fuzzi's Visions of Reading in 2020 - Doubled!

The first thread is big and unwieldy, slow to load, so it's time to double the fun!



As I’ve done here on LT for several years, I'm envisioning completing the 75 and 100 books read challenges in 2020:



75 Book Challenge thread:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314436)

100 Book Challenge thread:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314904)

---

In 2019 I read about 120 ROOT books, and so surpassed my challenge of 100, but I’ve decided to just repeat the 100 book challenge in 2020: I still have an incredible number books that have been languishing on my shelves for months, years!

(have to recreate due to ticker issues, total is 90 as of 12/31/20)

My ROOTing Progress!!
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314686)

---

And here's a ticker for culled rehomed books, read or unread...because finding a good home for a book is important!



Books Culled Rehomed
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314902)

---

Here's my favorite thread on LT: https://www.librarything.com/topic/177029

All my reviews can be accessed here: http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=fuzzi

---

Though woefully behind, I still want to read through my Bible in 2020, and reread the Old Testament, which I missed doing in 2019:



The following links will take you back to the first thread:

Jump to January's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314426#7004587)

Jump to February's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314426#7004588)

Jump to March's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314426#7004589)

Jump to April's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314426#7004590)

Jump to May's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314426#7004591)

Jump to June's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314426#7004593)

The following links will take you to the appropriate month, below:

Jump to July's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200246)

Jump to August's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200247)

Jump to September's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200248)

Jump to October's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200249)

Jump to November's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200250)

Jump to December's Reads:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200251)

Jump BELOW the monthly posts for some discussion:
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321866#7200253)

And we're OFF!!!

Maximum Security: Eclipse Winner (Champion 3 Year Old Male)

From "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman

*75 Book Challenge* and
*100 Books in 2020 Challenge*
See combined ticker above for progress!

---

*AlphaCATKIT Challenge* (unofficial)
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321372)
July challenges are the letters "J" and "R" (yearlong challenge letters are X and Z)

"J"

Jupie and the Wise Old Owl by Neely McCoy - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Hospital Station by James White


Jericho's Road: A Story of the Texas Rangers by Elmer Kelton - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed

"R"

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - Read and reviewed


The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia by Bernard S. Martof - (ROOT)


Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers


Rivers West by Louis L'Amour - Read and reviewed

---

*American Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314360)
July is "Wendell Berry"

Nathan Coulter by Wendell Berry - Read and reviewed

---

*British Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#6999396)
July is Elly Griffiths & Winston Graham

Poldark's Cornwall by Winston Graham - (ROOT)

---

*Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)
Possible reads for July:

---

*The Group Monthly Theme Read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322013#)
July is "Juveniles"

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - Read and reviewed


Jupie and the Wise Old Owl by Neely McCoy - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed

---

*Lord Peter Wimsey Group Read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321907)

Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers

---

*Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge*
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/314432#)
July is Rivers West (Talon #2)

- Read and reviewed

---

*MysteryKIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321710#)
July is "Mashup"

The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed

---

*Newbery Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (1983 Honor Book) - Read and reviewed

---

*Nonfiction CAT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321389#)
July is "Human Science"

---

*RandomCat Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321385#)
July is "Picture This!"

Poldark's Cornwall by Winston Graham - (ROOT)


Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster - (ROOT)


Jupie and the Wise Old Owl by Neely McCoy - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed

---

*Reading Through Time Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321370#)
Third Quarter (July to September) is Authurian Britain

Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster - (ROOT)

---

*ROOT aka Read Our Own Tomes*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322044)
See ticker above for progress
ROOT Total in July: 3

Jericho's Road: A Story of the Texas Rangers by Elmer Kelton


Jupie and the Wise Old Owl by Neely McCoy


The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters

---

*Summer Group Read: James White's Sector General Books*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/320907#)

Hospital Station

---

*UN-official SFF-KIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321644#)
July is "Space Opera"

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells - Read and reviewed

---

Books read and reviewed in July:
1. The Blue Sword
2. Rivers West
3. Nathan Coulter
4. The Raven in the Foregate - (ROOT)
5. Artificial Condition
6. Jupie and the Wise Old Owl - (ROOT)
7. Jericho's Road: A Story of the Texas Rangers - (ROOT)

---

Books culled rehomed in July:
1. The Raven in the Foregate - (ROOT)

---

Male authors read this month: 3 to date
Female authors read this month: 4 to date

---

Cumulative Stats
Books culled rehomed from my library: 1
Books read and reviewed: 7
ROOTs completed to date: 3 in July through 7/22

Read and reviewed, not assigned to any challenge:

From "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman

*75 Book Challenge* and
*100 Books in 2020 Challenge*
See combined ticker above for progress!

---

*AlphaCATKIT Challenge* (unofficial)
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322335#)
August challenges are the letters "O" and "H" (yearlong challenge letters are X and Z)

"O"

A Legend of Wolf Song by George Stone - (ROOT) - Did not read

"H"

Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers - Did not read


Summer of the Stallion by June Andrea Hanson - Read and reviewed


The Man From the Broken Hills by Louis L'Amour - Read and reviewed


The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - Did not read


Tales From the Triple Crown by Steve Haskin - Read and reviewed

---

*American Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322917#)
August is "Robert Penn Warren" - Did not read anything of his

---

*British Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#6999398)
August is Charlotte Bronte Anne Bronte and Emily Bronte

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - Did not read

---

*Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)
Possible reads for August:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - Did not read

---

*Lord Peter Wimsey Group read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322885)

Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers - Did not read

---

*Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314432#)
August is The Man From the Broken Hills (Talon #3)

- Read and reviewed

---

*Newbery Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (1971) - Did not read

---

*Nonfiction CAT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322358)
August is "History"

The United States in World War 1: The Story of General John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces by Don Lawson - (ROOT) -Read and reviewed

---

*RandomCat Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322338#)
August is "Get Your Groove On" (read a book about music)

Sandy and the Rock Star by Walt Morey - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Music and Musicians by Peter S Ruckman - (ROOT) - Did not finish


A Legend of Wolf Song by George Stone - (ROOT) - Did not read

---

*ROOT aka Read Our Own Tomes*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322941#7238906)
See ticker above for progress
ROOT Total This Month: 2

Sandy and the Rock Star by Walt Morey


The United States in World War 1: The Story of General John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces by Don Lawson

---

*Summer Group Read: James White's Sector General Books*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/320907#)

Hospital Station - Did not finish

---

*UN-official SFF-KIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/322362)
August is "Female Authors"

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (Murderbot 3) - Did not read

---

Books read and reviewed in August:
1. Baby Island (reread)
2. The Man From the Broken Hills (reread)
3. Animal Gallery - (ER)
4. Summer of the Stallion
5. Sandy and the Rock Star - (ROOT)
6. The United States in World War 1: The Story of General John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces - (ROOT)
7. Tales From the Triple Crown by Steve Haskin

---

Books culled rehomed in August:
1. Animal Gallery - (ER)
2. Summer of the Stallion
3. Sandy and the Rock Star - (ROOT)
4. The United States in World War 1: The Story of General John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces - (ROOT)

---

Male authors read this month: 5 to date
Female authors read this month: 2 to date

---

Cumulative Stats
Books culled rehomed from my library: 2
Books read and reviewed: 7
ROOTs completed to date: 2

Read and reviewed, not assigned to any challenge:


Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink


Animal Gallery by Brian Wildsmith - (ER)

From "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman

*75 Book Challenge* and
*100 Books in 2020 Challenge*
See combined ticker above for progress!

---

*AlphaCATKIT Challenge* (unofficial)
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/323251#)
September challenges are the letters "M" and "E" (yearlong challenge letters are X and Z)

"M"

Milo Talon by Louis L'Amour - Read and reviewed


Shamrock Queen by Marguerite Henry - Read and reviewed


Wreckers Must Breathe by Hammond Innes


Maddon's Rock by Hammond Innes


While Still We Live by Helen MacInnes - (ROOT)


Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska - Did not finish

"E"

The Rose Rent by Ellis Peters - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Jock's Island by Elizabeth Coatsworth - Read and reviewed


Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer by William Donohue Ellis - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley - (ROOT)

---

*American Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314360)
September is "Dawn Powell"

Did not participate

---

*British Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#6999459)
September is "World War II"

While Still We Live by Helen MacInnes - (ROOT)


Wreckers Must Breathe by Hammond Innes


Maddon's Rock by Hammond Innes

---

*Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)
Possible reads for September:

---

*Lord Peter Wimsey Group read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314134#)

Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers

---

*Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge*
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/314432#)
September is Milo Talon (Talon #4)

- Read and reviewed

---

*Newbery Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska - (1965 Medal Winner) - Did not finish

---

*Nonfiction CAT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/312897)
September is "Religion and Philosophy"

The Christian's Handbook of Science and Philosophy by Peter S. Ruckman - (ROOT)


Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It's Not Safe to Believe
by Tom Doyle - (ROOT)

---

*RandomCat Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/323250#)
September is "Reccies" (Recommendations)

---

*Reading Through Time Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/321370#)
Third Quarter (July to September) is Authurian Britain

Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster - (ROOT)

---

*ROOT aka Read Our Own Tomes*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/323928)
See ticker above for progress
ROOT Total This Month: 2

Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer by William Donohue Ellis


The Rose Rent by Ellis Peters

---

*UN-official SFF-KIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313800)
September is "International SFF" (non US/non UK)

---

Books read and reviewed in September:
1. Milo Talon
2. The Cybil War
3. The Rose Rent - (ROOT)
4. Take Care of Dexter by Clyde Robert Bulla
5. Shamrock Queen
6. Jock's Island
7. Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer by William Donohue Ellis

---

Books culled rehomed in September:
1. Shadow of a Bull (did not finish)
2. The Cybil War
3. The Rose Rent - (ROOT)
4. Take Care of Dexter by Clyde Robert Bulla
5. Shamrock Queen

---

Male authors read this month: 3 to date
Female authors read this month: 4 to date

---

Cumulative Stats
Books culled rehomed from my library: 4
Books read and reviewed: 7
ROOTs completed to date: 2

Read and reviewed, not assigned to any challenge:
Take Care of Dexter by Clyde Robert Bulla

The Cybil War by Betsy Cromer Byars

From "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman

*75 Book Challenge* and
*100 Books in 2020 Challenge*
See combined ticker above for progress!

---

*AlphaCATKIT Challenge* (unofficial)
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/324373#)
October challenges are the letters "D" and "V" (yearlong challenge letters are X and Z)

"D"


Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers - Read and reviewed


The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox (Newbery) - Read and reviewed

"V"

The Strode Venturer by Hammond Innes - Read and reviewed


Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed

---

*American Author Challenge*
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/324793#)
October is "Ward Just"
Did not participate

---

*British Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#6999585)
October is Joanne Harris & George Orwell
Did not participate

---

*Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)
Did not read a classic this month

---

*Lord Peter Wimsey Group read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314134#)

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers - Read and reviewed

---

*Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge*
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/314432#)
October is The Rider of Lost Creek (Kilkenny #1)

- Read and reviewed

---

*MysteryKIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/324350#)
"Discover a New-to-you Author!"
Did not participate

---

*Newbery Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox - Read and reviewed

---

*Nonfiction CAT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/324360#)
October is "The Arts"

Music and Musicians by Peter S Ruckman - (ROOT) - Did not read

---

*RandomCat Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/324392#)
October is "Healthcare Heroes"
Did not participate

---

*ROOT aka Read Our Own Tomes*
(url)
See ticker above for progress
ROOT Total This Month: 2

The Hermit of Eyton Forest by Ellis Peters


Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster

---

*UN-official SFF-KIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/324425)
October is "Classics"

Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert Heinlein - (ROOT) - Did not complete in October, moved to November

---

Books read and reviewed in October:
1. The Hermit of Eyton Forest - (ROOT)
2. Big Wishes for Little Feat - (ER)
3. The Rider of Lost Creek
4. Whitey's New Saddle
5. Murder Must Advertise
6. The Slave Dancer
7. The Strode Venturer
8. Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954

---

Books culled rehomed in October:
1. The Hermit of Eyton Forest - (ROOT)
2. Big Wishes for Little Feat - (ER)
3. Whitey's New Saddle
4. The Slave Dancer
5. Black Fox of Lorne

---

Male authors read this month: 4 to date
Female authors read this month: 4 to date

---

Cumulative Stats
Books culled rehomed from my library: 5
Books read and reviewed: 8
ROOTs completed to date: 2

From "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman

*75 Book Challenge* and
*100 Books in 2020 Challenge*
See combined ticker above for progress!

---

*AlphaCATKIT Challenge* (unofficial)
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325353#)
November challenges are the letters "I" and "Q" (yearlong challenge letters are X and Z)

"I"

The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes - Did not read


The Doomed Oasis by Hammond Innes - Did not finish in November


Indian Fur by Glenn Balch - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Genuine Risk by Hallie I McEvoy - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


Hot Iron by Elmer Kelton - (ROOT) - Did not read


Tall Tales of America by Irwin Shapiro - (ROOT) - Did not read

"Q"

The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn - (ROOT) - Could not locate, did not read

---

*American Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314360)
November is "Ann Petry"
Did not participate this month

---

*British Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#6999589)
November is Fay Weldon & John Le Carre
Did not participate this month

---

*Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)
- Did not read any in November

---

*Lord Peter Wimsey Group read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325703)

The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers - Did not re-read

---

*Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge*
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/314432#)
November is The Mountain Valley War (aka A Man Called Trent)(Kilkenny #2)

- Read and reviewed

---

*MysteryKIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325340#)
November is "Noir/Gumshoe"

Bullet for a Star by Stuart Kaminsky - Read and reviewed

---

*Newbery Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

- Did not read any Newbery books in November

---

*Nonfiction CAT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325432#)
November is "Food, Home and Recreation"
Did not participate this month

---

*RandomCat Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325352#)
November is "Lest We Forget"

The Miracle of Dunkirk by Walter Lord - (ROOT) - Read and reviewed


The Dawn's Early Light by Walter Lord - Did not read


A Time to Stand by Walter Lord - Did not read

---

*ROOT aka Read Our Own Tomes*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325939#)
See ticker above for progress
ROOT Total This Month: 4

Genuine Risk by Hallie I McEvoy


The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert Heinlein


Indian Fur by Glenn Balch


The Miracle of Dunkirk by Walter Lord

---

*UN-official SFF-KIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/325433#7298638)
November is "Dystopia"

Did not participate this month

---

Books read and reviewed in November:
1. The Man Who Sold the Moon - (ROOT)
2. The Mountain Valley War
3. Bullet for a Star
4. Indian Fur - (ROOT)
5. Regency Buck
6. The Miracle of Dunkirk - (ROOT)
7. Genuine Risk - (ROOT)

---

Books culled rehomed in November:
1. Bullet for a Star
2. Regency Buck

---

Male authors read this month: 5 to date
Female authors read this month: 2 to date

---

Cumulative Stats
Books culled rehomed from my library: 2
Books read and reviewed: 7
ROOTs completed to date: 4

Not assigned to any challenge:


Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer - Read and reviewed

From "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman

*75 Book Challenge* and
*100 Books in 2020 Challenge*
See combined ticker above for progress!

---

*AlphaCATKIT Challenge* (unofficial)
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/326285)
December challenges are the letters "W" and "N" (yearlong challenge letters are X and Z)

"W"

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène Du Bois (Newbery) - Did not read, moved to January 2021


Abel's Island by William Steig - Read and reviewed


Wanted...Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars - Read and reviewed


Rogue Protocol: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - Read and reviewed


The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman (Newbery) - Read and reviewed

"N"

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers- Did not read

---

*American Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314360)
December is "Tony Hillerman"

Talking God - Read and reviewed

---

*British Author Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#6999620)
December is The Last Decade (2010 until) or Wildcard (https://www.librarything.com/topic/313878#7000002)

Did not participate

---

*Classics-I-Have-Not-Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)
Possible reads for December:

- Did not participate

---

*Lord Peter Wimsey Group read*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/326866)

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers - Did not read

---

*Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314432#)
December is Kilkenny (Kilkenny #3)

- Read and reviewed

---

*MysteryKIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/326316#)
December is "Cozies"

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers - Did not read

---

*Newbery Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène Du Bois - Did not read, moved to January 2021


The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman - Read and reviewed


Abel's Island by William Steig - Read and reviewed

---

*Nonfiction CAT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/326325#)
December is "Adventures by Sea, Land, or Air"

Canoeing with the Cree by Eric Sevareid - Read and reviewed

---

*RandomCat Challenge*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/326297)
December is "Goodbye 2020"
I rolled a "3" on the die, which is "Read a book that has a title starting with the letter D"

The Doomed Oasis by Hammond Innes - Read and reviewed


The Dahlbe Family Horse by Laura Nelson Baker - Read and reviewed


Double Challenge by Jim Kjelgaard - (ROOT) - Did not read


Dingo: The Story of an Outlaw by Henry G. Lamond - (ROOT) - Did not read


Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny - (ROOT) - Did not finish in December, moving to January 2021

---

*ROOT aka Read Our Own Tomes*
(url)
See ticker above for progress
ROOT Total This Month: 0 read, 34 rehomed

---

*UN-official SFF-KIT*
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/326340#)
December is "Short Fiction"

Rogue Protocol: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - Read and reviewed

---

Books read and reviewed in December:
1. The Doomed Oasis
2. Wanted...Mud Blossom
3. The Whipping Boy (Newbery)
4. Kilkenny
5. Talking God
6. Rogue Protocol: The Murderbot Diaries
7. Canoeing with the Cree
8. I'm Sorry
9. Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant
10. Gate of Ivrel (reread)
11. Abel's Island
12. See You Around, Sam
13. The Dahlbe Family Horse

---

Books culled rehomed in December:
1. Wildflowers by Juliet Alsop Hubbard
2. Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
3. Betsy-Tacy and Tib
4. Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
5. Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
6. Betsy Was a Junior
7. Betsy in Spite of Herself
8. Betsy and Joe
9. Betsy and the Great World
10. Dune
11. Legacy by James H Schmitz
12. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
13. Dilvish the Damned by Roger Zelazny
14. The Changing Land
15. Moon of Three Rings by Andre Norton
16. Year of the Unicorn
17. Hoyles Rules of Games
18. The Conquering Family by Thomas B Costain
19. The Big Silence by Stuart M Kaminsky
20. The Last Little Cat by Meindert DeJong
21. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson
22. Desert Dog by Jim Kjelgaard
23. A Nose for Trouble
24. Lion Hound
25. Wolf Brother
26. Boomerang Hunter
27. Coyote, the Wonder Wolf by Joseph Wharton Lippincott
28. The Red Roan Pony by Joseph Wharton Lippincott
29. James Herriot's Dog Stories
30. James Herriot's Animal Stories
31. Man o' War by Walter Farley
32. Red Fox by Charles GD Roberts
33. Royal Red by Jack O'Brien
34. Wanted...Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars
35. More Stories To Remember: Six Complete Novels and Thirty Stories: Volume 1 by Thomas B. Costain
36. Son of a Hundred Kings (duplicate)
37. Firefox
38. A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer
39. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
40. Talking God by Tony Hillerman
41. I'm Sorry
42. Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant
43. The Darkness and the Dawn - (ROOT)
44. On the Case with Lord Peter Wimsey:
45. Abel's Island
46. See You Around, Sam

---

Male authors read this month: 7 to date
Female authors read this month: 7 to date

---

Cumulative Stats
Books culled rehomed from my library: 46 in December
Books read and reviewed: 13
ROOTs completed to date: 34 in December through 12/28/20

Read and reviewed, not assigned to any challenge:


I'm Sorry by Mercer Mayer and Gina Mayer


Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant by Maria Girón


Gate of Ivrel by CJ Cherryh (reread)


See You Around, Sam by Lois Lowry

Next one is for YOU!!

Happy new thread!

>9 quondame: CONGRATULATIONS! You're the first on my new thread...not three minutes old.

Happy new thread! Sheesh - Susan was quick!

Wow, such organization. Congrats on new thread

Happy new thread! I like your calendar pictures.

As everyone has said, “Happy New Thread!”

There is a Lord Peter Wimsey group reading? That is how I first dabbled my toes into the social aspects of the internet. Way back when, I was a member of a Yahoo group called Piffle, and they had another group for reading through the series each year. I did that once. Fun times, and I am still acquainted with quite a few of them.

>11 Dejah_Thoris: no kidding. She pounced on my thread like a cat.

>12 Kristelh: thank you.

>13 SilverWolf28: me too, thanks for stopping by.

>14 pgmcc: following the crowd, I see... 😉😉😉

>15 MrsLee: yes, come join us.

I first discovered Wimsey after watching the Ian Carmichael television mini-series in the mid-70s. I'm enjoying rereading them some 45 years later!

>15 MrsLee: Lord Peter Wimsey Group read
Lord Peter Wimsey - June - Strong Poison #6

>17 quondame: I just discovered the copy of Strong Poison that I did read in my youth. Maybe I should take the hint...

>15 MrsLee:
So you have years of experience with piffle. You’re a professional piffler.

I am in awe.

>17 quondame: thanks for providing the link.

>18 -pilgrim-: take it! Take it!!

Reading slump is definitely over, glad CJ Cherryh helped me out of the rut. I have just finished Sea Star and started The Blue Sword last night.

Happy new one!

>16 fuzzi: & >17 quondame: Thank you for the invite. I don't trust myself to commit to reading anything at this point, but I followed the link and joined the group so I could find the thread easily. I will at least go read the piffle there for fun. :) When I get a round tuit.

>23 MrsLee: Ditto.

Round tuits are discounted this summer. One of the only benefits of lockdown.

I remember a retail catalog from years ago that sold potholders that had "Round Tuit" printed on them. They were, of course, "round" potholders!

Butterfly pictures!


6/21/20 - Red-banded Hairstreak


6/24/20 - Cabbage White


6/24/20 - Clouded Skipper


6/24/20 - Female Black Swallowtail


6/24/20 - Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail


6/26/20 - Eastern Comma


6/26/20 - Eastern Comma Butterfly (side view to show the "comma")

Oops! Forgot one:


5/31/20 - American Lady butterfly

>26 fuzzi: Wow!

>25 fuzzi: My favorite round tuits were quarter-sized disks that would pop back to shape semi-randomly when you bent them and put them down. There were all sorts of those popping discs, but I can't for the life of me remember what they were called.

>26 fuzzi: Beautiful creatures - and excellent photography!

>28 quondame: Mini Poppers?!?

>26 fuzzi: Great pics!

>30 ScoLgo: No, almost flat discs. They were ubiquitous as vendor give-aways in the 70s into 80s, maybe earlier, also party favors. Maybe they disappeared because of choking hazard laws.

Happy new thread! I'm glad your reading block is broken! And thank you for the lovely butterfly photos.

Happy new thread! You mentioned reading slumps on your last thread -- I've been in one for a while now. Covid-19 hasn't helped, but it started before then, I think. I was hopeful that I could break the slump with reading when I was on leave from work, but it didn't work out that way. I'm still doing some reading, just not to the level that I used to. Not sure what to do about it. I proved to myself a while back (by finishing a book a day for a week) that I can read if I have to, but I don't seem to have the same level of desire to read that I used to. Maybe I just need to accept that and move on.

>33 foggidawn: thanks!

I have to turn off news and even social media because so many are incessantly pushing Covid "news", 24/7. It's enough to make the most laid-back person sweat in panic. After watching Jeopardy with my 92yo father this evening I'm heading back to my book pile to get away.

I am currently reading one of your recommendations, The Blue Sword. So far I am enjoying it. I recall reading another book by the same author, The Outlaws of Sherwood about 30 years ago.

>27 pgmcc: 😁

>28 quondame: I don't recall those disks, will ask my dh: he loves stuff like that!

>29 -pilgrim-: >30 ScoLgo: >32 Sakerfalcon: thank you!

>32 Sakerfalcon: me too, on the block being broken.

Love the butterflies and moths, thanks for posting the pictures.

I was on Amazon earlier purchasing my dog's special biscuits and splurged on five Jim Kjelgaard e-books I've never read, and I think are still out of print:

Wildlife Cameraman
Tigre
Ulysses and His Woodland Zoo
Fawn in the Forest and Other Wild Animal Stories
Forest Patrol

Most of them were 99 cents...

Hey! I just realized my 9th Thingaversary was on June 30th!

How many books do I get to buy?

Happy Thingaversary!!

As many books as you want, but at least 9. :)

>38 SilverWolf28: so, four more, at least???!! Woo!

>36 Kristelh: thank you. I enjoy sharing the photos, too.

Anyone familiar with Arthur W. Upfield? His works have been recommended to me by a friend NOT on LT.

>40 fuzzi: As the only (so far as I know) Australian GD-er, I wish I could say yes. My parents were fans of Upfield and had quite a few of them. I know I read a couple in my youth, and all I can remember now is the nature of the Lake Frome Monster. It was a camel. I see though from Wikipedia that Tony Hillerman praised him, but I suspect you'll find the style a trifle stilted. You may also find the central character implausible—a half-aboriginal* man who is a Detective Inspector in the Queensland Police. If you're OK with that, you will get from them a sense of what Australia was like between the World Wars, in the city, the bush and the Outback.

*I'm skimming The Sands of Windee on Amazon now, and on page 2 I've already seen him referred to as a half-caste, in the middle of a paragraph about how able he was. You will have to be prepared for a certain amount of casual racism. And the style definitely is stilted.

ETA I didn't intend to suggest that you thought casual racism was a good idea! Just that you will see a lot of it and you need to be able to look past it as part of the atmosphere of the time.

>41 haydninvienna: Do you consider the user of half-caste as an automatic sign of racist attitudes, or simply dated terminology? The use of the term nowadays would certainly have racist intent, but did it necessarily then?

(Terminology evolves: in my youth, doctors used the term spastic for what we now call cerebral palsy. Use today is offensive, use then was not.)

As what was once meant neutrally becomes used as a pejorative, we have to evolve new neutral terms.

>42 -pilgrim-: I do feel that all through the times I've lived, anyone using half-cast did so to lower the target's status. It was never as neutral as half-x half-y or other known ways of expressing mixed heritage.

>44 -pilgrim-: I remembering it as meaning simply "half-x + half-y" i.e. a first generation meeting of two cultures - as opposed to simply a mixed racial heritage.

I first heard the term as a child, from friends who were describing themselves. I don't think they were being ironically pejorative about themselves, simply precise, because they were asking for similar information about me. (It may also be relevant that the friends speaking were Anglo-Asian; my black schoolfriends were first generation immigrants from Africa, with no mixed heritage.)

But this is the sort of delicate topic where implications in language may differ between countries. That is why I asked haydninvienna; the book in question is Australian, so I wanted to know what the usage is likely to imply in Australia.

ETA: I am referring only to my childhood, because by my late teens the word definitely was developing the sort of implications that quondame describes.

>41 haydninvienna: thanks! I think I'll keep an eye out for a free online version.

>42 -pilgrim-: In context, it’s clear that it means only a child one of whose parents was aboriginal and the other white, and is not intended to be pejorative. There will be plenty of casual racism though. I remember those times from my own childhood.

>46 haydninvienna: Thank you, Richard. Do you mean racism as portrayed in the book, or as being evident in the mindset of the author?

>47 -pilgrim-: As portrayed. I have no reason to believe that Upfield himself was a racist.

>48 haydninvienna: Thanks again. I know reading about such realities can be painful, and deserve a warning, but personally I find it a pity when discomfort over how things were (or are) puts one off recognising that reality by reading about it. Actual advocacy of such attitudes is write a different matter, however, so clarifying the distinction is very useful.

We had a strong storm roll through last night/early morning, and as I laid in bed listening to my dog Cleo pace around the house I suddenly realized we leave on vacation in two weeks!

I'm hoping to stop at a few used book shops or thrift stores along the way to see my TWO granddaughters. 😁

This year we're going to head for Connecticut first, to touch base with family, then head west past New York's Finger Lakes on our way to Niagara Falls. Our eventual destination is the Windy City, Chicago.

I'm still here, reading is going slowly as vacation preparations at home AND work are occupying most of my time.

And it's HOT...

I'm still here. Gotta spend the day cleaning house. My house-cleaning service comes tomorrow.

Anybody who doesn't understand this probably can't understand my life.

>52 MerryMary: My mother always made sure the place was spic & span before the home-help arrived.

My wife is like that,"let's get it clean before the person I paid to clean the house gets here"
And not out loud I'm thinking " aren't they supposed to do that?"

I think I'm jealous...I've never had someone clean my house for me...

>52 MerryMary: - >54 chalton: I wouldn't go so far, but it was necessary to secure certain items, car keys, sun glasses, bills urgently requiring attention, before our housekeeper arrived. She was quite creative in stowing things away where they would not be looked for. To be fair, I knew this before I hired her and she was with us over 20 years.

>52 MerryMary: >53 pgmcc: >54 chalton: My mother likes to clear up and throw everything properly every time before we check out of a hotel. My sister and I say, "But house-keeping will take care of that." My mother says, "Yeah, but we don't do this to people, right?"

>55 fuzzi: The home-help was provided to my parents as they were elderly and living by themselves and my father was bed-ridden. Home-helps did not clean up, as such. They came in, cleaned and lit the coal fire, ensured my parents had breakfast and that my father was settled well in his bed. Then they spent most of the time drinking tea and chatting to my mother. My parents became quite attached to the person who was the most regular home-help.

My mother would get up early to clean the fireplace before the home-help arrived as she didn't like the idea of someone coming in and finding the place to be less than perfect. The home-help was always complaining about my mother doing that.

>56 quondame: I grew up believing that was a most important article of faith in the Domestic Workers Union: NEVER EVER put ANYTHING back where you found it. I've never seen a housekeeper break that rule!

>59 hfglen: There is a corollary: always put it somewhere that you can reach, but the owner cannot.

In my first full-time job we found a cartoon for our boss. It was a man sitting at his desk and his secretary holding a file and asking him, "Will you want to find this again or should I file it?"

>61 pgmcc: hahahahaha! I resemble that remark.

>58 pgmcc: aw. That's sweet.

>57 Majel-Susan: we try to "organize" the hotel room before we check out. It helps us to not forget anything.

Both my adult son and I have worked waiting tables or fast food. When we go out to eat he stacks the plates as if he was the bus boy, and we leave as little mess as we can. Oh, and we give a 20% tip most of the time, unless the waitstaff was rude.

Majel-Susan,funny you should mention waitstaff.Before Corona limited eating out,we would do the same.Both our kids at one time or another waited tables,so when we finished our meal we would stack plates then silverware and try to clean up the table a little bit.Plus a decent tip.

I leave hotel rooms tidy, and try to keep them tidy while using them. My kids and I stack up the used tableware in restaurants, and bin the trash in fast food places. Laura, who has worked in clothing retail for years, tidies the displays in clothes shops.

ET remove the implication that tables need clothes ...

>64 haydninvienna: Laura, who has worked in clothing retail for years, tidies the displays in clothes shops.

I do the same. It comes from my days working in clothing retail too. I remember getting the displays all perfect and then grinding my teeth when I see customers leaving everything dishevelled and scattered everywhere. Shops would be perfect if it wasn't for those pesky customers.

>65 pgmcc: Like my days in legal work when I actually had clients: great job, except for having to deal with the clients.

I know I'm not alone in tidying up even at yard sales and thrift shops, making sure the books are all facing in the same direction.

I tell my son, who has inherited my traits, that we don't have OCD, but ATDS: Attention to Detail Syndrome...

>67 fuzzi: Is there an equivalent word to "synonym" for acronyms?

I don’t typically rearrange messy shelves in stores, although I have occasionally rearranged small amounts of things while putting something back myself. Misplaced greeting cards is the one I’m most likely to get sucked into, because I usually read a large number of them before choosing the one I want, and I often find them in the wrong place. I can’t bring myself to put one back where I got it if it didn’t belong there, so the card shelves are usually a bit better organized by the time I’m through.

But picking up after myself in hotels, stacking my dishes at restaurants, putting clothes on the intended rack in the dressing area instead of leaving them a mess inside the dressing room, etc.? Definitely. And why is it that when I go into a dressing area, almost every room has clothes left in it despite all the signs asking people to leave them on the rack by the entrance? It’s a rack by the ENTRANCE! You have to pass that rack to get OUT of the dressing area! Why can’t people just take them and drop them off as they go? Ahem, ok, I’m ok now, moving on.

In general, if I’ve used something that doesn’t belong to me, I try not to make a mess of it and to follow whatever rules are provided about using it. As everybody knows, the staff who have to deal with such things are typically overworked and underpaid, and I think it’s just really poor form to let somebody else suffer the repercussions of one’s own laziness no matter who they are. Can we please add to the list “putting shopping carts in the proper corrals when you’re done with them, and walking the extra couple of feet to nest your cart into the carts already in the corral so the corral can fit more than 4 or 5 carts”? That’s another pet peeve of mine.

One habit I have which I suspect I share with many, if not all, members of the Green Dragon, is straightening books in bookshops. This also stretches to making books I like more prominent by pulling out a copy and displaying it front cover forwards. :-)

I have not been in a bookshop since they reopened. Next week I am taking a week's annual leave and plan to go into town for a day and visit one or two of my preferred bookshops. The pandemic protocols put in place will certainly change the nature of my browsing. I may have to browse by alphabetical order with no back-tracking. Browsing a book with my N95 mask might make me believe every book is a Star Wars story and that I am Darth Vader with my deep mechanical breathing. "Yes Book! I am your buyer!"

>70 pgmcc: I may have put a book by a political figure that I didn't disapprove of in front of the copies of the book about another figure that I vehemently disapprove of.

Reorganising misplaced books in bookshops, yes, certainly. With the noted exception.

And walking a few extra feet to put your shopping cart away properly: yes, particularly in England, where you usually have to put a pound coin in the box on the handle to get the cart out, and get it back when you return it.

>71 haydninvienna: ”particularly in England, where you usually have to put a pound coin in the box on the handle to get the cart out, and get it back when you return it.”

Now that sounds like an effective solution! It can be great fun to avoid the free-roaming shopping carts when the wind decides to take them on a shopping trip of its own as you're trying to drive through the parking lot. I saw that more back when I lived in Ohio than I do here in Atlanta, I guess because it was windier, flatter, and/or less built up there.

(Edited because the way I ended that last sentence came out far bawdier than I had intended and I wasn't sure fuzzi would appreciate that in her thread! I blame Chaucer.)

>72 YouKneeK: thanks, we're good. And I love your moniker.

The only store I know of that requires a coin to remove/use a cart is Aldi's, my favorite store.

Back when I worked at McDonald's I was often amazed by the inconsiderate acts of customers, things that made extra work for the employees. One morning I went out in the lobby to wipe down tables and found a booth where someone had dumped their breakfast on the table and then poured hotcake syrup all over it. It obviously was intentional. What a mess.

I don't hide books in bookstores, well, not unless I feel the book shouldn't be quite so accessible to younger readers (50 Shades of Gray doesn't belong next to Dr. Seuss). If I can't figure out where it needs to go, a higher shelf is an option.

>70 pgmcc: hahaha!

>70 pgmcc: Peter, I'll bet you say that to all the books.

Which reminds me that I've seen the coin in the slot thing for trolleys in Ireland too, although of course there it was a 1-euro coin. >72 YouKneeK: Given that $1 coins exist in the US but are rare, what coin does Aldi use? A quarter doesn't seem like it would be enough.

>74 haydninvienna: I'll bet you say that to all the books.

Richard, I think this is a trait we share.

Coins in the trolley has been in Ireland, and I hasten to add, France for quite some time. It varies from 1 euro to 2 euros coins. In one local Lidl store the trolleys were supposed to take 1 euro coins, but the people in the shop told people, "It'll take 20 or 50 cent coins too. :-)

There is one Ironic store behaviour I found ironic in Tesco and in a supermarket in France. Both had coin deposit trolleys. Now, my understanding is that the shopper invests 1 euro in the trolley and is therefore motivated to return the trolley to the trolley bay to retrieve their 1 euro.

As you can imagine, people might arrive at the shop without a €1 coin. They will then go into the Customer Service desk to ask for change to be able to use the trolley.

Well, in the two stores showing ironic behaviour I found my self in the situation of needing to get change of a €2 coin to get €1 for the trolley. In both these cases they gave me a free plastic disk the size of a €1 coin to use on the trolley. :-) It seems to defeat the purpose of the coin released trolley.

I treasure those plastic disks.

>73 fuzzi: Thanks!

>74 haydninvienna: I’ll defer that question to >73 fuzzi:, which is probably the post you meant to reference anyway. I’ve never shopped at an Aldi myself so I'm not sure how it works. I don't think Aldi has many/any stores in my area.

>74 haydninvienna: Aldi's has quarter ($.25) slots. Even though it's only a quarter people still bring the carts back to the corral in order to retrieve their money.

>75 pgmcc: kind of like a bus token...

>76 YouKneeK: you're welcome!

WHERE WERE YOU PEOPLE WHEN I WAS WORKING IN RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS?!

On a serious note, don't make the bed when you check out of a hotel room. It's much easier on housekeeping if you toss the top sheets and spreads on a couch or at the foot of the bed.

>78 MrsLee: I don’t make the bed, but I do tidy up and make sure all the towels we used in one big clump. I’ve always wondered, if it looks like the towels haven’t been touched, do they leave them or take them anyway?

>78 MrsLee: bwahaha!

I don't make the beds when I check out, but pull the covers back to check for stray items like socks.

A housekeeper once told me to leave all the dirty towels in a pile on the bathroom floor, so I do that now.

>79 catzteach: I have stated in hotels where a notice in the bathroom explicitly requests all patrons to put the towels that they have used into the bath, for laundering. All those left on the racks would be left for the next guests.

The purpose was to stated as saving on harmful water pollutants in the laundry detergents - but I suspect it was primarily a cost-cutting exercise regarding the amount of laundry that needed to be done daily.

The best laid plans...

My SIL called, asking if I'd seen their governor's latest edict. It appears that people from our state (NC) and 30 other states face $1000 fines if they don't quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in their state, Connecticut. New York has a $2000 fine for visitors who don't quarantine, and even has agents at the airports waiting to apprehend violators. So the PA/NY/CT part of our road trip has been removed. Oh well.

I spent most of Saturday cancelling motel reservations, mapping new routes, and finding lodging that's not exorbitantly priced. Whew.

Starting tomorrow we'll be heading north into Virginia, stopping at the Appomattox Courthouse, then heading into West Virginia and eastern Ohio. We're booked for two days at a motel near Lake Erie. And then we'll head for Chicago to see our granddaughters.

I'm hoping that nothing interferes with us going to see our "girls". My job duties prevent me from leaving later this summer/fall, and my sinuses won't let me go north in winter. And children grow so fast...

>82 fuzzi: curious, how do they know you haven’t (or have) quarantined if you are driving?

>79 catzteach: & >81 -pilgrim-: In the hotel I ran, towels on racks were left while a guest occupied the room, but when they checked out, all linens were removed and washed. I don't want to stay in a hotel that doesn't do that. Ick.

>82 fuzzi: Hope you find a way to enjoy your getaway and your grand babies.

>83 catzteach: Apparently in Australia now some states are issuing permits to travel, or forbidding entry outright: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/australias-covid-19-border-restrictions-040034712.html....

Checking in!

No internet at our hotels the first couple nights, weird.

My laptop power button is jammed, so I can't upload photos.

>83 catzteach: I don't know, perhaps they'd pull me over for my NC plates?

Another snag: Cook County is threatening $7000 fines for visitors. We're arranging to meet family outside the quarantined area.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a tropical storm is headed for NC.

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...

>85 haydninvienna: it would make sense to get some sort of permit

>86 fuzzi: even if they pulled you over, how would they know you weren’t lying? It just doesn’t seem enforceable. Although, fining visitors would definitely work to keep them out.

>87 catzteach: it worked for us.

We're back, had a wonderful time despite all the setbacks.

I read absolutely nothing during the trip, too tired from the driving and then visiting with an active 4 year old!

We did stop at Von's Books in Lafayette, Indiana, and I bought three children's books. One I'd read before and loved, as a child, and I'm happy to report that I still enjoyed it!


Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink

Fun and somewhat believable story about a couple young girls cast adrift in a lifeboat, along with four babies under 2! There's nothing really objectionable in the tale, and the songs that Jean makes up tend to stick in one's head.

I read this many times as a child, and was pleased to enjoy it again as an adult.

Hi Fuzzi,
I didn't realise you had a new thread until I went back to the top of your first thread and saw the link here.

Thanks for dropping by and commenting on the tidying up book I reviewed. Amongst my favourite books in that genre are Let It Go (Peter Walsh) and Decluttering at the Speed of Life (Dana White). The topic is so fascinating, with so many approaches.

BTW, your butterfly photos are so gorgeous! Better than my id books for images!

>90 SandyAMcPherson: thanks for stopping by, and your compliments. I have a small Ricoh camera that excels with macro shots.

I'm not exactly in a reading slump, but I'm not enjoying Hospital Station as much as I hoped I would. I might put it down for now and get something else started before I waste the entire month slogging through one book.

I wuz bad...

The used book store was open...found some Newberys!

Medal Winners
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois

Honor Book
1981: The Fledgling by Jane Langton

And some non-Newberys:

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
The Pinballs by Betsy Byers
The Cybil War by Betsy Byers
The Foxman by Gary Paulsen
Tracker by Gary Paulsen
The Fabulous Flight by Robert Lawson
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Prescription For Nutritional Healing (spare copy to share!)
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
(Streamsong recommended this author)

>94 fuzzi: I liked The Blue Sword better than the The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.

At the time both were on my fave section of fantasy books. I reread both of these stories last year and they've held up very well (for me). My re-reading of the Riddle of the Stars Trilogy didn't make the cut, though. I traded them to our second hand bookshop.

Gary Paulsen is a delightful writer, well-liked around these parts. I haven't read Tracker or The Foxman. The book I enjoyed most was his account of a 1980's adventure when he competed in the Iditarod Trail (Sled Dog Race).

Anyway, good scores!

>94 fuzzi: Nice haul :)

>95 SandyAMcPherson: I've read others opinions that The Hero and the Crown wasn't as good as the other, but since I had credit, it didn't cost anything.

I've read a bunch of Paulsen's works, and only disliked one. I really liked The Cookcamp, which is partly autobiographical.

Do you recall if the book you read was Winterdance or Woodsong? I've not yet read Winterdance. I also really liked Guts.

>96 Narilka: thank you. I think a lot of us have recently been dropping off the books we've been holding for the past few months. There was a huge pile of "new" books that hadn't been shelved yet.

>94 fuzzi: Excellent haul!

I actually prefer The Hero and the Crown to The Blue Sword, though I love both of them, really.

>98 foggidawn: good to hear!

Not sure how quickly I will get to it, though.

>97 fuzzi: YES!! Thank you. I couldn't remember the title.
Definitely Winterdance (the one I read). We live in sled dog country and several acquaintances train race dogs ~ (I don't personally know anyone who actually finished the race, though). It is very gruelling. So I was really keen on this story. I must dig it out for a re-read. I hope you are enthralled.

The Man has just informed me that "his" library (the one in our house) has Woodsong. Apparently this book has some of the episodes from his first Iditarod (1983 I think, though the Woodsong book was published in 1990).

>100 SandyAMcPherson: I've got Winterdance on my Wishlist, a few others. Whenever I stop at a used book store I check out their youth section to see if they have any Paulsen books.

Lucky you on Woodsong!

Only 7 books in August...oh well. I just haven't felt much like reading this month.

I was so disappointed in Shadow of a Bull. While I had sympathy for the young man being coerced into following in his father's bullfighting career, there was too much glorification of the bullfighting process and disregard for the welfare of the horses to keep me going past page 54.

So I turned to something lighter: The Cybil War by Betsy Byars

Best friends for years due to similar situations, two boys come in conflict over a pretty girl in class.

The kids are real, and the situations are not contrived. If you appreciate Beverly Cleary's books such as Dear Mr. Henshaw, this should also appeal to you.

I'll be reading more of this author's books.

>103 fuzzi:

There has been a bit of a discussion going on in my thread about reviews and what they should and shouldn't contain. I think your post about The Cybil War is perfect. You state the premise, describe the quality of the characterisation and the realism of the situations, then give a succinct indication of who might enjoy the book, and end with your stating you would read more of this author's books.

I also think your comments on Shadow of a Bull are a real justification for not reading past page 54. Your comments have informed me that I will also not like that book.

Thank you!

>104 pgmcc: thank you!

When I review a book I've read (or partially read) I try to "sell" it to others if I liked it, and express why if I didn't like it.

And I avoid spoilers, too. I don't read reviews on LT before I read a book as I don't want it ruined for me. ;)

>105 fuzzi: I don't read reviews on LT before I read a book as I don't want it ruined for me.

Same here.

What a reading slump...I'm still on book #2 for September!

I was sitting here, trying to figure out why.

My best guess is that Real Life has been very busy, including 10 hour days at work.

Hopefully I can catch up in the next week or so...

Got one read last night, though I'm not impressed with it...

Take Care of Dexter by Clyde Robert Bulla

This was a strange little book about new neighbors in a rural area. The characters are barely two dimensional, and there is no plot, just vignettes. I was disappointed that potential was squandered.

>103 fuzzi: I really like Betsy Byars. I recommend her quite a bit to my students.

>107 fuzzi: I was in a reading slump for much of September as well. I think it is a case of "Coping-with-Virus-Burnout".

One bright note, I finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird and as you predicted, it was stellar. Reviewed on my thread, so I won't say more here.

I hope you will find something to engage you going forward into October.

>110 SandyAMcPherson: so glad you enjoyed TKAM. I don't recall when I first read it, not in school, but I can't forget how wonderful it was.

I have a number of books waiting for October, but I just finished a 4 star in the wee hours of the morning, Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer. My review is the only one for it here on LT.

>111 fuzzi: Excellent review of Jonathan Blair: Bounty Lands Lawyer and a potential BB for me. I up thumbed your review.

>112 SandyAMcPherson: thank you!

I have a feeling I'm not going to meet my usual numbers this year, but I guess that's just par for 2020...

Oh well.

>114 fuzzi: But we're doing this for fun, right?
I have to remind myself of that every time I DNF a book, or decided not to read something I had on my TBR list.

There've been many times where I'll read a few pages and then realise I haven't absorbed the story at all! Anxiety does weird things in my brain.

>115 SandyAMcPherson: yes, for fun...AND to get the book mountains reduced some 😁

Still struggling with reading, just too tired from 10 hour days at work, plus being support for family...I guess?

As I had 39 hours worked by Thursday afternoon, I took off on Friday to catch up on errands. First my brother needed a driver for his post-surgical appointment, then I took my father to Aldi's, and Cleo needed a shampoo and nail trim so I took her for A RIDE to the groomer's. While she was being pampered I dropped off a return at the UPS Store and stocked up on bird seed and suet at Wild Birds Unlimited...they are having a 20% off sale! And then I stopped at a farm & garden center to purchase a big steel trash can to store the bird seed in. Whew.

Then I applied another coat of stain to my little porch and cleaned debris out of one of my ponds and rinsed out the filter media.

This morning the weather was kind of drizzly, so instead of looking for yard sales my Dad and I went to a couple of thrift stores...books were 10 for $1.00. My haul was modest:

The Dahlbe Family Horse
Whitey's New Saddle
Let the Hammer Down!
One-eyed Cat (Newbery Honor)
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (abridged)
Subs and Submariners

This afternoon I did a major cleaning of my 29g aquarium, as I'd been having algae issues.

Can I go sit quietly somewhere now and READ??!! 😁

>117 fuzzi: Holy cats, fuzzi! You DEFINITELY deserve a nice quiet reading day. I'm sure it feels great to get all those things done, but you need a reward!

>117 fuzzi: I feel as if I accomplished something, too. Some weekends it's all I can do to get out of bed and "putter" around the house. Having my dad close by keeps me from crawling back into bed on days off...not that the cats and dog would tolerate me not being at their beck and call by 6am!

I see the ticker place's update reset my tickers... 🙄😒

>117 fuzzi: You sure you shouldn't have reroofed the house, mowed the lawn and fixed dinner for 30? ;)

You rest girl!

>121 MrsLee: bwahaha!

Today I did one load of laundry, attended an online church service, then took a couple books to bed. No nap, just rested, and I feel better.

Hi Fuzzi, Just came by to see how you are doing.
Hope those 10-hour days can be a thing of the past. It's crazy-making.

Did you find a copy of Winterdance? Or can you borrow the book from your public library? I have added (finally) Woodsong to my bedside reading pile (at the #5 place) right now, but I just finished a library e-book tonight, so that means it moved up 1 notch. I might sneak it higher, since Gary is an amusing writer. I could do with some amusement rather than the suspense I just went through in a Kate Ellis novel.

>40 fuzzi: My dad and I read all the Bony mysteries we could get back in the 60s. Of my 3 libraries, only the larges Los Angeles City Public Library, has any of his books, and few copies of those it does have.

That was weird - I was dumped in the thread as if >40 fuzzi: were one of the unread entries, so I responded, only to find I had taken part of the discussion originally following it.

>123 SandyAMcPherson: yes, recruitment/interviews are complete until next August!

I have located copies but not purchased Winterdance yet. I wait until I get a "Buy 3 get 1 free" sort of deal online. They pop up frequently on Ebay.

I know what you mean about needing something...lighter? I've read a lot of such this year.

>124 quondame: lots of tweaking going on right now, behind the scenes here on LT. I've given up finding out why many of my books listed as "read but unowned" were relisted as books in my library. I didn't do it, just figured it was a software glitch.

I'D LOVE YOUR INPUT!

I had cataract replacement surgery on my right eye about three years ago, and it has settled in nicely to 20/25.

Now it's getting to a point where I need to have the lens replacement surgery for my other eye, the left.

Have any of you had this surgery in both eyes?

If so, I'd love your input, with your lens choices.

Do I go with the "close" lens that lets me see my computer and books fairly clearly

or

Do I go with another lens implant that will bring my second eye close to 20/20?

The second option means that I will wear glasses to use the computer or to read, and probably to use my phone.

It's a permanent decision, so I'm thinking and researching seriously.

Thanks in advance.

After my surgery, I began using "cheaters"...mildly correcting readers. I haven't been sorry. They are inexpensive; I have several pairs all over the place. They are no bother; wear them on top of my head, slip 'em down, push 'em back up.

Besides, wearing them on top of my head gives me a certain je nais sais quoit that I appreciate. At my age I'll take all the cool I can get.

>128 MerryMary: wearing them on top of my head gives me a certain je nais sais quoit that I appreciate.

Tres chic!

>128 MerryMary: but did you have both eyes set for driving/distance? Or did you try the monovision: one eye set for distance and one for near?

>129 pgmcc: I do that now with my regular glasses which I need for computer work. The difference in the eyes is so great that I have to work with one eye closed when I wear them. The optometrist explained that my brain can't quite handle the difference between one eye being 20/400 and one being 20/25!

I wore a contact in the "bad" eye and didn't have an issue with the difference, so the monovision is a possibility. There is a loss of depth perception, though.

>129 pgmcc: Exactly!!

>130 fuzzi: I had both of them set the same. Driving/distance. My cheaters correct for up close just fine.

It's been a slower-than-usual reading year for me, but I expect I'll still hit at least 100 books read.

I've got 12 to go, and two months...

Ten to go, 6 weeks...

Stolen from SandyAMcPherson's thread, who stole it from RD’s thread, who stole it from PC's thread.

***

1. Name any book you read at any time that was published in the year you turned 18:
The Rawhide Knot and Other Stories by Conrad Richter

2. Name a book you have on in your TBR pile that is over 500 pages long:
The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman (608)

3. What is the last book you read with a mostly blue cover?
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

4. What is the last book you didn’t finish (and why didn’t you finish it?)
Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock

I gave this 50 pages, but there's nothing between the covers to keep me reading, especially with so many good books waiting on my shelves.

5. What is the last book that scared the bejeebers out of you?
Hard to say, I don't care for scary books so I don't read them anymore. From the 1980s I recall 1984 gave me nightmares, as did The God Project by John Saul.

6. Name the book that read either this year or last year that takes place geographically closest to where you live? How close would you estimate it was?
Fair Blows the Wind by Louis L'Amour takes place partly in the Outer Banks, about 90 miles' drive from where I live.

7.What were the topics of the last two nonfiction books you read?
The Triple Crown (USA thoroughbred racing) and World War I.

8. Name a recent book you read which could be considered a popular book?
All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - it has 140 reviews here on LT, more than most of my other recent reads.

9. What was the last book you gave a rating of 5-stars to? And when did you read it?
Watership Down by Richard Adams, a reread from May 2020.

10. Name a book you read that led you to specifically to read another book (and what was the other book, and what was the connection)
All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. I enjoyed it so much I read the second book in the series Artificial Condition.

11. Name the author you have most recently become infatuated with.
Hammond Innes

12. What is the setting of the first novel you read this year?
Elizabethan England and 1600's Carolinas Outer Banks

13. What is the last book you read, fiction or nonfiction, that featured a war in some way (and what war was it)?
If strictly a "war" and not just a conflict like a cattle war, then The United States in World War 1: would be the last "war" book I read.

14. What was the last book you acquired or borrowed based on an LTer’s review or casual recommendation? And who was the LTer, if you care to say.
Sargasso of Space by Andre Norton, Recommended by leslie.98

15. What the last book you read that involved the future in some way?
The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert A. Heinlein

16. Name the last book you read that featured a body of water, river, marsh, or significant rainfall?
The Strode Venturer by Hammond Innes

17. What is last book you read by an author from the Southern Hemisphere?
Hills End by Ivan Southall (June 2018)

18. What is the last book you read that you thought had a terrible cover?
The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert A. Heinlein

19. Who was the most recent dead author you read? And what year did they die?
Glenn Balch, died in 1989

20. What was the last children’s book (not YA) you read?
Big Wishes for Little Feat by Cheryl Olsten (Early Reviewer)

21. What was the name of the detective or crime-solver in the most recent crime novel you read?
Toby Peters in Bullet for a Star by Stuart Kaminsky

22. What was the shortest book of any kind you’ve read so far this year?
Probably The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

23. Name the last book that you struggled with (and what do you think was behind the struggle?)
Shadow of a Bull due to the callousness of the people about the injuries suffered by animals and people alike. I did not finish it.

24. What is the most recent book you added to your library here on LT?
Wagontongue by Elmer Kelton

25. Name a book you read this year that had a visual component (i.e. illustrations, photos, art, comics)
Prince Valiant, Vol. 9: 1953-1954 by Hal Foster

BONUS QUESTION!
26. What is the title and year of the oldest book in your physical library that you have reviewed on LT?
Call of the Wild by Jack London, published in 1906

>135 fuzzi:
That looks fun. I might be robbing that from fuzzi’s thread. :-)

>136 pgmcc: it was fun, just took a little effort...so many books don't show their original date of publication until you open up the work.

>135 fuzzi: I should clarify that the 'Oldest book' means the one in your possession.
I may have misled people with how I phrased the question.

So Fuzzi, do you actually own a book of that vintage (c700 AD)?

>138 SandyAMcPherson: bwahaha! No. I'll have to go check to see what I have. I might have something about 90 years old.

>138 SandyAMcPherson: if by "oldest book" you mean edition age, I've found Baree, son of Kazan from 1922.

I might have something older, but I can't seem to sort my books by publication dates, and scrolling through 1500+ books is going to take some time...

ETA: I never reviewed Baree, so I can't use it. I have a copy of Angus and the Ducks from 1930.

I'll keep looking.

Addendum: I've a copy of The Call of the Wild printed in 1906.

RE: #18 For some reason, ALL Heinlein books have terrible covers. I was a little embarassed to be seen with a copy of Friday.

>141 Darth-Heather: the revealing cover or the muddy brown one of her running?

>135 fuzzi: I think I'll "borrow" this idea too :) Looks fun.

>135 fuzzi: What a fun challenge!

Here's the cover of what I believe is the oldest edition in my physical library:



An abridged version of this story was one of the first books I remember reading as a young child of about 6.

>145 fuzzi: A lovely cover and a great story.

>146 pgmcc: it is a lovely illustration. And a great story.


Credit to illustrators Philip R. Goodwin and Charles Livingston Bull

Next book, The Miracle of Dunkirk or The Sound and the Furry?

Both are ROOT books, which I've been trying to read before the new and shiny tomes, but which one will I choose tonight?

Probably the one close at hand...Dunkirk. I'm not sure where the other is shelved, oops!

I love the book meme. I think I'll borrow it to work on, although I suspect it will take me a while to complete it.

I've never read The Call of the Wild. That is a wonderful illustration on the cover. Do you try to collect some of the older editions?

>142 fuzzi: the one i had is a lady that looks like Sigourney Weaver, wearing a jumpsuit unzipped to the navel. makes it difficult to take anything seriously after that.

>149 streamsong: oh, you MUST read The Call of the Wild. It's a short book, but a powerful story.

I enjoy older books, and sometimes an older edition is all that is available. One author I love is Anne Bosworth Greene, who apparently has been out of print for close to a century. So, all her books (which I finally managed to find!) are editions from the 1920s and 1930s.

Here is a passage from one of her more youth-oriented books, The White Pony in the Hills:

"There was another mountain to go over today; a charming road, leading up through golden woods flecked with sunlight, while a clear brook dashed along, dodging great mossy boulders and giving silver leaps down its many waterfalls. Sometimes you find a brook that seems dull and out of humor, lurking swampily behind muddy-footed alders, or making its sullen way through a bog, but this one was specially filled with mountain joy and raced along, laughing and splashing, while families of golden ferns lighted its brown pools."

James Oliver Curwood wrote similar stories to those of Jack London, but Curwood's are less angst-ridden and more about the people and animals of the time. He was also an early advocate of conservation, so I believe the modern reader will appreciate his views. Some here might recall the 1988 movie The Bear, which was based upon one of Curwood's stories.

I would collect more older editions of some of my favorites, like The Jungle Book, but space is so limited I have to be content with what I have (about 5 editions??).

>150 Darth-Heather: oh, that's the one that I have. I'm not fond of it aside from that it was painted by one of my favorite artists, Michael Whelan. He's the illustrator who did the lovely covers for McCaffrey's Pern books and a majority of CJ Cherryh works as well.

Here's one of his illustrations for The Lord of the Rings

>151 fuzzi: Just as a matter of interest, have you ever read Jock of the Bushveld? I'd suggest a glance in the direction of the works of Sangiro if they weren't all in Afrikaans (only one in LT, which is even less help).

>153 hfglen: ooh! Don't recall that one. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm a sucker for a good dog story, especially if the dog doesn't die in the end...although I still love Where the Red Fern Grows :sob:

If they translate Sangiro I'll be glad to give them a try.

>151 fuzzi: I see I have The Lone Winter by Greene, but it is unread. Now, where might it be?!

>155 2wonderY: READ IT! READ IT!

I would look up at the end of a chapter and be surprised that it wasn't snowing outside my window...

>156 fuzzi: What a marvelous image of getting wrapped up in it!

I'm a little more than halfway through The Miracle of Dunkirk; it's slow going but very good.

As with this author's other books I've read, there's a plethora of information within the covers but presented in a very reader-friendly manner. Evidence from many sources highlights an incredible lack of communication that caused chaos with the evacuation, and I am repeatedly amazed that it went as well as it did. Dunkirk was a miracle, indeed.

Review coming when I finish it, hopefully before Thanksgiving when I'll be busy unto exhaustion with preparations.

>158 fuzzi: I met a man through work whose uncle was part of the rear-guard for the evacuation. They did not get away and had to make their way as best they could. His uncle's group came under attack and he was the only survivor, left for dead on a beach by the attackers. A local priest found him and hid him in his church for a few days until he managed to have a local fisherman bring him across the channel. The man telling me the story was quite upset that the story of what happened the rear-guard was not often mentioned.

>159 pgmcc: in the book I've already read eyewitness accounts from those who were in the rear-guard, from the few who survived being massacred by SS troops after being captured. It's horrific, though not too graphic to give me nightmares.

>160 fuzzi: It is good to hear they are mentioned in the book. My friend would have appreciated that. He was quite bitter about his uncle's comrades in arms not being given the recognition they deserved. According to him his uncle was very bitter about the way they were left there.

>161 pgmcc: I'm fairly certain that I'm going to highly recommend this book, in case anyone you know might be interested. I've read the author's A Night to Remember and Day of Infamy so far, and both were excellent reads.

Took a car trunkful (of boxes) of books to the used bookstore today. Most weren't mine, but were given to me by my coworker, whose sister is disabled and reads all day. Most of her castoffs were Evanovich types, which don't interest me...so I decided to get credit instead.

AAAAAND I came home with 9 books:

Talking God by Tony Hillerman (for a December challenge)
After the Bugles by Elmer Kelton
Wanted...Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars
Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
Cotton in My Sack by Lois Lenski

Three Newberys (for my Newbery challenge):
Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
Abel's Island by William Steig

But the best find was a Rudyard Kipling short story collection published in 1936, illustrated by Kurt Wiese: Great Kipling Stories With a Life of Rudyard Kipling by Lowell Thomas! It's in very good condition, though no dust jacket. And the end papers are yummy...

>163 fuzzi:
That was a very beneficial trip and exchange. That Kiplings sounds like a lovely find.

>164 pgmcc: it is lovely, thanks.

I've already read and rehomed two of the books I picked up on Friday.

Here's to hoping the Touchstones issues will be resolved, soon.

>163 fuzzi: Sounds like a more-than fair exchange to me. A good friend of mine enjoys the Janet Evanovich books but they don't appeal to me at all, so I keep using the excuse of not being able to find the first in the series for why I haven't started reading them!

>167 Sakerfalcon: good excuse!

I don't recall the other authors, except Norah Lofts. I do like a little romance reading on occasion, but prefer the Georgette Heyer types. :)

Making Notes for January:

AlphaKIT
"P" & "M"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327171)
The Rescuers by Marjorie Sharp

American Authors Challenge
"All in the Family"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327816)

British Author Challenge
"Children's Classics"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327759#n7359981)
The Rescuers by Marjorie Sharp

Classics-I-Have-Not-Read
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/314434#)

HistoryCAT
"Middle Ages"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327064#)

Louis L'Amour Shared Read Challenge for 2021
(January)
(url)

Mystery KIT January 2021
"Water"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327166)

Newbery Challenge
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/316991#)

Nonfiction CAT

Random CAT January 2021
"LOL"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327222)

ROOT Challenge
(url)

Official UN-official SFF-KIT
"Read an SFF book you meant to read in 2020, but never started/completed"
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/327234#7343331)

🤔

Argh. I dun it again...bought/ordered a book I already owned.

No excuse, it was cataloged here on LT.

>170 fuzzi: Been there. Done that.

No excuse now; you will have to read it.

>170 fuzzi: Same. Just last week, in fact.

>170 fuzzi: I have improved since starting to use LibraryThing and checking it on my phone, but I am the person that discovered on one occasion that I had five copies of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

>171 pgmcc: and one of them I bought two years ago, so it's a "ROOT" book.

Someone's going to get a used copy of Texas Sunrise for Christmas...

I think what happened was I saw I was missing the first in the series, and didn't realize I had both in the series in an omnibus. :sigh:

>172 2wonderY: ouch.

>173 pgmcc: I hope at least they were different translations.

I just can't get Touchstones to work anymore...

>176 fuzzi: I have been posting the message, then opening it with edit. If I wait a little, they seem to come up. That's on my phone.

>176 fuzzi: Agree with >177 MrsLee:; waiting seems to help. I don't post, edit, wait - I just wait a while. Sometimes it takes up to a minute or so for the touchstone to populate in the preview window over on the right. Once it shows up in that window, it seems to work as expected in the actual post. Firefox on a desktop computer for me.

>178 ScoLgo: >176 fuzzi: I have been having the same problem. I have noticed that editing a post, which I often do to correct AutoCorrect-induced spelling problems, often causes the issue. Refreshing the web page sometimes (but not always) helps.
Tablet; Chrome.

Thanks for the suggestions regarding Touchstones.

I open, edit, wait, and get a Timed Out message. I save, refresh, open the post to edit...nothing happens, no spinning reminder that the Touchstones are loading.

Lather, rinse, repeat, wait, reload, save, cancel, NOTHING works.

It's frustrating, not just for appearance's sake, or for completion, but also because I use the Touchstones to access the book or author instead of typing them into the Search box.

I hope LT can fix it, sooner preferred.

Please join me in my 2021 thread, here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/327963#7362127

It's still very much a work-in-progress, but my January post is shaping up nicely.