Tess is Tilling her Tomes Part 2

1. Shogun by James Clavell 1192 pages 5 stars
2. Learning from Shogun/Japanese History and Western Fantasy, 90 pages, 5 stars. (USC/UCLA PDF)
3. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell 193 pages 5 stars
4. The Warden by Anthony Trollope 206 pages 3 stars
5. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon 896 pages 5 stars
6. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee 296 pages 2 stars
7. The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker 250 pages 2 1/2 stars
8. Moby Dick by Herman Melville 396 pages 1 1/2 stars
9. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 170 pages 2 1/2 stars
10. The Woman on the Orient Express by Lyndsay Jayne Ashford 332 pages 3 stars
11. The Eight by Katherine Neville 610 pages 4 stars
12. Blood Pressure Down byJanet Bond Brill 303 pages 5 stars
13. Barchester Towers b7 Anthony Trollope 791 pages 4 stars
14. Written in my Own Heart's Blood Diana Gabaldon 842 pages 4 1/2 stars
15. Villette by Charlotte Bronte read onlly 207/739 pages so bad 1 star
16. Most Dangerous Place: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando 368 pages 3 stars
17. The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro 384 pages 5 stars
18. 1929: Book One (The 1929 Series) by M.L. Gardner 465 pages 4 1/2 stars
19. The Life we Bury by Allen Eskens 305 pages 3 stars
20. Take my With you by Catherine Hyde. 363 pages, 2 1/2 stars
21. Margaret I: A Novel by Danielle Dutton 176 pages, 2 stars
22. The Great Bicycle Experiment by Kay Moore 72 pages, 5 stars
23. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 302 pages 5 stars
24. The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni 352 pages 3 stars
25. Various- Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson, a 10 page article written by Henry Wiencek for The Smithsonian Magazine (Oct. 2012), Jefferson’s Inaugural Address of 1801, Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), Thomas Jefferson on Politics, The Personal Papers (University of Virginia) and Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Short” (Jan 3, 1793), Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress, Series 1, Reel 17, about 65 pages, 5 stars!
26. The Bees by Laline Paull 352 pages 3 1/2 stars
27. He Knew He Was Right Anthony Trollope 872 pages 4 1/2 stars
28. The Living Reed by Pearl S. Buck, 472 pages 2 1/2 stars
29. The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin 276 pages 2 stars
30. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider. 225 pages, 4 stars
31. Not A Drop to Drink 325 pages, 4 stars
32. Federalist Papers written by James Madison only 265 pages, 4 1/2 stars
33. Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren 74 pages, 4 stars
34. The Lake House by Marci Nault 376 pages, 3 stars
35. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood 294 pages 3 1/2 stars
36. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly 396 pages, 5 stars
37. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 240 pages 2 1/2 stars
38. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 326 pages 2 1/2 stars
39. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine 362 pages 3 1/2 stars
40. Year of Wonders: The Plague by Geraldine Brooks 323 pages 3 stars
41. The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice 402 pages 2 stars
42. The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido 494 pages 3 stars
43. Daily Truth: A 365-Day Devotiona by John Hagee 424 pages 3 stars
44. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards 401 pages 4 stars
45. ! Will It Skillet?: 53 Irresistible and Unexpected Recipes to Make in a Cast-Iron Skillet (Will It...? 217 pages 3 stars
46. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 401 pages 2 1/2 stars
47. Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolf 225 pages 4 stars
48. We Were The Mulvaneys Joyce Carol Oates 468 pages 4 stars
49. The Green Bay Tree by Louis Bromfield 352 pages 4 1/2 stars
50. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hamishi 452 pages 5 stars
51. Auschwitz: True Tales from a Grotesque Land by Sara Nomberg-Pryzytyk 180 pages 5 stars
52. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel 566 pages 5 stars
53. Bring up the Bodies by Hillary Mantel 436 pages 5 stars
54. The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, The Adventure of the Red Circle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle. 60 pages 2 1/2 stars
55. The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards 376 pages 5 stars
56. The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield 425 pages 5 stars
57. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo 577 pages 3 stars
58. Maigret and the Black Sheep by Georges Simenon. 158 pages 3 stars
59. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson 450 pages 5 stars
60. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald 126 pages 3 stars
61. I Am A Star by Inge Auerbacher 86 pages 4 stars
62. The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder 134 pages 5 stars
63. Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery by C.J. Sansom 456 pages 3 1/2 stars

Collective Stars This Year
1 star-1
1 1/2 stars-1
2 stars-3
2 1/2 stars-8
3 stars-12
3 1/2 stars-4
4 stars-9
4 1/2 stars-5
5 stars-20

My ratings:
1 star--waste of paper and ink
2 stars-Is this literature--major flaws or mind numbing boring
3 stars-average good read
4 stars-excellent read
5-in all ways a superior

Just for my info (at an easy glance)...for my Reading Through Time Group
Individual Months:
January-First Encounters-Shogun by James Clavell COMPLETED
February-Storico Italia The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker COMPLETED
March-Asst writings and Papers, original documents concerning Thomas Jefferson COMPLETED
April-The Living Reed COMPLETED
May The Green Bay Tree by Louis Bromfield COMPLETED
June Auschwitz: Tales From a Grotesque Land COMPLETED
July The Scarlet Pimpernel
August Dvorak in Love: A Light-Hearted Dream
September George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution
October-Gothic The House of Seven Gablesby Nathaniel Hawthorne
November-Noir or Dark The Suspect: A true story of love, betrayal, marriage and murder by Jenny Friel
December

Quarterly reads
January-16th Century-Shogun by James Clavell COMPLETED
Apr-Jun - 17th Century Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks COMPLETED
Jul-Sep - 18th Century Castle Rackrent
Oct-Dec - Napoleonic Era Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution (A Santa Thing gift!)

CHUNKSTERS to read 2017 (physically or mentally!)
Moby Dick COMPLETED
The Hunchback of Notre Dame COMPLETED
Don Quixote

Root #35 was The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood. This story was told from two time periods: Beginning with the 1906 earthquake in San Fransisco where Vivian was hired to write obituaries for people who wanted to commemorate their loved ones in the newspaper. Part two dates from shortly before Kennedy's election in 1960 until his inauguration. It is the story of Claire who is unhappily married with a small child, but what to do? The two stories don't merge until the very last chapter. A good, solid read, nothing spectacular, but engrossing. 294 pages 3 1/2 stars

>3 Tess_W: what a lot of ROOTs and you've still fitted in a lot of other reads! I don't think I'll be reading The Obituary Writer any time soon, based on your assessment, but I do plan on tackling The Warden. Always liked the idea of Clavell's Asian Saga but it looks like a massive commitment!

>4 floremolla: The Warden is a good read for it's genre. You are right about Clavell. Shogun was a re-read for me. I hope to finish at least the next 2 this calendar year.

I found The Warden OK, but Barchester Towers is a hoot (really just marking your new thread :-))

>6 Robertgreaves: TY ! I'm with you on the Trollope books!

Hi Tess! Happy new thread. You're doing a great job on your ROOTs.

>8 karenmarie: That's because I'm ONLY reading roots. 2017 is the year of the root for me!

>9 Tess_W: so your Reading Through Time Group reads are ROOTs too? Oh, double well done!

I feel like a spendthrift now because I've been 'rewarding' myself for ROOTs read - in mitigation, I would plead that I have an acquisition plan of sorts and I try to go for the cheapest (or free) version ;)

>10 floremolla: Yes! I've found roots that can be applicable in all the categories. I always go for the cheapest version I can get! So far, knock on wood, I've not purchased a book in 2017. I hope to make it through the year by not spending any of my own money. Now if I get gift cards to Amazon, that's a different story! When I joined LT in 2011 I had over 1000 books on my TBR pile. I had that down to under 300, but I'm up to 500+ now, so I'm on a book buying "diet"!

Off to meet my BFF in Pittsburgh for a 3 day weekend of girl talk, shopping, and eating! We are going to a dinner mystery theatre tomorrow! Won't even open a book. I'll return Sunday and then off to work for 4 days before I'm Hawaii bound.

that sounds a perfect lead up to your big trip to Hawaii! Have fun, I'll try not to be jealous here, ploughing my ROOTs and waiting for something resembling gardening weather... ;)

>13 floremolla: Just up the road from you it feels like gardening weather the last few hours - I don't suppose it will last! :)

>12 Tess_W: Enjoy your mini-break, and I'm still ridiculously jealous about Hawaii!

>14 Jackie_K: not for long, it's to turn cold again. I'll use the time to get organised!

Hope both trips are fun and restful!

>12 Tess_W: Hope your mystery dinner was fun- I've always wanted to go to one.

Happy New Thread, Tess.

Hope you had a nice break, Tess!

My 36th root of the year was The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly. This was a combination of a thriller and a whodunnit. It was superbly written with a very unique plot and surprise ending. To not give anything away, a young 34 year old woman has a neck pain, gets an MRI and discovers a decades old bullet is lodged next to her spine. She has no idea how it got there. 369 pages, 5 stars

>13 floremolla:
>14 Jackie_K:
>15 floremolla:
>17 enemyanniemae:
>18 connie53:
>19 MissWatson:

TY TY TY! The 3 1/2 hour drive each way was well worth it. We ate way too much, talked way too much and saw a really funny musical called "Pump Boys and Dinettes" a take-off of the 1950's. The mystery dinner theatre didn't work out, they didn't have tickets together so we passed! Ate calimari and lobster one night and ate at a Irish Pub the 2nd night. I ordered what I thought was a Club Sandwich (turkey, ham, cheese, bacon). I guess I didn't read the fine print, but it was deep fried with powdered sugar and raspberry couli on the top! I wouldn't have ordered it if I had known that, but I ate it anyway! For breakfast we went to a place called Wafflesensations and it was so very yummy! They had bourbon maple syrup! Now I'm back home and it will be grilled chicken and salad for a few days--yuck!

>21 Tess_W: sounds like a fun trip! And you can never talk too much with your BFF.

>21 Tess_W: So glad you had a very nice weekend, Tess.

A deep-fried sandwich with rasberry coulis? This sounds weird. But it's nice to hear you enjoyed your break!

Happy new thread!
And you're doing great w/ your ROOTs! woo hoo!

>11 Tess_W: such a good goal ... one that I've already failed at ;p Maybe next year I can try..... ;p
But you've really made great progress! My TBR pile is ~1000 at this point. I think it was closer to 600 or 700 just a couple years ago. Need to think about that.....

>12 Tess_W: >21 Tess_W: oh how fun!! sounds lovely!
& Then Hawaii! Yeah!

my last TBR for the month of April was Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. This is a story of a doctor turned sailor who explores (or is lost, hijacked, etc.) the world of oddities with people the size of his thumb and also the land of giants, amongst others. Gulliver seems to find paradise but he is ordered to leave because those residing in paradise are afraid the stranger will upset the balance of peacefulness. I've always heard that this book is a satire and I'm not sure I agree with that particular word, as I know it. It certainly was a condemnation of the legal and the court systems, though. Swift used a lot of lists, LONG lists in this book. Many of the situations in which Gulliver found on the different islands were very similar, just with different sized people. Glad I read it so that I know what the hoopla was all about, but in the final analysis, it was a very slow moving average classic for me. I'm glad this book wasn't long or I probably would not have stuck with it. 240 pages 2 1/2 stars

Hi Tess! I keep on meaning to read Gulliver's Travels, but just haven't gotten there yet. Good review.

>26 Tess_W: yes, good review, and chimes with my recollection of reading GT half a lifetime ago - you've convinced me it's not worth rereading, thanks!

>21 Tess_W:, OH! A Monte Cristo sandwich! I like those a lot actually, the sweet and savoury combination is one of my favorites. I am also envious of the bourbon maple syrup...and hungry now :)

>29 Caramellunacy: Yes, that was the name of it!

>26 Tess_W: >27 karenmarie: >28 floremolla: I echo these... good to know! Thanks :)

>29 Caramellunacy: yes! My friend gets those for lunch all the time ...

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins was my Hawaii read. It is the story of a girl that takes the same commuter train daily and is witness to a crime? She doesn't really know because she is an amnesiac drunk and therefore an unreliable witness. This was supposed to be a psychological thriller, but I just find it about as disjointed as the narrator. 326 pages 2 1/2 stars

>32 Tess_W: aloha and welcome back! how was Hawaii?

I found The Girl on the Train disappointing too, disjointed and contrived. Better luck with your next read!

>32 Tess_W: >33 floremolla: Hmmm. Not exactly a great endorsement of a book that's sitting om my shelves!

>34 Henrik_Madsen: you might think differently - will look out for your review! :)

>34 Henrik_Madsen: I liked that book, so it might really be different for you, Henrik. I gave it 4 stars.

Have some of my Hawaii pic posted here:

http://www.librarything.com/gallery/member/tess_schoolmarm

Great pics, Tess

Root #39 was an odd book, Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. I got this as a free offer on Kindle some time ago. The story takes place in an alternate world where the library of Alexandria controls dissemination of all reading material and knowledge. It has its own army and network of spies. They assassinate people such as Johann Gutenburg. In this alternate world are burners (protesters who burn books), obscurists (who read and copy "suitable" books) and a great black market. Jess Brightwell is from a middle class family who deals in black market books. They think it would be an honor to have a family member work at the library in Alexandria so Jess takes the test and is accepted into an apprenticeship; but all it not as it seems. This was an interesting book, not my usual read. There are 2 more books in the series and I may or may not read them at a later date. 362 pages 3 1/2 stars

Beautiful pictures, Tess.

Great pictures, very colourful - looks like you fitted in a lot of activity and had a mixture of weather! I happened to catch a short film about the Hula dancing national competition on Facebook. Didn't realise how difficult it was and how devoted the dancers were - they make it look so effortless.

>38 Robertgreaves:
>40 connie53:
>41 floremolla:

Thank you! I did not know, but Hula isn't originally Hawaiian, it's Tongan!

The weather was actually very good for all 8 days--there were a couple of showers in the mornings in Honolulu on our first two days, but were gone and dried up within an hour. Reminds me of Florida weather.

What fantastic photos! Hawaii is definitely on my bucket list.

Such gorgeous photos, Tess!

>43 Jackie_K: TY TY
>44 MissWatson: TY TY

Hawaii is a beautiful place. That being said, just about the only thing to see there besides the scenery and the beaches is Pearl Harbor; but it was well worth it. The prices of everything is about 3 times higher than the mainland and there is just so much commercialization.

I acquired 4 new books today (Mother's Day) and it's all my son's fault--if he gives me a B&N gift card, I must use it!

The Shipping News
The Seven Sisters
And Then She was Gone
Elizabeth is Missing

I also had about $4 left so I got a wonderful Wizard of Oz Coloring Book for my 9 year old granddaughter, Regan, for Christmas.

>45 Tess_W: Yes, book vouchers must be spent! Always fun choosing! My bit of fun today was giving my husband some suggestions of books he might like to buy me for my birthday (my gift is really our long weekend away in a few weeks, but it's nice to have something to actually open on the day too).

I really enjoyed The Shipping News, I hope you do too.

I enjoyed seeing the pictures too Tess. As I looked at them I was counting up how long ago I was there, and it must be about 20 years! I don't know how this time thing even works....it seems like maybe 5 years ago! I would like to go again, but I'm afraid my traveling is like my reading....can't work all I'd like to do in.

>39 Tess_W: Wishlisted

>48 Robertgreaves:

Looks like you had a wonderful time on your vacation, Tess. Wow, 39 ROOTs already, that is impressive.

Root #40 for the year was The Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks. I read this book for the RTT group. Anna Firth resides in a remote village outside of London when a bolt of imported cloth brings the plague. Though the "vision" of the town's minister they quarantine themselves. Anna loses both of her children. After the quarantine is over, for various reasons, Anna moves away from the village. The ending was like it belonged in a separate book--very disjointed and improbable in the this story line. I half-read/half-listened to this book and the Audible was just horrendous! 3 stars. I would have given it more except for that last chapter.....

>50 Familyhistorian: Enjoyed every second and TY!

>51 Tess_W: this is already on my wishlist - I really liked March so thought this might be in the same league but your review suggests otherwise. Oh dear...

>51 Tess_W: Agreed. That last chapter was dreadful, ruined the whole book.

>53 floremolla: I didn't like March!

>51 Tess_W: I liked this book a lot but I read it long enough ago that I don't remember the last chapter, maybe I've repressed it! In fact, I liked it enough to buy it for my sister for her birthday - twice, forgetting that I had given it to her before.

>55 Tess_W: >56 clue: well, I'm another person with memory failure because I can't recall why I liked March. Hopefully taking the time to write reviews of what I read might help me retain a bit more..... :)

>57 floremolla:, Donna, join the crowd--I can't remember why I didn't like March, but just remember that I didn't. Wouldn't have read about the Plague except that a friend told me how good it was. She now can't remember the story real well but remembers the prose was beautiful! LOL, now I read my review and I remember!

Just SIX more days of school left. I can survive anything for SIX days. In six days I can sleep in, stay up late, wear no make up, wash my hair and let it dry naturally, wear sandals, wear capris, sit on my deck in the morning and watch the wildlife, swim in my pool, sit in a pool chair floating in the sun with my book and an iced-tea, breathe slowly, leisurely cook and clean my house. Oh the days of summer, I can not wait!

>59 Tess_W: That sounds amazing! Every year I look on enviously at my teacher friends as they count down to the summer break - but have to be honest, it's not a job I'd want to do in a million years, so I think you thoroughly deserve the time off! Hope you fill it with fun things! :)

TY TY TY!

For 180+ days each year I get up @ 5AM to go to a place that I love, it's my 2nd home. I have an amazing job. I have the opportunity to inspire 100+ people per day. With my words, my passion, and God’s help I get to participate in the learning process. I don’t always know what teens will fancy on any given day, but each day I try to bring my A game. I'm challenged on every level. Although teaching is an incredibly stressful job, the challenge and exhilaration is what drives me. I learn something new every single day and I’m blessed beyond measure.

>61 Tess_W: I'm blessed beyond measure

And your students are too!

>63 clue: TY TY!

Great to see your passion for what you do - your students are so lucky to have you!

Hi Tess, I hope you enjoy the weekend!

Only SIX days to go! I have EIGHT weeks to go before school closes down for Summer Break. Enjoy the summer, Tess.

Off to get my annual flowers today, very excited! Just like a kid in a candy store!

>68 Tess_W: lovely way to spend a few hours at the weekend. Happy planting!

It's the "year of the geranium" (for me!)

Always have to have petunias!



Tomorrow I plant the Coleus and shade loving plants.

Got so many hens and chicks I'm going to have to thin them and go pawn them off to my neighbors!



I also bought a raspberry bush today to add along side my blackberry bush. Fresh fruit!

Nice! I need to get some flowers for my pots too!

Lovely colours! I have about a dozen containers and a hanging basket to fill in the next week or two. It's very satisfying when the pots are eventually overflowing with blossom - usually right before the greenfly move in!

>74 floremolla: Yes, satisfying! I try to read when I'm sitting out on the deck amid the flowers, but between the hummingbirds and the wildlife playing, I don't get much reading done. My pots are all "stuffed" on the front porch now because my husband is going to sand the deck on Monday and he doesn't want anything on there. We are trying to make the deck last a few years longer before replacing it.

>70 Tess_W: All look great! I was told something a few days ago that shocked me. I have a friend that belongs to an organization that raises money with a geranium sale every Spring. She told me that they're going to have to come up with a new fundraiser because they've done this one so long a lot of their annual customers, because of their age, are not planting anymore. That would be okay except they aren't picking up young customers to replace them. When they approach young people they say they don't have time to plant or they pay to have their yards done. Oh, I hate to see this tradition end! We order geraniums prior to delivery, and pick them up on the same Saturday. It's so much fun to go pick them up and see old friends and acquaintances doing the same! When you drive by a yard during the summer and see lush, bright geraniums, you know it's a Zonta yard!

>76 clue: now that you mention this phenomenon I can see it's very likely true :( I also bemoan the tendency of people to pave over their gardens because they can't be bothered with gardening. Having said that, when I go to my favourite garden centre I'm encouraged by how many great plants they have on offer, new varieties coming on every year and how busy they are with customers. There's definitely a 'lifestyle' element to gardening - we have an annual Garden Show in Scotland - a massive weekend festival of everything 'gardeny'. We also have a weekly tv programme 'Gardener's World' that's been running for 50 years and is still popular (I've been a fan for 30!). And then there's Chelsea Flower Show and lots of great gardens open to the public. People certainly want to look at lovely gardens....but maybe it is mainly us oldies!

The geranium/pelargonium is maybe seen as a bit old fashioned when there are lots of cool new plants on the block, but their bright colours, variegated foliage and lush growth mean there's always a place for them in contemporary bedding and container planting schemes. I'll definitely be having a few this summer, probably in shocking pink, which is my favourite :)

>76 clue: Oh my, I'm sure that's true. Whenever I go to the place I buy plants, most everybody is age 50 or older. Sad!

>77 floremolla: Love shocking pink, but my fav is salmon, of which they had none this year!

Our RL bookclub's choice was The Geometry of Sisters. Just horrible is all I can say! Short, choppy sentences, teenaged plot, etc. The math teacher chose this book because I think it had the word geometry in it! Should be a YA romance--yuck!' 402 pages of drivel. 2 stars

I've been wanting to transform a spare bedroom in our house into a library. Right now, just dreaming because we need a new roof, new gutters, the driveway blacktopped and a few other things. But a girl can dream, right? I would love to have a fireplace in the library, but it's impractical. I can however buy one of those made by the Amish that run on electric and "fake" it. The room is small and by adding shelves I will lose even more space. I want to leave the window and the closet alone. Every so often I will be posting pics of libraries that have caught my eye.

>80 Tess_W: this made me smile because I have a Pinterest board of bookshelves/libraries going all around the walls like this. A big wing armchair to curl up in, a good quality reading light...and a fireplace would be the icing on the cake.

>80 Tess_W: I want a "dark" yet plenty of light space. I guess I mean cozy, I don't even know how to describe it!

Looks like a wonderful trip to Hawaii!

>39 Tess_W: I really enjoyed Ink & Bone... maybe a little more than you did :) Having just finished the 2nd in the series, I will say that it suffers a bit from "middle book syndrome," but I am definitely looking forward to the 3rd book in the series!

>45 Tess_W: oh what a lovely mother's day present ;) Books are always welcome, even when they're not.... ;) I also received The Shipping News recently - highly recommended by my MIL!

>59 Tess_W: wooo hooo!! Just 1 more day? How exciting!! Sounds amazing...

>70 Tess_W: to >72 Tess_W: beautiful flowers!

>80 Tess_W: Love the pics -- interesting that these 2 libraries resemble each other -- you definitely have a preferred style!

>81 floremolla: brilliant idea. I had a pinterest board that I included book nooks on... haven't used it in years... and have my own "nook" now :)

Don't know what color, but a chaise is definitely my preferred seating for my library!

oooh good call :)
I wanted something like this one for a while:

>85 avanders: I want mine to look "old"!

I can see that! That old, romantic, dark library look... :)
I want one of those too.... ;D

Let me introduce you to my chaise longue - it's about 100-120 years old, dark oak wood and faded gold upholstery. It's just not very comfy.

>88 floremolla: Sounds lovely, but I can't see the pic! Also, the not comfy part is no good!
I'm thinking more of something like this:

>89 Tess_W: oh now that looks comfy! Hopefully you can see my pic now - it would probably be comfier with the right cushions.

>90 floremolla: I can see it now and it certainly is of a color that you can add whatever cushions you need to make it comfy!

>88 floremolla: oh bummer that it's not comfy!

>89 Tess_W: love it!

Root #42 was The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido. I just love stories from/about the Orient. This one takes place in China at the beginning of the 13th century. It is the story of Ci who finds himself an orphan and his struggles to clear his father's name and to stay alive! Ci Song is a scholar and a forensic student. There is much intrigue in the courts and at the palace of the emperor. The book is about Ci Song's bad luck and stupid mistakes. I found it somewhat confusing with the plethora of minute characters. The last third of the book seemed to drag; it was about only one episodic story line. Another downside was that sometimes there was not enough differentiation amongst the Chinese names: Fung, Mung, Fang, Shung, Song, Shur, Shi, etc. All in all though, it was a good average read. 494 pages 3 stars.



Today was my last day of school. I have to attend graduation tomorrow and then several graduation parties. Then I'm free and hope to really tackle my book pile. I need to finish up The Memory Keeper's Daughter and The Handmaiden's Tale. I'm also "down" one book for my Reading Through Time Group--need to read May's book The Greenbay Tree by hometown author Louis Bromfield.

>80 Tess_W:. Love those libraries. I'm not sure I want to read in one of those chaise longues. I don't like to have my feet up while reading. I never sit or lie on the couch. I think I'm a very restless reader. Always stopping to do something else. The only place where I can read for a longer time is outside in the garden.

>93 Tess_W: that's a lot of pages for an 'average' read!

It must be a lovely feeling knowing you've got the whole summer ahead - I always envied the teaching profession their long break. Enjoy that feeling, and all the parties!

>94 connie53: hope you get many warm dry days then, Connie, so you can enjoy the therapeutic effect of losing yourself in a book!

This morning I'm off to the garden centre for annuals and a few perennials to fill gaps in the garden where some plants haven't done so well in the heavy clay soil. And I've got the whole afternoon to pot and plant as there are two important football (soccer) matches on tv, back to back, which will keep my OH entertained! There won't be much reading done but will be listening to One Hundred Years of Solitude on audiobook. Magic realism isn't my thing, I'm already confused about who's who and I don't like the narration but I want to tick it off my list!

>95 floremolla: I still count audiobooks as reading! I just hate it when I get confused about who is who!

>94 connie53: Oh wow, Connie. I can barely read sitting up, I must be "lounging." I do sit in my desk chair when I'm reading professional journals, articles, or history for school; especially because I usually take notes.

Finished root #43, Daily Truth: A 365-Day Devotional by John Hagee. I love to listen to Pastor Hagee but the daily devotionals contained in this book are rather superficial. Maybe they are meant to be? Anyway, each contained a Scripture thought so that was good. 420 pages 3 stars

Sunday--Such a beautiful day today! After church I spent the early afternoon preparing for our family barbecue and pool party tomorrow. We are grilling our brats and I'm making homemade mac & cheese for grandson #2 (it's his favorite), peanut butter fudge cake, an oriental salad, pizza muffins, deviled eggs, and spinach dip with Hawaiian bread. Except for tossing the salad and cooking the mac and cheese I'm all done! I'm sitting out on the deck, the sun is shining, it's 81 degrees and there is a great breeze...makes for a beautiful day, although it's supposed to start raining in the next couple of hours. I got my tomatoes, cucumbers, and raspberry bush planted. I'm not really focused on reading because I'm watching the cardinals, the hummingbirds, the bluebirds, the blue jays, and yes, even a turkey vulture (gross!). Squirrels are scampering and bees are buzzing and a couple of dragonflys are flitting over the pool. The "perfect" day

>99 Tess_W: I'm feeling the atmosphere from your description and wishing I was attending the feast - your menu sounds delicious! Your wildlife sounds amazingly exotic too.

We're having rain tomorrow, so anticipating a quiet day that's highly likely to involve some reading time (because there's always a silver lining). Have a great day!

Hi Tess, looks like you had a great start to your holidays! I've got The Corpse Reader on my TBR, thanks for your comments.

"You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom." Father and patriot John Adams

>94 connie53: interesting! I'm just the opposite.. I have a hard time reading w/ my feet *not* up!

>97 Tess_W: though, yes, I do read sitting up when I'm doing my work/professional reading. That's totally different.... ;p (funny how it feels that way!)

>99 Tess_W: Sounds like a great Memorial Day plan! Mmmm all that food sounds great :)

>102 Tess_W: lovely quote & picture/quote

Root # 44 was The Memory keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. This storyline is about a secret; a terrible, life-altering secret that is kept for more than 25 years. The revealing of the secret is actually freeing for those who are involved. The story begins in 1964 when Dr. David Henry delivers his own babies due to a snowstorm. The son is a normal baby boy; the girl has Down's Syndrome. While the wife is still "out" he instructs his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby girl to an institution, as back in the 1960's most Down's Syndrome children did not have a long life span. He did this with the best of intentions. He had a mentally retarded sister who died at age 13 and his mother never recovered.

The book is rather long for a novel, 401 pages. It was not until I got to page 200 (I made a mental note) that I realized that I had read this book before. It has been years ago, perhaps when it first came out in 2005. It was still a good read because I did not remember the first half of the book at all! 4 stars

>104 Tess_W: I have this book on my TBR - I bought it several years ago when my book group read it, but then life happened and I only managed to read the first few chapters, never did finish it. It's actually on my list to finish this year as one of my Category Challenge CAT reads (in December I think), although it is such a wide category (Modern (post-1960) fiction by a woman) that I have plenty of other things I might be more in the mood for when the time comes. We'll see :)

>104 Tess_W: a copy of this 'appeared' on my bookshelf - I think one of my daughter's friends left it when she stayed over. Now I know what it's about, I'll give it a whirl!

Root #45 was a cookbook that intrigued me by the title, but it was really just a few good recipes (that I didn't have) and a lot of common sense cooking! Will It Skillet?: 53 Irresistible and Unexpected Recipes to Make in a Cast-Iron Skillet (Will It...?) by Daniel Shumski. 217 pages 3 stars

>107 Tess_W: looks intriguing! Bon appétit!

>107 Tess_W: I never mind cookbooks that have a lot of common sense.... ;)
But I certainly prefer the good recipes! I also really like pictures in my cookbooks...

I want #84.

Root #46 was a free Kindle book Code Name Verity. I am going to watch more closely in the future about which freebies I choose because this was yet another YA book. However, I really doubt a YA could understand all the references in the book, such as "I'm not Madame Defarge sitting around knitting...." and others similar. This is definitely not an action filled book. It is the story of two young women who work for the RAF aiding the French Underground in WWII. One is taken prisoner and tortured to death and the other feels guilty as she was the pilot of the downed plane. This book is not very plot-focused or fast-paced, it's about conversations and people and female pilots during WWII, which would have been great if it had been balanced out with a touch of drama. Being a history professor/teacher I can say that I've heard all this before and usually in a more interesting manner. 401 pages 2 1/2 stars.

blech :P Hope your next one is better!

>111 Tess_W: oh, too bad - and it was 400+ pages! Maybe you should ditch the freebies and get into that ever-expanding wishlist ;)

>113 floremolla: Well I do have over 500+ roots to read....I really have been staying away from the freebies for the past year...I'm on a book diet, I will not buy anymore books (unless somebody gives me a gift card or it's for my RL book club) in 2017. I had my roots down to 350 at one time and then just like a real life diet, I gain back more! I will say though that 60-70% of my current roots are ebooks, so not busting out my shelves! As for that last book, I kept thinking it was going to get better!

>114 Tess_W: ah, yes, the ROOT problem....I'm going to have to watch out for ROOT gain sneaking up on me, I already have 147 fiction ROOTs and 'a lot' of non-fiction. Your restraint on acquisitions is admirable. I got a bit carried away last month because of feeling smug about ROOTing progress and treated myself to a lot of 'rewards' - but I'll be good this month. Promise. (It's my birthday next month anyway ;))

>115 floremolla: When I started in 2011, I have just over 1000 roots. I've been working hard to pare away at them and I think I've been moderately successful.

>116 Tess_W: I think you've done remarkably well!

Root #47 was Dawn Girl by Leslie Wolf, the story of a serial killer. I love true crime thrillers, but this novel was on the edge for me, as in two places it described the horrific torturing of two young women. I had to skip those thankfully brief pages. FBI Special Agent Tess Winnett is searching for a serial killer that tortures, kills, and then poses his victims on the beach to be found at dawn; hence the title. I got this book as a free book on Kindle but I would not be surprised if there are more Tess novels to come as it was a well-written thriller. 225 pages 4 stars

>118 Tess_W: one for the wishlist! I read an article about books with 'girl' in the title - quite interesting that Dawn Girl sounds very like Gone Girl!

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/31/what-happens-to-girls-in-book-titl...

>1 Tess_W: just noticed this cartoon - very good :)

I'd add 'carrying books around on the off-chance I might fit in a quick read' and 'moving books off the chair (or bed) so that I can sit (or lie) down'.

Today was finally the day I purged my Taste of Home Magazines and Cookbooks. I had talked/thought about it before. I had 105 and now I have 12 cookbooks total! They went to friends and family to pick over. I went though each one to make sure if there was a recipe I wanted that I saved it on the comp. These were stored in a cupboard and took the entire 3 shelves--which I can only reach shelf 1! I'm happy and the hubby is happy!

Yesterday was the last day to "enjoy' the weather, so to speak. It will rise to over 90F today and we must turn the air on. I love the house with the windows open hearing the birds chirp and the tree frogs croak. Going to try a new cake recipe today--Brown butter pound cake with caramel icing.

My first foray into Joyce Carol Oates land and I was surprised by the depth of emotion evoked by the novel We Were the Mulvaneys. This is about how a family coped, or failed to cope with a family tragedy. The family disintegrates, but in the end, they reunite. It was never as it was before, but the human spirit, being indomitable, morphs to a new place where it can survive. I think the book was about 75 pages too long, as the first 100 pages were very very slow moving. Maybe the author wanted to show what a mundane family life they had? 468 pages 4 stars

My 49th root this year was a book from a hometown author, Louis Bromfield. Bromfield wrote during the 1920-50's, much like Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald; although his style is much different. The book, The Green Bay Tree, is the story of deep, evocative change during the time period of 1880-WWI. One could read this story today and believe it was written about today's society; it's timeless. It's the story of an unnamed steel mill town (ostensibly Pittsburgh), the matron of Cypress Hill and her 2 daughters, one a societal flirt and the other a wanna be nun. Throw into the mix a Russian union agitator, the Governor of the State, a child born out of wedlock, and you have the makings of a great story and imho Bromfield serves it up well. The book does not even hint at the title, but other critics claim it was taken from Psalm 37:35 "I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree."

More on the author, he was one of the first environmentalists and wrote many agriculture books on farming and saving the soil. Both Hemmingway and Fitzgerald called him "Brommie" and said he wrote stories for their grandmothers.

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married on Bromfield's farm, Malabar, in front of the piano. Today the house is a museum and the piano is still there.

This was a timelessly-themed classic and a work of superior prose. I'm only giving it 4 1/2 stars because I could not figure out the reason for the title! 352 pages

I read this for my Reading Through Time Group.

>123 Tess_W: When I was in high school almost 50 years ago, I took a class called The Novel. I don't remember the number of books we read but I'm thinking about 8. Each book was set in a different country. One of those books was by Louis Bromfield, The Rains Came. I have remembered it all these years because it was set in India and for some reason really grabbed my attention. It was also a successful movie I think. Funny, maybe because it took place in India, I thought Bromfield was English.

>124 clue: Yes, he wrote several books on India (Night in Bombay) ; not sure if he traveled there or not. But he's American, from Mansfield, Ohio. He lived there (and died there) most of his life unless he was hobnobbing with actors/actresses.

>123 Tess_W: Sounds like an author to look out for.
>124 clue: That book, The rains came, was a book-of-the-month selection in Germany's most widely used mail-order book club in the sixties, and it turns up in every book donation box my sister receives at her library. Your review tempts to track it down in the original.

>123 Tess_W: I like the sound of your #49 - wishlisted!

Root #50 was The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi. This novel was set in Afghanistan in the early 2000's. It is the story of 2 women, one of the early 1900's, Shekiba, as related in a story by her great niece to another more "modern" woman, Rahima. Rahima is the narrator for most of the story. She was married off at age 13, as were her 2 slightly older sisters because her father was an opium addict and had spent the family's "fortune." Like the story of her grandmother, Rahima's story is sad, tragic, and painful. This book will make you count your blessings. 452 pages, 5 stars.



Finished off 2 major books in the last 2 days; although both had already been started sometime ago. Now I can go in search of my next two....shopping in my TBR!

Hi Tess!

I'm back after a month in California. Mom's mail is forwarded, her safe deposit box permanently closed, and the house on the market. Back to retirement!

Drawing a line in the sand, and just moving forward seems wisest, otherwise I'd never get caught up!

I hope things have been going well for you. I just scanned through a bit - congratulations on purging the cooking magazines, yay Hawaii, and The Year of Wonders is the only book by Geraldine Brooks that hasn't disappointed me. I don't remember the ending as disjointed, but do admit it's been a while since I read it. I'm fascinated by the Black Death.

I have 2 new books from my TBR and 2 others to finish, I would like to have these done within a week, and since 2 of them are more than 50% finished, I think I can do it!

1. Finish the book of short stories by Conan Doyle
2. Auschwitz b y Nomberg-Pryzytyk---this for a read in the Reading through Time group
3. Finish Wolf Hall and then start Bring Up the Bodies
4. The Devil's Work (A Free Kindle D/L from 2016) It's billed as a psychological thriller

Root #51 was Auschwitz: True tales From a Grotesque Land by Sara Nomberg-Przytyk. I have probably had this book for 15 years and I'm glad I finally read it. Being a teacher of the Holocaust I really am picky about what I read. I want to know the provenance of the information as some is pure fiction. The author/translator does a good job of explaining the provenance in both and forward and an afterward. This is a book of different vignettes of which the author was a part. It was pretty gruesome, especially the total lack of regard for life of Dr. Mengele. Sara was evacuated from Auschwitz the same time as Elie Wiesel and took the same forced march. This is a great book that poses a basic question of the Holocaust: When does a bystander become a perpetrator? When is one part of the problem? 181 pages 5 stars



Addendum: the author relates that the father and child of the famous Auschwitz dwarfs died in the camp. That is not true, they all survived and emigrated to Israel. Probably just compressed memory?

Root #52 was Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel. This was a superb book featuring Thomas Cromwell, lawyer and adviser to the King. This is a beautifully written book with unique and delightful descriptions. Wolf Hall covers the time period 1527-1533 (with a brief flashback) Mantel depicts Cromwell sympathetically; but there is no doubt that Cromwell would slit your throat to protect his honor:

Henry stirs into life. ‘Do I retain you for what is easy? Jesus pity my simplicity. I have promoted you to a place in this kingdom that no one, no one of your breeding has ever held in the whole of the history of this realm.’ He drops his voice. ‘Do you think it is for your personal beauty? The charm of your presence? I keep you, Master Cromwell, because you are as cunning as a bag of serpents…..’’

There was only one major problem with the book, the author uses the pronoun he hundreds of times without a name being mentioned in the previous 3-4 paragraphs! If you read and just “assume” the “he” is Cromwell, it makes reading the book much easier. And of course, the book ended with a cliff hanger; so the reader really does need to read part two, Bring Up the Bodies.

I’ve studied the Tudors in great detail and I find this to be the most exhaustive work on Thomas Cromwell that I’ve read other than straight dry history. I highly recommend this book. 566 pages 5 stars



Addendum: Had I not know the time period and the people involved, I would have probably been lost. (Rebellion in north, Charles V-HRE and his activities, Woolsey, Seymours, Boleyns, Lady Rochford, Northrups, etc.

>132 Tess_W: I've been avoiding this chunkster thinking I might just watch the tv series instead - but on the strength of your review this could be one of my ROOTs for 2017!

>133 floremolla: I'm going to finish reading the sequel, Bring up the Bodies, and then I'm going to watch the movie, the one starring Mark Rylance as Cromwell---this is the one recommended to me by my friend.

>134 Tess_W: that's the one - it was a mini-series here, encompassing both novels over six hour-long episodes. I caught the first one and thought it was very good but then missed the rest. It's on Netflix now which is very convenient.

>135 floremolla: TY! We have Netflix but since I don't watch TV I didn't know it was on there. Will ask hubby the PW and look it up after I read the next book!

Oh no, time goes so fast and I get so far behind on these threads! Just skimming...

>123 Tess_W: .... could it maybe have been Green Bay? It was kind of a factory town... I only think this because I'm from Green Bay originally ;) But I see you said it was ostensibly Pittsburgh, but ... maybe that's the reason for the title?

>131 Tess_W: I'm intrigued but ... probably should read that for a long time (I've been a little overly sensitive these days). I will put it on my wishlist for down the line :)

>137 avanders: Altheia: The book does not come out and name Pittsburgh, however, the description fits perfectly; even having the largest population of "bohunks" (Bohemians) in a steel town. Just a lot of other things, also; but who knows? I have no idea, your guess is as good as mine!

Going to take my comp to the fixit store for a good cleaning and see if there's anything wrong--it seems to be moving terribly slow and I've checked and done everything I can do. Gee, without a computer I will be reading MORE! LOL! See ya in 1-3 days!

>139 Tess_W: Good luck!

>138 Tess_W: makes sense... I hate it when I don't understand the meaning behind a name, though! ;p

>139 Tess_W: good luck w/ the computer situation! Enjoy the reading ;)

>139 Tess_W: bummer! Hope it's a quick and straightforward fix.

Well that was easy, amazingly fast and not as expensive as I had dreaded! They fixed it while I waited! It was the fan, it wasn't working and my comp was probably overheating and working slowly. Short term-no damage they can see and it's lightning fast, now. Long term--they don't know--it's "death" may have been hastened. Comp is 4 years old, had 3 software updates (Windows XP, 7, and 10), but I love it!

Root #53 was the 2nd in the trilogy by Hillary Mantel, Bring up the Bodies. Thomas Cromwell, a man of modest genes had risen to the highest position in the land, gaining natural and man-made enemies along the way. Cromwell demonstrated a penchant for getting anything done, no matter the cost. Henry VIII has tired of Ms. Boleyn and her non-ability to produce a male heir. He begins to woo Jane Seymour, a lady in waiting to Anne and tells Cromwell that he wants Anne gone. Cromwell makes inquiries among the ladies and gentlemen who are close to Anne and hears more and more rumors that she has been adulterous. The musician Mark Smeaton and Anne's sister-in-law, Lady Rochford, are particularly helpful in spying for Cromwell. He determines to build a case against Anne and succeeds in doing so. Cromwell is very revengeful and also implicates those who had his friend and colleague, Cardinal Woolsey, put to death. Cromwell is made a baron for this "job" and the story is continued in the third book of the trilogy, which I must purchase next time I get a gift card! 436 pages 5 stars--just superb!

Root #54 was a small book of 4 short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, The Adventure of the Red Circle, The Adventure of the Dying Detective. What can I say? They were overly elementary. 60 pages 2 1/2 stars.

>143 Tess_W: phew! Glad it wa such a quick fix!
And >144 Tess_W: yay on reading something you loved so much!

Hi Tess!

Good review of Wolf Hall. I started it and put it down having read about half of it..... husband and I watched the TV series and it was SO good that I have every good intention of going back and re-starting Wolf Hall. Intentions don't turn pages, though, so we'll see if I've read it by the end of the year.

Glad to hear that your computer fix was easy and less expensive than anticipated.

Root # 55 was psychological thriller The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards. The heroine of the story is Sophie Greenwood. Sophie was bullied in college but eventually finds a couple of friends and now 15 years later has everything going for her: a happy marriage to a successful online journalist, and a beautiful four-year-old daughter, Daisy. Daisy is now 3 years old and Sophie is ready to go back to work and finds her dream job at Jackdaw Publishing, the premier publishers of children's books. From the very first day on the job there is a foreboding and a series of strange coincidences, or are they? This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and wondering at the same time. 376 pages 5 stars.

>147 karenmarie: My husband and I are going to start watching Wolf Hall on Netflix tonight! I hope I enjoy it as much as the book or as much as the series The Tudors.

I'm going to start a non-fiction book now, Dead Wake by Erick Larson about the last voyage of the Lusitania. I've heard it's very good but also very tedious. I'm not a non-fiction fan for personal reading since that's all I read professionally, but I'm going to give it a stab--a little each day. Still working on The Rains Came by hometown author Louis Bromfield and also The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which I read as a teenager, but need to refresh!

>148 Tess_W: wishlisted for when I feel in need of some psychological drama - if it doesn't get turned into a movie first!

You're absolutely racing through those ROOTs, Tess! At this rate you'll be able to reward yourself with more books! :D

>151 Jackie_K:, no book rewards--YET! I think the next rewards are probably at Christmas. My goal is that the bookcase in my bedroom will be single stacked!

But I must tell you, I have a very wonderful husband. I told him last Wednesday through this Wednesday is "my" vacation...meaning I'm doing NOTHING except fixing his dinner. He agreed and I have read from the time I get up till I fall asleep at night! I might take a break to take a dip in the pool, but other than that--nothing! We are actually leaving on a short vacation together on Saturday and the drive there is 12 hours. I am unable to read while in a car so I've made sure I have at least 3 audio books and my earphones before I leave!

Began reading this book (already 50% read) at 5:30 this morning because I could not sleep and I have finished root #56, The Rains Came by hometown author Louis Bromfield. The story takes place in Ranchipur, India in 1938. India is still a colonial possession of England, but that doesn't play too much into the story. The story shows how people are changed by the monsoons and the earthquakes. The development of the story and the development of the characters run concurrently. I believe Bromfield is one of the great forgotten authors. 525 pages 5 stars

>149 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it. After you've watched an episode or two, I have a question for you. *smile*

>152 Tess_W: lucky you! Hope you get some good listening for your trip. I'm five hours in to Don DeLillo's Underworld - so far it's riveting, I just hope he can keep up the quality for the next 26!

>155 floremolla: Oh wow, that's a lonnnnnggggggg one! I have two 12-hours audios, so I might be able to just about finish the two en route.

>155 floremolla: I will be looking forward to your review Underworld. Seems like very mixed reviews!

Root #57 was a re-read I've been working on for 4 months: The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I read it about 40 years ago and thought a re-read was in order when I got out my pics from my trip to France in 2005 and there was Notre Dame. What I liked: each person was unique, each had an agenda, you could keep them straight. Also, none of them "loved" anybody just for the sake of love, except perhaps Quasimodo. This book is great for showing the reader how it was in France during the 1400's and what types of things would certainly lead the peasants to La Revolucion in the 18th century. What I didn't like: 150 pages of in depth detailed description of Paris and its surroundings as well as architecture. I have been led to believe that Hugo wrote this to try to gain $ for the restoration of the cathedral. I skimmed those 150 or so pages. 577 pages 3 stars. (Have my fill of this book, won't need to read again!)



My mother tells me she has the 2 hour version of this movie starring Lon Cheney circa 1921. It's a silent version. She told me the ending does not match the book, though. I may give it go???

Still working on my Luisitania book (and will be for sometime) but I think I will go gather 5-6 small books that can read quickly. Why? Because! Actually, if it is possible, I think I'm getting book burn out from reading almost non-stop since last Wednesday.

>158 Tess_W: I can see how 'book burn out' might be a thing - maybe like eating too much rich cake and you need a couple of light savouries for a change (hmm, food metaphors betraying my other favourite occupation).

Yes, I think book burn-out is definitely a thing! Although I tend to experience it more when I finish an absolutely amazing book and can't even imagine wanting to read anything else as it's bound to be a disappointment, rather than because I've read too much!

>153 Tess_W: I'm looking forward to this now, thanks for the review. Have a nice trip!

>149 Tess_W: oh looking forward to your thoughts on Dead Wake - I have it on my shelves too.... hope you don't find it too tedious!

>152 Tess_W: sounds like a wonderful vacation!

>153 Tess_W: glad you found such an enjoyable read! I love discovering an author that I would feel that way about!

>158 Tess_W: wow your mother has a movie from 1921! I would want to watch that even if I hadn't recently read the book! Of course, I love watching movies/tv shows/plays/etc. of books I have read, even if they're horrible, so I would watch it for that reason as well ;)

Hee hee Book burn out.. it happens! ;)

I don't get a book burnout but I do often get book hangovers where I can't really appreciate the first half of a book because I'm still so engaged with the one I've just completed.

>163 Robertgreaves: LOL book hangover; that's a new one! But yes, I think I felt that way after reading the Diana Gabaldon's series for a year; nothing seemed to compare. Maybe it's a book high?!

Root #58 is Maigret and the Black Sheep a French who dunnit. I'm not a fan of murder mysteries at all, and this one wasn't much different. 158 pages 3 stars

>163 Robertgreaves: ooooh I love that... It's totally a thing!

>165 Tess_W: ... but it still got 3 stars.. ;)

>166 avanders: Altheia, my "3" is average, nothing to write home about; but then also not a stinker!

Hi Tess! Happy Thursday to you.

>163 Robertgreaves: I like that, too, book hangovers. I usually have to find something in a completely different genre so I won't unfavorably compare.

The only historical fiction I've been able to read and not be disappointed with since Outlander has been the Poldark series. Outlander kept me riveted, but I must admit that the last two Poldarks were a tad disappointing.

>167 Tess_W: that makes sense.. I think that's probably also accurate for me... but I thought the "not a fan" bit might have made the rating a little lower ;)

>168 karenmarie: My next "big" series I think is going to be Poldark. I've read books 1 & 2 and I did like them. And yes, Outlander is certainly at the top of the pinnacle. ..............So I watched Wolf Hall on Netflix. What is your question for me?

>169 avanders: I try not to let my un-interest in the genre affect my rating. I try to read outside my fav genres occasionally; especially if somebody has recommended the book to me.

Off to Boston for our 42nd wedding anniversary present to ourselves! It's a 12 hour drive so I've got my ereader loaded with books and audiobooks. Except for the drive, I'm sure I won't get much reading done as I've prebooked us quite a few things to do! However, we will be going to the House of Seven Gables (in Salem, in fact hotel is only 1 block away) and then in Concord will visit the Alcott home as well as Walden Pond. There is an American Authors cemetery there also, which I plan to see. Plan to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston--hope my new knees are up to the 5 miles in 90 degree heat!

That's quite an ambitious programme. Enjoy your trip and good luck with your knee!

Enjoy your trip - and good luck with your knees!

>171 Tess_W: I love Boston and hope you have a good trip. When I travel I like to go to cemeteries too, I enjoyed seeing Mother Goose's grave in Boston.

>174 clue: I will have to look that one up!

Root # 59 was an exceptional read, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitaniia by Erik Larson. Larson is the master storyteller and can take one event that lasted 18 minutes and spread it out over 450 pages and still make it spell binding. Larson writes narrative non-fiction. The amount of research that went into this book was staggering. Dead Wake seems as if it's a suspense thriller. When reading Dead Wake one is never sure what the next chapter will bring: Wilson and Edith Galt's romance in DC, the intelligence operatives who worked in Britain's highly secret Room 40, the very wealthy passengers aboard The Lusitania, or Captain Schweiger of the U Boat 20.

Winston Churchill on Germans attacking the Lusitania and leaving civilians and crew “to perish in open boats or drown amid the waves was in the eyes of all seafaring peoples a grisly act, which hitherto had never been practised except by pirates”.

Larson even takes up the many sides of the historical debate: Was the Lusitania made a sitting duck for the Germans to take down so that the U.S. would enter the war? You will have to read the book to find out!

I highly recommend Dead Wake. 450 pages 5 stars

Hi Tess!

Have a lovely trip, and congratulations on 42 years of marriage.

>170 Tess_W: What did you think of the low lighting used to film Wolf Hall? I personally loved it. It was also stunningly beautiful and made me think of the Dutch Masters' use of lighting. My husband complained of its being hard to see details and/or action. I frequently think about Life Before Electricity. Since I live in a rural, no-street-lights cul-de-sac with only 15 houses, I live it, too, if I don't turn a light on or we lose power (before husband fires up the generator.)

>176 Tess_W: Ah, ya got me! Book bullet for sure.

>177 karenmarie: LOL Karen, I'm with your husband! I was frustrated on many parts of the movie because it was so dark I could not see. I live in a rural area on a county road with no lights and that's great! But when I want to see I need light! If we lose power longer than 6 hours and the sump pump starts to be filled, my husband will fire up the generator, but our's is not whole house, only operates the sump pump, the freezer, and the fridge.

Six hours! I guess that makes sense since you can't have TV when it's out - my husband definitely cannot live without TV and fires up the generator within half an hour, depending on what Duke Energy estimates the outage time to be. Ours isn't whole house, it's most house. It definitely covers the TV and both of our UPS systems for the computers. When we have a power outage we usually have to use our cell phones at hot spots to get Internet, though, since the cell tower we can see through the trees usually goes out.

Congratulations on your 42nd anniversary, that's a great achievement! I hope that we reach that many (we celebrate our 10th later this year, so have some way to go!).

Just returned from Boston and Salem and it was a LONG ride, but a wonderful destination. It was 12 hours each way. I won't do that again--will fly. But both Boston and Salem were a history teacher and reader's dream!

First set of pictures: Witch Museum and The House of Seven Gables (Nathaniel Hawthorn). I tried to get as many good pics of the house that I could, but there wasn't a way to get all 7 gables in the same pic:


If you have read the House of Seven Gables, this picture will mean something to you. It was hidden by a fireplace panel:


The Counting House is the title of the preface of Hawthorne's book The Scarlet Letter (one of my fav books of all time)

The historical Hawthorne Hotel we stayed at in Salem, Mass. So beautiful !



Witch Museum (Couldn't take pics inside)


There are statues of "famous" witches throughout Salem. This is one of Elizabeth Montgomery, who starred in "Bewitched."


Wanted to go here, but had to leave before it opened in the morning!

Last stop: Boston. We took a harbor cruise and saw all the most important sights. We also walked about 5 miles to see the home of Paul Revere. Again, no pics could be taken inside. His house is actually the brown clapboard one to the right. He raised 16 children in that home (8 from wife 1 and 8 from wife 2). All children shared ONE upstairs bedroom. Paul Revere outlived 5/8 of the children from his first wife. He married wife #2 just 29 days after the death of his first wife. (He sorely needed somebody to care for his 8 children.)



The Granary Graveyard--final resting place of many U.S. patriots: (Adams, Revere, Hancock)



The Old North Church and steeple, where 2 lights were hung to warn the colonists that the British were coming and alert Paul Revere to make his ride through the countryside to warn "The British are Coming"! It is still a church today where services are held. One is unable to get up to the belfry.


Our boat!



The Battle of Bunker Hill was really fought at Breed's Hill. The colonials went to the wrong place! (they were guys, they probably wouldn't ask for directions!)


Our very favorite foods Boston/Salem: Boston Clam Chowder, Lobster, Lobster Roll, Boston Creme Pie



Boston Seaport Hotel: A Room with a View!

Wow, you worked lot into your schedule. Looks like you had a great time! Thanks for the pics.

I enjoyed that virtual trip - you'd make a wonderful travel-with-books writer! Nathaniel Hawthorne is on my list of authors to read more of - I loved The Scarlet
Letter too. Thanks for sharing!

That's Boston in a nutshell: great pics! Thanks!

That looks like a wonderful trip! Welcome back!

Hi Tess!

Thanks for the pics and the info. You make me miss living up north - I lived in Connecticut for 4 years and adored Boston. That's where the in-your-face history smacked me - being from Southern California where you had to find historical buildings/objects/locales under a microscope as it were, I fell in love with the East Coast. Connecticut too is a history-lover's dream. My current home in NC, too, is such a lovely mixture of new and old.

>188 karenmarie: There is nothing really historical to "see" where I live, Karen. Lots of history took place, like the Underground Railroad, the Erie Canal, German Village, etc., but there just isn't anything to see; so I really enjoy going places where there is actually something left; albeit many times not the original.

Root #60 is a very small paperback book aimed at children ages 8-10. I bought this book used at a library sale probably 10 years ago. I bought it because my 2nd grade teacher read one short story to us from these books every day after recess for our "cool down" period. I loved the book then, but it's sort of corny now: magic potions, mannered pigs, powders that make one graceful, etc. But a great blast from the past. Will give to grandkids. 126 pages 3 stars

Root #61 was a YA book about the author, Inge Auerbacher, a Jewish child who survived Terezin prison camp. Her story, I Am a Star is a very simple telling of her experiences. The text also contains pencil drawings by Inge as well as poems that she wrote post-Terezin, as she was unable to speak directly of this experience for many years. Very simplistic yet heart-felt. To give to my grandchildren. 86 pages 4 stars

Root # 62 was another easy re-read, The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read this back in the 1960's (?) and about 2 years ago committed to re-reading the series again. They are as delightful today as they were then. This particular books tells of Laura and Manly's first four years of marriage on the plains of Wisconsin and the birth of their daughter, Rose. 134 pages 5 stars

>189 Tess_W: it seems to take public authorities a long time to recognise the historical significance of places - it often falls to keen amateurs to gather information and raise funds for interpretation and reconstructions. Perhaps a job for a retired history professor at some point? ;)

Good work with the ROOTs at the end of the second quarter of the year!

>192 floremolla: Do old history profs ever retire? LOL! I've already got a "job" for retirement and that is teaching online, from home, in my jammies!

Root #63 was an ebook, Dissolution: A Matthew Shardlake Mystery by C.J. Sansom. In this interesting mystery of Tudor England, King Henry VIII has dissolved the monasteries and put Cromwell in charge of this duty. Some monasteries close in peace and some don't! Father Shardlake is a lawyer that works for the King/Cromwell/Church. He is sent to a troubled monastery, Scarnsea, where Cromwell's commissioned officer, Robin Singleton is missing. I liked the history and the life at the monastery, the mystery not so much; too many suspects. 456 pages 3 1/2 stars

I'm thinking about this...using an online random list generator. I do it all the time for school when students have to make presentations......I might put 10 books in --5 old and 5 newer and see what it comes up with! It's here: https://www.random.org/lists/

>193 Tess_W: lol! Now that's dedication to your subject/teaching!

Look forward to seeing how the random thing goes but, being terribly fickle, I know I'd end up cheating, so for now I'll continue to control my own reading destiny ;)

Hi Tess and best wishes for a wonderful weekend.

Good luck with the random list generator. I'm with floremolla, though. I'd cheat, too.

>196 floremolla:
>197 karenmarie:

I'm only CONSIDERING a random generator.....I do like to control my own reading destiny, but sometimes I like to shake things up! We'll see. I'll put in 20 books this afternoon and see what it comes up with!

I think the random list generator is just another incarnation of the Jar of Fate. So obviously I approve of it! :D My reading (both rate, and variety of stuff) has been transformed by having an impartial arbiter of what comes next!

It's not cheating, it's adapting to circumstances -- the circumstance being what I feel like.

Continued here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/260823