerzy Kosinski (audio)
78. Nutshell by Ian McEwan
-- Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik (DNF)
79. The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni (audio)
80. Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down by Anne Valente

BOOKS COMPLETED in OCTOBER
-- Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale (DNF)
68. $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin (audio)
69. Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
70. Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (audio)
71. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (audio)
72. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
73. Grunt by Mary Roach (audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED in SEPTEMBER
62. Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America by Diane Roberts
-- Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille (DNF)
63. This is the Story of You by Beth Kephart
64. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
65. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (audio)
66. Run to You by Rachel Gibson
67. A Finer End by Deborah Crombie
-- Born in Ice by Nora Roberts (DNF)
-- Something Light by Margery Sharp (DNF)

BOOKS COMPLETED in AUGUST
55. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (audio)
56. Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates
57. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (audio)
58. The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth
-- Moonwalking with Einstein (audio) (DNF)
59. Heft by Liz Moore
60. The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger
61. The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais (audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED in JULY
46. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
-- Sounds Like Crazy by Shana Mahaffey (DNF)
47. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore (audio)
-- Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay (DNF)
48. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (audio)
49. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
50. The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley
51. Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
52. Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (audio)
53. Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker
54. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan

BOOKS COMPLETED in JUNE
40. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
41. My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (audio)
42. The Jaguar's Children by John Vaillant
43. 12 Random Words by Fabiana Elisa Martinez
44. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
45. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert (audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED in MAY
32. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (audio)
33. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
34. The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths
35. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (audio)
36. Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
37. Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming (audio)
-- The Postman by David Brin (DNF)
-- And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile (DNF - but it was good and I'll try again some time)
-- Hidden River by Adrian McKinty (audio) (DNF)
38. The Devil in Denim by Melanie Scott
39. The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED in APRIL
20. Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb
21. The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World by Daniel Yergin (audio)
22. Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer
23. The Love Letters of Phyllis McGinley by Phyllis McGinley
24. Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
25. Sky Bridge by Laura Pritchett
26. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn (audio)
27. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
28. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger (audio)
29. The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Ann Noble (audio)
30. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (audio)
31. The Travelers by Chris Pavone

BOOKS COMPLETED in MARCH
15. 40 Love by Madeleine Wickham (audio)
16. Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo
17. The Winter Girl by Matt Marinovich
18. The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley
19. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff

BOOKS COMPLETED in FEBRUARY
7. American Meteor by Norman Lock
8. How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell (audio)
9. A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
10. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (audio)
11. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (audio)
12. The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn (audio)
13. Cold Earth by Sarah Moss
14. Among the Missing by Morag Joss (audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED in JANUARY
1. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
2. The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller (audio)
3. Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
4. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (audio)
-- Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (DNF)
5. Chill Factor by Sandra Brown
-- Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz (DNF)
6. The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason (audio)

Ratings: I've stolen my star scale from Ellen and slightly modified it.

5 stars = I connected with this book in a special way. It may not be perfect, but it was perfect for me.
4.5 = A great read, among my favorites of the year.
4 = A good read and one that I recommend; truly enjoyable and/or worthy.
3.5 = Pretty good, with a few things done very well.
3 = Good for what it is.
2.5 = Average, and life is too short to read average works.
2 = A bit below average. A waste of time.

Anything worse I probably didn't finish and so wouldn't get a rating.

Monthly priorities (in order):

1) 100 pages in the Penguin History of the World
2) American Author Challenge
3) Nonfiction Challenge
4) GeoCAT Challenge

This is a reminder to myself so that I don't become overwhelmed with various group reads, challenges, monthly themes, etc.

This thread is open to visitors!

Happy New Thread, Katie! I can't believe I am first!

This is your final week, right? When do you fly out?

How is The Maytrees coming? I sure hope it works better for you, than it did me. I think I will stick with her NF.

>7 katiekrug: Yup that's pretty much my goal for winter.
Happy new thread - hope the moving is going ok.

>8 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! My first visitor :)

I am driving up north, and I leave on Sunday. Can't wait to get going!

The Maytrees is good. I'm really loving the Cape Cod angle because I am familiar with the area, and she writes about it beautifully. I'm only 40 or so pages into it.

>9 charl08: - Charlotte, I have to say I am pretty excited for actual cold weather and snow! I know I will tire of it, but I can't wait for the first good snow fall :)

Moving is going great - almost done! The buyer did a final walk-through of the house and was happy, so I don't have anything more to do to get it cleaned up, and the closing (is that what it's called in the UK? Where the papers are signed, and keys given, etc.) is tomorrow morning.

All our stuff was delivered to the rental yesterday, so I will soon be reunited with my books! Hooray!

>10 katiekrug: I liked the beginning of The Maytrees too. Fingers crossed, that it continues to work for you.

So glad to hear, you are finally getting back together with The Wayne! Good luck with everything.

Thanks, Mark!

Happy new one, Katie! Hooray for the arrival of the stuff!!

Just following along on your adventures, Katie: moving, reading, and otherwise : ).

>13 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie!

>14 lit_chick: - Glad to have you along for the ride, Nancy!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread and safe travels, Katie.

Good luck and have a safe trip!!

Thanks, Jim, Beth, and Kim!

Happy new thread and have a safe journey

Happy new thread, Katie!
Wow, your house-selling and moving seems to have gone so smoothly so far - that's excellent!
(Waves arms in such a way as to try to put an anti-jinxing charm on what I just said...)
(And it doesn't hurt to add:) Fingers crossed that this morning goes perfectly!

Just a few more days till you set off then. Bet you're itching to go now. Hope the exchange on the house goes well, with everything done and dusted ready to head north at the weekend.

>20 paulstalder: - Thanks, Paul! And thanks for the visit!

>21 scaifea: - Ha! The whole thing makes me so nervous because Im a worrier at heart, so I feel like something will go wrong, and given how well it has gone so far, when it goes wrong, it will be BIG. Gah! It's amazing I get anything done for stewing about it and borrowing trouble...

>22 lunacat: - Very much looking forward to hitting the road, Jenny! I wish I could leave on Saturday, but I am co-hosting a party for a friend who recently got married, so I can't really bail on that... *sigh*

Happy New Thread, Katie! Love that topper, and the Aaronovitch quote.

Safe travels - you're almost there. :-)

>23 katiekrug: Oh, I'm the same way sometimes. Such as right now with this read-a-thon business. I haven't been able to focus on much this morning because I'm suddenly panicked that I've forgotten some crucial Thing to do for it and it's all going to come crumbling down around me somehow...

>24 jnwelch: - Thanks, Joe!

>25 scaifea: - Deep breaths for both of us! Ohhhhhmmmmmm.......

Signed all the closing paperwork!

Yippee! So just the money now?

Yep :) Buyer does his signing at 2pm today, and then the funding should be released... I'm thinking I should buy a first class ticket to London to celebrate.... ;-)

*Does time zone maths...* I think that's 9pm UK time. I'll check back. Or see you tomorrow :-)

*grin*

ETA: I think it's 8pm your time.

OK - back after 8. I'm building my TBR stack for December, which is nerdily exciting :-)

Fun! I am doing something similar on a spreadsheet. I am thinking of trying for a "Sweep" in the TIOLI challenge for December - where I read something for all 15 categories. I rarely read that many works, but I will have several audios done thanks to the drive to New Jersey, and I am including some novellas, so maybe.... It's a fun process just finding books to fit each category :)

Whoop, nearly there then! Fingers tightly crossed for no very last minute hiccups. Shame you can't leave on Saturday but I'm sure you can have a drink or three at the party to celebrate your last night in the area ;).

Have you got a job in NJ or are you just winging it for now?

Um, Katie? Any news? I hope we don't have to send a LT hex in the direction of your buyer...

Great plans for December! I've finished another one for November - and managed another episode of Dexter.

>34 lunacat: - Jenny, I am keeping my same job, just working remotely. Most of what I deal with are Board members from all over the world, so I just need a phone and an email account :) My boss and I are trying it out for a few months to see how it goes...

>35 susanj67: - Just talked to my realtor, and she said the buyer was in to sign all the paperwork, so now I just wait for the money to go from him to the title company to me :)

Woo-hoo! Maybe there's time for a little Kindle spree in your afternoon?

Wait, who said that? Must be gremlins.

SNORK!

Gremlins, my... elbow.

I have bought SO MANY Kindle books lately. They've had some great sales. And The Wayne keeps reminding me that the house proceeds should be saved for when we want to buy a new house. He's so boring. But really, I will need to get some furniture and other things for the rental, so I won't splurge until then :)

Book money! Book money!

Hi Katie! If looks like everything is moving along at a good pace. I have added a few things to my Kindle recently too. I just don't like to bury too much in there. Things get lost and forgotten.

I put up the AAC list. I hope it passes the KAK Test!

Congratulations on completing the house sale, Katie! Yay!

Hi Katie, things are moving so quickly for you! I see we have a shared read with Black River this month, that's funny cause I thought this was originally a BB from you! Good luck with your sweep. Have a great drive to NJ, I will be thinking of you on Sunday.

Happy new thread, Katie, and good luck on your trip. It seems so much more real now that you are planning your audiobooks for the drive.

I got my house money! Trying to restrain myself from buying plane tickets and planning lots of vacations :)

>39 BLBera: - Beth, you're a terrible influence! I LOVE it :)

>40 msf59: - Mark, my Kindle is well past the burying stage with over 1200 works on it. But I keep track of them with a dedicated "Kindle" collection on LT so I can easily see what I have....

And I *love* your AAC 2017 picks. I will definitely participate. I was a little worried fo rnext year because some of the suggestions were a bit limiting, but this line-up is A-OK with me :)

>41 ronincats: - Thanks, Roni! It's such a relief! And I like looking at my checking account balance ;-)

>42 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy! I was so glad to see you list Black River in the TIOLI challenge. It looks to be a good one. I hope I can do the sweep. I'm afraid unpacking will take up a lot of my time, but Ill give it a whirl!

>43 Familyhistorian: - Thanks, Meg! It sure does seem more real :)

Tonight, I had a "sort of" going away happy hour with people from work. Lots of fun and several margaritas were involved. Now I am wired and have a bad case of the hiccups. I don't think I have any early morning meetings, so I may have a bit of a sleep in tomorrow :)

Congrats on the house!! WOOT!!

>46 susanj67: - Oh, Susan, that is SO perfect!

>47 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber!

Congrats on it being a done deal, Katie!

Ha! Thanks, Mamie :)

I feel like a big weight has been taken off my shoulders. Now I can just look forward to being reunited with The Wayne!

Susan, you are having too much fun with the meme generator! I *love* it :)

>52 katiekrug: Katie, I think I'm addicted :-) Here's one for the road, on Sunday.

Oh, dear! Susan is on a roll!

Lol. Someone take the meme generator away from Susan. I'm supposed to be applying for jobs, not endlessly hitting refresh!

>53 susanj67: - HA! Duly noted :)

>54 Crazymamie: - There is no stopping her, Mamie...

>55 charl08: - Sorrynotsorry, Charlotte ;-)

Love the Susan advice. :-)

To help you sort out your priorities:

>57 jnwelch: - Love it, Joe! Thanks.

I just snarfed my water.

I love this. All of this. LT and my friends here make me so happy :)

Safe travels, Katie!

Happy road tripping, Katie ... off to see the wizard, I mean the Wayne!

Thank you, Judy and Nancy!

>67 lunacat: Right. That is actually the huge flaw in her plan.

>67 lunacat: and >68 Crazymamie: - Way ahead of you, ladies. I am only doing about 6 hours of driving each day - from around 10am to 4pm. You do the math of how much time is left over for wine at the end of the day and sleeping in the next morning... ;-)

>70 lunacat: - Yes!

Wow, 6 hours every day does leave a lot of time for wine. Sounds like fun.

I came here with 25 unread messages, which have been a joy to read!!

>72 The_Hibernator: - Should be fun, Rachel. Though, just between you and me, I'm not really going to fill all those empty hours with wine... only some of them ;-)

>73 lauralkeet: - Glad we could bring a smile to your face, Laura. Thinking of you, my friend!

Good morning, Katie!

I thought you'd appreciate this one.

Ha! Good one, Joe.

We just have some great ideas that sometimes . . . aren't so great. That's all. :-)

>77 jnwelch: - Yeah, but to be fair, so do women.

It's a funny image, but if it were reversed and it was women doing something stupid and captioned as such, there would be all sorts of outrage. I don't buy into the whole infantalization (is that a word?) of an entire gender. It just sets up an "us" vs "them" mentality that I don't think is useful.

Sorry for the mini-rant. This is a bit of a pet peeve. You should hear me rage against the phrase "Happy wife, happy life." :-)

>78 katiekrug: Good point. For me, it fits my manly outlook of, "let's dive in, this'll be just fine". If you put women in this one instead of men, and said, "This is why men live longer than women", I suspect people would go "Huh?", because we don't expect women to be stupid in this way.

Oh gosh, please speak to my wife about "Happy wife, happy life". She sees those as words I should live by, and I have to admit, it's simple enough for me to remember.

Nopenopenopitynope. I LOATHE "happy wife, happy life." Why should it all be about me? If marriage is a partnership, then happiness is based on finding common ground and compromise, not on one person always getting what they want. And the implication that if I'm not happy, my husband should be equally unhappy is just ridiculous, as is the idea that he can only be happy if I am. GAH!

Jeez Louise, Katie. "Why should it all be about me"?! Are you crazy? "Happy hubby, open the bubbly". I try to always make it all about me. Are we living on the same planet?

:D

I told you not to get me started.... Heh.

I also loathe "happy wife, happy life" but mostly (since I am not a wife happy or otherwise) because it implies that all women are completely selfish and only care about themselves. That is so counter to what I observe among the wives in my circle of friends as to be laughable. Of course, there are women who are just that selfish and more so, but that just makes them assholes, not exemplars of their gender.

Happy spouse, you're not a louse?

>82 katiekrug: Ha! Thank you for having your wonderful sense of humor, Katie. Your battle against gender stereotypes is admirable, and you make lots of important points.

"Happy life, happy wife" is a joke between Madame MBH and me because (this will shock you!) she often finds me incredibly annoying, and incorrigible.

I like "Happy spouse, you're not a louse." "Happy significant other, but I can't stand your mother"? No, that's not right. "Happy SO, you won't get let go"?

>83 rosalita: - Julia, it's the me-me-me sentiment that gets me, too.

>84 ursula: - I like that one, Ursula!

>85 jnwelch: - I find my spouse annoying and incorrigible at times, too, but I'm sure he could say the same for me. That's all I'm trying to say. No one is perfect, so no one deserves all the consideration in a relationship.

Ok, I'll let it go now.

I like your suggestions!

"Happy US, now let's buss" ?

Busy day today - my last one in Dallas!

I need to pick up drinks for a party I am co-hosting tonight, as well as put together some kind of cheese tray with the usual accompaniments; I want to try to find some time to buy something to wear to said party because I am so tired of the clothes I've been wearing for the past month (most of my clothes were packed and moved...); I'm skipping my cousin's graduation ceremony for his MBA but I need to put in an appearance at the lunch afterwards; and I have to be at my friends house who is also co-hosting this party to help set up around 3:00 this afternoon. Throw into that a potential work crisis which is not exactly my problem but affects me, the need to do a load of laundry, and the fact that it is cold and raining, and this is NOT going to be my favorite day ever. But tomorrow I leave to re-join The Wayne, so there is that to look forward to :)

Have a great day, everybody!

Whew! Busy day. Enjoy it and bon voyage.

Hope it all goes smoothly Katie. The shopping bit (especially the cheese) sounds fun. Love trying new cheeses.

>88 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth! It was a good day :)

>89 charl08: - The cheese was great, Charlotte. Let's see if I remember what I picked up.... garlic and herb goat cheese, brie, peppercorn raclette, manchego, smoked gouda, habanero and jalapeno cheddar, apple smoked cheddar, fontina, and I think there was one more. We also had some tasty hot hors doeuvred and LOTS of wine. Good times!

Your cheese tray sounds yummy, Katie. Wishing you safe travels home to The Wayne.

Happy travels, Katie! Remember to check in so we don't nag you :-)

Sounds like a party!
Will try not to get all the cheese related drool over your thread Katie.

>91 Crazymamie: - Thank you, Mamie!

>92 susanj67: - Well, I plan to keep using "y'all" so maybe I'll start a trend in northern New Jersey :)

>93 charl08: - It was a lot of fun, Charlotte, and a nice way to wrap up my time in Dallas with some good friends. There may have been a few tears as the evening wrapped up and guests started departing...

Wishing you well on your travels North and in all your future undertakings there.

Sunday will be over before you know it, and you'll be Thelma and Louise-ing north, Katie : ).

Happy Sunday, Katie! Are you on your way? Safe travels, my friend!

Do you have a good audio going?

Travel safely!

Hi All! I'm in Little Rock for the night. Listened to Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling on the drive - it was pleasantly diverting.

Sounds like a good first day's trek! Safe wishes for tomorrow's drive, Katie.

Thinking about you cruisin' along, Katie. I wish I was riding shotgun just like Thelma, or was it Louise - well whichever one gets Brad Pitt that's me!

>100 ronincats: - Thanks, Roni. Tomorrow is the longest drive - going to Knoxville :)

>101 DeltaQueen50: - Ha ha, Judy! You can have him - he's too pretty for my taste :)

Watch out for the weather tomorrow. Looks like it will be wet.

Morning, Katie! Congrats on completing the first leg of the journey. Wishing you safe travels today.

Safe travels, Katie!

>103 ronincats: - Thanks, Roni! I ran into some intermittent drizzle but nothing too bad :)

>104 Crazymamie: - And now the second leg is complete! I'm in Knoxville for the night :)

>105 jnwelch: - Appreciate it, Joe!

WahHOO!! Time for some wine.

Glad the trip is going well, Katie! Enjoy your night in Knoxville.

>107 Crazymamie: - I have scoped out a joint I can walk to that has wine :) Did the same thing last night!

>108 msf59: - Thanks, Mark! Happy to be getting closer to The Wayne! We are now in the same time zone - so exciting ;-)

I think I need to buy myself a housewarming gift... How about a set of these?

WANT!!

We can both get them and be long distance evil twins!

>110 katiekrug: Love it!

Yay for being in the same timezone as The Wayne. You definitely deserve a present to yourself after the drive!

>110 katiekrug: I would want it without the parenthetical addition. ;)

>113 BLBera: - *grin*

>114 lunacat: - Thanks, Jenny!

>115 ursula: - Oh, me too! (I knew you were a woman after my own heart...)

Yes, what Ursula said. And I have always wanted an evil twin sister, so yes to that also!

Heh. I was just at your thread...

Hi Katie! I love the cardinal in the snowy scene at the top of your newish thread.
And a set of those in >110 katiekrug: would be perfect in your new home!

You spent last night in Knoxville. I wonder where you're sleeping tonight. ;-)

Hi Ellen! I'm in Winchester, Va. It was a stressful drive - almost all 7 hours in the rain, sometimes torrential. I'll be home (!) tomorrow :-)

>120 katiekrug: Ugh. I'm glad you're safe. And tomorrow = home! Yay! I know both The Wayne and Louis will be happy to see you.

I won't be seeing Louis quite yet - he is still at my sister-in-law's. But I expect The Wayne will give me a slobbery greeting ;-)

Ugh. I'm 6 reviews behind, including the 3 audios I've listened to so far on this trip...

Good driving, Katie! Almost there!

Almost. Home. Sending you good mojo and all of my positive mojo, Katie. You can do it!

Safe driving Katie. Sending some good vibes (and hopes for a drier day today).

Safe travels today, Katie!

>123 katiekrug: Moving is no joke, especially with so much driving. And then getting anywhere near settled once you get there. It'll sort itself out ... eventually. :) Hope you are through the rain, that sounds like a miserable drive.

Katie, you're nearly there! I'm overawed by all that driving. Have a good last day on the road. New York is cloudy, according to the internet, with "Precipitation: 15%" so I assume that means a 15% chance of rain.

>124 lit_chick: - Nancy, I feel like The Little Engine That Could... "I think I can, I think I can..."

>125 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie!

>126 charl08: - Thank you, Charlotte! I think the weather has improved...

>127 scaifea: - Thank you, Amber!

>128 ursula: - Wish I had Mr. Priestly December to keep me company on the drive, Ursula ;-) I am most definitely NOT looking forward to the chaos into which I will arrive, but I know I shall tame it eventually!

>129 susanj67: - I do love a good road trip, Susan, but this one has been a bit lonely. At least I have my LT friends along for the ride, so to speak :) Just 5 more hours!

But, on the bright side, you don't have an escaped cat sitting on your lap ;-)

HA! Very true....

Are we nearly there yet?!

Stopped for lunch in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania :-) About 3 hours left. I am debating whether to make a detour to visit Gettysburg. Seems a shame to be so close and not stop but I also just want to get there already :-)

>135 katiekrug: Ooh, visit Gettysburg! Does that help at all?

Re: Gettysburg. What's the weather like there? If there's a lot of snow on the ground, it might make it hard to tramp around the battlefield, which for me was the best part.

Susan - I texted the Wayne that I was thinking of going and he was jealous so I decided to wait since he apparently wants to go. I didn't think he was that into the Civil War...

Julia - the weather is perfect! No snow on the ground, sunny and about 45F :-) But it will have to wait for another time...

Hopefully you're getting close now :)

>138 katiekrug: There are some decent wineries in the Gettysburg area, so when you and the Wayne visit, let me know. I'll give you some suggestions...

>140 drneutron: Adds Gettysburg to my list of places with vineyards I want to visit...

I'M HOOOOOOOME!!!

Happy that you have arrived safe and sound, Katie. Enjoy your reunion with The Wayne!

Yay!

Excellent!! Make sure you crack open a decent bottle to celebrate :)

>139 lunacat: and >145 lunacat: - Made it safe and sound :) But I'm done with driving for a while... No wine in the house (bad The Wayne!), so I settled for a beer :)

>140 drneutron: - I will definitely hit you up for that info, Jim! Thanks!

>141 charl08: - Exactly how long is that list, Charlotte? ;-)

>143 DeltaQueen50: - Thanks, Judy. Can't wait to see him! He promised to leave work "early" but he also missed his train today so he got in a bit late, so who knows...

>144 drneutron: - Indeed!

Today's audio was Mrs. Queen Takes the Train - I got about halfway through it, and it's lovely. Narrated by Simon Prebble, so you know it's good :)

Glad you made it there safely, Katie! Enjoy your time with The Wayne!

Thanks, Mark!

Say hi to Springsteen for me when you see him!

>146 katiekrug: Do I include the ones I've been to and want to go back to as well? Maybe ten? So far can recommend South Africa's wine region (a couple of hours drive from Cape Town) and some great vineyards outside Melbourne. And close to home, the whites of the Loire valley.

Work in progress...

And more importantly, glad you made it.

>150 rosalita: - My cousin told me the same thing, but for Jon Bon Jovi :)

>151 msf59: - Oooh, mama want!

>152 charl08: - Return trips are allowed :) If I am in the same job in 2018, I'll be going to Cape Town and a friend/colleague and I are already planning a wine trip after our meetings :) For your US tour, be sure to add the Hill country of Texas - I can personally vouch for that. I'd like to get to Oregon and the Finger Lakes region in New York (so much closer now!), plus Australia and New Zealand (NZ sauvignon blancs are my favorite whites). Oh, and I liked the Chianti region in Italy even though I was on a really crappy tour...

>153 charl08: - Thanks!

Woohoo, welcome to your new home, Katie!

Welcome to New Jersey, Katie! Glad you made the trip safely!

Welcome home!

Glad you made it, Katie.

Glad to hear that you made a safe trip.

Yay for being home!!

Thank you, Nancy, Diane, Roni, Beth, Paul, and Amber!

It was so nice to sleep in my own bed after more than a month!

And today is my first full day of working from home. Wish me luck!

>161 katiekrug: Good Luck! I think the temptation to putz around with book boxes would be too much for me...

Welcome home, Katie!! So happy you made it safe and sound. And hooray for sleeping in your own bed -a thing not to be taken lightly. So much comfort in having our own things about us. Wishing you good luck with working from home today - most exciting!

I hope your first day working from home goes smoothly, and you enjoy the freedom! And hurrah for getting to sleep in your own bed - there's very little better!

Way to go, Katie!

That's a long drive!

I loved Mrs. Queen Takes the Train. I'm glad it was good company for you.

>162 scaifea: - I have tomorrow off, Amber, so that is helping me resist the siren call of the book boxes. Also, I have no where to put all hte books until I decide on furniture arrangement, and I think I'm going to invest in some quality shelves, so it may be a while before Ihave them all unpacked and organized. But what fun that will be!

>163 Crazymamie: - So far, working from home has been okay. I did sneak out to go to Starbucks after my early teleconference, though :) It's barely half a mile away, so I'm thinking I may make walking there a habit....

>164 lunacat: - It was so great, Jenny! Love that bed - we only got it last spring, so it's still new and soooo comfy :)

>165 jnwelch: - Hi Joe - hope you are feeling better! I'm enjoying Mrs. Queen so much, I almost want to jump in the car and go for a drive long enough to finish it. But then, NOPE. Tired of driving :)

>166 katiekrug: An excellent idea.

>167 Crazymamie: - I thought so :)

The Wayne's company has an internal meme generator (are you listening, Susan?!??!) that he just discovered today. So far, he said the best one is The Most Interesting Man In the World, with the text "I don't always browse memes at work, but when I do it's literally through a system my company spent time and money on to generate memes."

Such a cool place to work... *sigh*

>154 katiekrug: The trip to Cape Town would be enough to keep me in the same job until 2018!

>170 Oberon: - Ha! Well, it''s really more about how this working remotely situation is going to work out....

>169 katiekrug: well that sounds super cool!
Hope you enjoy working from home! I wish I had a starbucks nearby! I think our closest one is about 40 mins away :-(

>154 katiekrug: There are amazing tour guides who will drive you to vineyards so you don't have to drive at very reasonable rates. The guy who took me and a group specifically rejigged the tour for us after someone asked about a particular grape. Highly recommended!

Franshoek food is wonderful, Spier is very scenic and I love the sense of humour of Goats Do Roam (Fairview). They do wonderful cheese too.

I have to stop now before I book an air ticket I can't afford!

So glad you made it home KAK! Woohoo!

You inspired me with your moving. I sorted all my books. I packed up several boxes and tagged them stored in LT. I pulled out the ones I want to read most next year and put them in a bookshelf. I also sorted the ones I've read and want to give away. Whew! Still haven't sorted my audios or Kindle but that list is not too long.

Great to hear that you made it home, Katie. You did good on your road trip and were so lucky to only have rain as there is a major cold front covering a large portion of North America, so large that it even hit Vancouver. We have snow and more on the way - the first snow since 2014.

You better go stock up on some wine for all that unpacking you have ahead of you.

>172 ChelleBearss: - 40 minutes, huh? Well, then, I won't complain that most of the ones around here don't have a drive-thru... ;-)

>173 charl08: - *furiously taking notes*

Thanks, Charlotte!

>174 EBT1002: - Thank you, Ellen!

>175 luvamystery65: - Glad I could inspire you, Ro! Now let me inspire you further by saying, Get rid of all the crap you are hanging onto for sentimental reasons!

Ok, maybe not all of it, but I have come across the most useless stuff while unpacking boxes. I blame The Wayne :)

>176 Familyhistorian: - I have laid in the wine supplies, Meg :) We are supposed to get the first snow of the season Sunday night. But only 1-2", apparently... I am ridiculously excited :)

I had an okay day today - ran a few errands after dropping the hubs off at the train. Cleared out a few boxes, did some laundry, veged out a little, picked the hubs up, went to dinner, bought wine, veged some more. I am ending the day with a wicked headache, so I will head to bed soon. Tomorrow will be super busy with unpacking, organizing, and arranging :)

>177 katiekrug: We would gladly send some of our snow your way, Katie. We had another dump of 10 to 20 cm (that's 4 to 8 inches) today and it's still coming down. More snow than we have had in 20 years. We are not amused.

Katie, I'm so pleased the trip all went well and you are now home. Sorry to hear about the headache though. I hope it's cleared today and you can get to all that organising :-) And snow! I'm excited for you :-)

Happy Saturday, Katie! Hope you are slowly getting everything in order. Must be overwhelming.

Happy Saturday and congratulations on your safe arrival in your new home, Katie! Are you missing Texas yet?

>179 Familyhistorian: - Meg, I know what it's like to live in a place that can't handle snow (see 5 years in Washington, DC and 11 in Dallas, TX). But I still love snow :)

>180 susanj67: - Headache is gone, Susan! Hooray. So much to do today...

>181 msf59: - Mark, we'll get there. I am trying to just do a bit at a time so that I don't get overwhelmed!

>182 kidzdoc: - Thanks, Darryl. Nope, not missing Texas, but missing all my friends there. I had a great network of friends there after 11 years, and it was hard to leave them. But other than that, it's nice to start a new adventure :)

Morning, Katie! Did you hear Rae cheering? Giants beat the Cowboys!! Again!!

Morning, Mamie! What a game! I was a nervous wreck, but the end result made it worth it :)

I've been a bit absent around here - I'm totally overwhelmed with how much there is to do to unpack and get things sorted and organized. I love all my books, but the number of boxes is just stupidly ridiculous. I am determined to really cull them, especially since I have access to a great library consortium here, as well as the freaking New York Public Library!

Hi, Katie! Glad you're ensconced in NJ before the snow hits.

Unpacking can take such a long time. But at least you've already gone through everything once! Having stayed put for 40 some odd years, I don't have that advantage, and found so much in the back of the closet today - shredded a lot of it. Feeling a little twing-y about some - cards from old boyfriends, and so forth. But really, how long can one keep those things?

I applaud your intention to cull the books. One of the items in that closet was an entire carton of theater books! I'm going to have to cull them and find places for the ones that make the cut.

Good luck setting up the new place. And do let me know when you are ready to play. I'll be happy to introduce you to a few friends of mine, here and in NJ.

Hi Judy!

I wish we had had more time to purge before we packed. As it is, we moved a bunch of stuff we really don't need and which is now just taking up space. Sigh.

I will definitely let you know when I am ready to "play" :) I can promise it won't be before the new year, though!

Big ol' backlog of books to comment on, so let's see how pithy I can be...



The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard

One child's experience in the Warsaw Ghetto and learning the compromises of survival. Very good.

4 stars



Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb

One of my favorite series and this was one of the stronger entries. My comfort reading.

4 stars



Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

A fun audio for a car ride - in the same vein as her earlier memoir/essay collection. She is fresh and funny, if not particularly profound.

3.5 stars



The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

Beautifully written but lacking much warmth. I found parts of it rather inscrutable and bordering on dull, but then I'd be rocked by a gorgeous passage.

3 stars

The last 4 will have to wait, as I am off to pick up The Wayne at the train station!

Unpacking - I love doing that. Had lots of practise as, at one point, we moved about every six months. Hope you have some fun with it, Katie.

The Book of Aron interests me. Adding it to the wish list.

Sorry about how overwhelming the move and especially the unpacking and organizing is at this point in time.

I remember after our furniture had been delivered at our new house in Seattle. Life was totally overwhelming. We walked to the Italian restaurant about 7 blocks from our house, ordered a bottle of red and some comfort food (read: pasta dishes) and looked at one another as if to say WTF have we just done?!?! It has turned out alright but at that moment I think we were both wondering if we had just made a huge mistake.

That restaurant has major positive vibes for us to this day. :-)

Speaking of wine, I just opened a 2005 Bordeaux. It needs to open up a bit but this definitely falls in the realm of comfort!

Mmmmm. Bordeaux!

>191 Familyhistorian: - I am not anticipating much fun, Meg. It's just too much stuff... Once I can unpack my books, that will be fun!

>192 EBT1002: - One of my first stops was the wine store, Ellen :) They don't carry my "everyday" wine, which was a cheap, Chilean pinot noir that was surprisingly unoffensive. But I found a decent South American (either Argentine or Chilean) cab that may be my new "everyday" choice :)

>193 drneutron: - Hi Jim :)

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Do yourselves a favor and if you see these at the supermarket, pick up a package or 10. So delicious! They were handing out packages in Herald Square as part of a promotion; conveniently, The Wayne walks right by there on his way to the train in the evening :)



ETA: I know the more talented among us (Hi Amber!) can bake their own cookies, but for the rest of us poor slobs, these are delightful!

Ooh, cinnamon. Sounds lovely. Hope the unpacking is progressing. I feel like I should have a clearout, but I'd rather not, all things being equal. But I should...!

Yum!

>196 charl08: - Umm, I wouldn't say it's progressing. I am at the Pretend I Don't See It so I Don't Have to Deal with It phase. Also, I am having to work, so time has been limited. I am thinking about taking Friday off to devote to getting some of it done... We'll see....

>197 jnwelch: - Yes, indeedy!

I want those cookies!

So my unpacking muddle basically comes down to this:

I have nowhere to put anything in the boxes because I can't place the furniture because the boxes are in the way because I can't unpack them because the furniture isn't placed. GAH! I did get two small bookcases situated, so I can unpack a box or two of books onto them. But that's just a mere drop in the bucket! I have to remind myself that baby steps are still steps...

>199 Crazymamie: - I recommend driving to the market RIGHT NOW and getting them. Very yummy with tea...

Also, they are "Thins" so almost like health food!

Here's an early Christmas present for you, Katie. Enjoy!

Poor Romo! Dude can't catch a break. If he were smart, he'd just retire before he gets really injured...

After Sunday night's game, the best meme I saw was a picture of Eli laughing and the caption, "The Cowboys are 11-Giants." Heh.

Continuing my 1-2 sentence reviews....



Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America by John Waters

A weird book that started out with fiction - his imagining the best- and worst-case scenarios, written as two novellas. Then he detailed each ride he actually got as he traveled from Baltimore to San Francisco in his trademark outrageous and sometimes discomfiting brand of humor.

3.5 stars



The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry

A middle-grade novel about an 8th grade trip to Washington, DC, where the narrator and his friends get caught up in international shenanigans. Mildly funny in parts, but I'm obviously not the target audience!

3 stars



Skating on Thin Ice by Jami Davenport

Picked up primarily to fulfill a TIOLI challenge, and because I have a soft spot for sports-themed romances. This was pretty meh.

2.5 stars



A prequel novella to a romance trilogy set in New York City by an author recommended by Susan (hi Susan!). It was cute and obviously given the length, not super well-developed, but the writing was good, so I am confident I will like her full-length novels.

And I'm caught up!

Currently reading Falling Man which needs attention, so I may have to set it aside the rest of this week and find something lighter. And I'm still listening to Mrs. Queen Takes the Train which continues to be charming - I just don't have a lot of listening time at the moment (only the 10-15 minute drive to the train in the morning)...

ETA: And I'm under 50 pages away from completing The Penguin History of the World, my year-long project!

>203 katiekrug: LOL! I didn't see that meme. I'll look for it now.

When the un-packing gets really bad, just imagine you're me and you've been moving since September and you haven't found a place to live yet and therefore can't even bring boxes anywhere to unpack...

Our latest issue was negotiating a foray into our storage to get winter coats and other miscellaneous but necessary stuff. The storage company was being really awful and there was a long string of emails between their manager and my husband about finding a time and that we would have to pay $350 for the privilege. They basically ended up saying we could come between 1 and 5 on a weekday. It's an hour away, and my kids get home from school between 3 and 4. Not gonna work. So, I got the phone number and called the manager and went full Scarlet O'Hara on him, basically talking and talking and talking about all the difficulties with coming between 1 and 5 and how my poor kids were going to freeze without their coats and did they have a place for my kids to be while we went through the boxes because I was going to have to get them out of school early and bring them and my husband would have to take off work and we have to rent a truck.... And I didn't let him talk at all for at least 5 minutes. My 10 year old was watching this performance with a "who are you, woman?" expression on his face. Finally, the guy got up a shout over me and said "Ma'am, just tell me when you want to come, and I will make it work." I told him 11 am tomorrow would be great, thanks ever so much! And got off the phone. I probably shouldn't make a habit of it, but man it was effective. *grin*

Good luck unpacking, Katie. I'd volunteer to help with the books...

Another good thing about the move; you no longer live in a place where people cheer for the Cowboys. ;)

Hi Katie, sounds like those cookies are the perfect aide to your unpacking! The picture of you in your new place surrounded by boxes and books, munching on cookies and sipping on tea, makes me smile.

Welcome back to the mid-Atlantic region, Katie. Good luck with unpacking. I had a job with a moving company for a couple of summers whilst in college, then moved three times with help from family and friends, moved my older son twice, younger son a couple of times, my daughter several times. All that toting of boxes and furniture does get old.

Right now, I'm cataloging books from my "office" and packing them in boxes so I can move EVERYTHING out of said "office" so I can CLEAN it, replace the rug, build more shelves, ditch the desk (even though I did build it myself), bring in a comfy chair, and dub the room my Reading Room Annex # 1. The sooner I get the packing done, the sooner I can start unpacking. Huh? Wait!

Yeah, I guess that's right.

Enjoy yourself.

Oh, and by the way, I'm a two-hour bus ride from Port Authority. I'm meet-up worthy (at least in my own mind) when and if the time comes...

>206 kidzdoc: - Also, you can't spell Dallas without two Ls ;-)

>207 nittnut: - Oh, dear, poor Jenn! Any relief in sight (i.e. how's the house hunting?)? I did love your story of dealing with the storage company, though!

>208 BLBera: - Beth, come on over and help! I even have wine! True about the Cowboys fans, but now The Wayne has to deal with Jets fans. Heh.

>209 DeltaQueen50: - Judy, I actually spend most of my days in my basement office working. But tonight I made dinner and then emptied four whole boxes, so go me! Now I need a cookie :)

>210 weird_O: - Bill, it osunds like that move-out/clean-out will be worth it! I have my eye on the third floor bedroom here as a kind of reading escape... We shall see. The only thing that might prevent it is I'm not sure how I'd get a comfy chair up two flights of steep and narrow stairs!

I hope to join you and Diane and Linda at one of those epic book sales you all frequent :)

Katie, at least you have your office up and running, so you can keep a job over your head. As it were. Go you! And yes to the cookie. And baby steps are still steps. You have lots of other things to do, after all. Find your new supermarket, join the library, explore all the shops that they didn't have in Texas, join the library... Glad you liked the Sarah Morgan :-)

>207 nittnut: went full Scarlet O'Hara on him
LOL that made me laugh! When we moved to England we had a few British customer service experiences that elicited a similar response. We called it "going American." I wasn't proud of it, but it worked.

>212 susanj67: - Well, the office is sort of set up. I am using The Wayne's desk until he puts mine together. I do have my own chair, though! I am hoping everything (or mostly everything) will be set up this weekend, though Saturday is a bit of a wash, as we are planning to go into the city to play tourist and see the holiday decorations :) Eventually, I'll have dual monitors, a keyboard tray, and a rollerball mouse which I am looking forward too, as working off this tiny laptop is a pain in the behind!

>213 lauralkeet: - Desperate times call for desperate measures!

I've just submitted my online application for the local library; I am hoping to run out around lunch time to show them my proof of address and get my card. Exciting! I've already been trolling their catalogue - both physical and electronic, and I think the collection is pretty good...

Morning, Katie! Look at you making progress! Hoping you figure out how to get a comfy chair up to the third floor. Our Indiana house had the narrowest hallway, and we despaired of getting the larger furniture where it needed to go until we figured out the the windows were huge - we brought everything in through the windows. Ha!

>207 nittnut: Way to go, Jenn!!

>207 nittnut: The best thing about your story, Jenn, is that you got what you wanted without yelling! I'm sure that guy would much rather get the Scarlett O'Hara treatment than the Jack Nicholson treatment. :-)

>216 Crazymamie: - Like the windows on the ground floor, Mamie? Or did you have a crane?!!? Unfortunately, our windows are just kind of regular size, so that wouldn't work even with heavy equipment :(

>217 rosalita: - Good point, Julia. When I get frustrated or mad with ineptitude, I get very calm and slightly patronizing. It works most of the time... heh.

Right - they were ground floor windows. I didn't think it would be a solution for you, just a funny memory of mine.

>218 katiekrug: - I kind of liked the image of you at the controls of a giant crane....

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