Cheli's (cyderry) 75 thread for 2021

Hi, I'm Chèli, I've been a member of 75ers since 2009. I made infrequent visits to my thread in 2020, so I'm going to try to do better this year.

Most of my time on LT is centered around the Category Challenge (which is what got me hooked on LT in the first place) and as the leader of the pack when it comes to ROOTing - Read Our Own Tomes - a group where we make a conscience effort to read the books that have been sitting on our shelves for too long - the shelves can be actual or virtual. So come and join us if your shelves are sagging under the weight of unread books!

I love to read and I better get to it! Last year I had 672 on my TBRs, I did pretty well because my TBRs are now ONLY 585. At this rate it will take me around 7 years to get caught up, but that's only if I don't keep acquiring new books and ARCs. Fat chance of that happening. I guess I'll just have to keep suffering through, spending my time reading when not involved with family and friends.

2020 was a pretty average year number wise for my reading, but the pandemic and lockdowns did take their toll. I normally read about 10-12 books a month but I actually had 4 months when I barely squeezed 5 books off the list. I couldn't concentrate - only watch the virus case numbers move up and down. But once the news started to seem on a even keel, my reading got back to normal. Then somewhat suddenly my Mom at 95 passed away. I think it was sheer loneliness because we couldn't get to see her, I talked to her everyday, but I'm sure you can understand about seeing someone face to face. My grandkids are growing and I was able "visit" with them through face apps, but I sure miss the hugs and kisses. Book Club has been a challenge but we do ZOOM once a month to talk about our book selections. So I'm hoping to get some reading done 2021 but not sure exactly how much I can expect. But you can be sure that my tablets are stuffed with e-books and my MP3 is stocked with audiobooks. As long as my batteries can be recharged, I'm good to go but if the batteries give out I still have a "few" tree books (ARDs-Antique Reading Devices) on the TBR shelves as well.

Wishing everyone a healthy, peaceful, and good book filled 2021.

Since quiet has been requested I will tiptoe in to say that it is great to see you back for another year, Cheli!

I wasn't particularly present in 2020 either. About the only thing I did was update the list of books I read during the year. So let's hope we're both able to be more present in 2021.

Happy new thread. I hope next year will be easier for you.

Welcome back! I think all of us lost a bit of momentum in 2020 because of the disheartening news. Happy reading in 2021!

Best wishes for a better 2021!

Happy reading in 2021, Chèli!

Happy New Year, Chèli!

And keep up with my friends here, Cheli. Have a great 2021.

Happy New Year!

Hi, Cheli. 2020 was an awful year. My sympathies about your mother. I lost my brother and FIL last year. Let’s hope 2021 is kinder.

Hi Chèli, and Happy New Year!

>1 cyderry: I’m so sorry to hear about your mother.

ARDs – Antique Reading Devices. I like it. *smile*

Happy new thread--good luck on these ROOTS. Hope 2021 is a brighter, better, bookier year for you.

Excited today because my friends and I are doing tea! Don't worry, not going anywhere. We are going to be brewing our teas at home and ZOOMing!
We've sent each other teas and scones and coffee cakes (can you eat coffee cake with tea?) and we are going to have egg salad sandwiches and fruit. So it will be like we are together but not. My friends and I usually go to a tea room every couple of months but because of the pandemic we haven't been able to do that since March! We did see each other at my Mom's service, but otherwise just phone calls every week. And by ZOOMing we don't have to go out in the cold or worry about the weather!

Can't wait for our luncheon tea!

I've been looking at my TBR list a lot this month and have been trying to convince myself that I will get all of them read sometime. However, I know that I will continue to get more books.

The question I ask myself is..."Will I ever get them all read?" If I'm honest, the answer is no. I'm thinking about taking a reality check and eliminating books I know I will never read from my catalog as well as search my shelves and box up books for donation of those I know I will never read.

I think I'm going to try to do a few each month. I went through the collection of my TBRs and tagged ones for possible deletion from my catalog and found nearly 200 that I felt I really wouldn't read. I got them either as FREEBIE or a gift they've just been sitting there, so I think I'll try to eliminate 10 a month - that would be 120 for the year.

I think I can do that.

I have done my first month's purge! 21 books that my sister Maureen gave to me when she moved 8 years ago (somewhere around there) I know that I will not read these so I'm boxing them up for donation.

I also chose 8 audiobooks that I downloaded several years ago that sounded interesting to me at the time. Now not so much. So those are going too.

I'm not going to count my purges toward my 75 but I will keep track.

>15 cyderry: I'm in the process of whittling down my TBR list. I've eliminated many that I'll never read--some because they aren't in the library, and they are not books I'd spend money to purchase; others because the interest is no longer there. I've still got a few pages to go through. I'll still never read them all, but it is more manageable.

Must be something in the January winds...I discovered that Kindle is now allowing deletion of books in your library!

I cleared out 44 from my "My Library" category here on LT.

I also discovered that many, many books I had added to LT but not to My Library category (My Library means in house, or on iPad) were checked as if they were IN my library! I went through about 400 books yesterday and removed them from My Library. Many of them I added "rehomed" to the comments, so if the software glitch (assuming that was what did it) recurs, I can figure out which ones I'd rehomed already.

Make sense?

>17 fuzzi: I started going through and realized that a bunch of those in my TBR that were very old were FREEBIES I picked up when I first started with my e-readers. Time to wipe them out.

>15 cyderry: Congratulations on getting off to a good start. Letting go of books can be a challenging process.

Hi Cheli, 2020 was a horrible year for everyone. I am sorry for your loss. My mom passed away last year, too, though it was because of cancer.

Let's make 2021 a better year... it looks like you are fully stocked with great reading and audio material! Happy new reading year - and have a lovely weekend!

GOOD ADVICE
1. Your shoes are the first thing people subconsciously notice about you. Wear nice shoes.
2. Sleeping without a pillow reduces back pain and keeps your spine stronger.
3. If a part of your body "falls asleep", You can almost always "wake it up" by shaking your head.
4. There are three things the human brain cannot resist noticing - food, attractive people and danger.
5. Putting dry tea bags in gym bags or smelly shoes will absorb the unpleasant odor.
6. According to Albert Einstein, if honey bees were to disappear from earth, humans would be dead within 4 years.
7. You can survive without eating for weeks, but you will only live 11 days without sleeping.
8. People who laugh a lot are healthier than those who don’t.
9. Our body gives enough heat in 30 minutes to boil 1.5 liters of water!!
10. The Ovum egg is the largest cell and the sperm is the smallest cell!!
11. Stomach acid (conc. HCl) is strong enough to dissolve razor blades!!
12. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day & while you walk, SMILE. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
13. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
14. When you wake up in the morning, pray to ask God's guidance for your purpose, today.
15. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, broccoli, and almonds.
16. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Forgive them for everything.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Help the needy, Be generous! Be a 'Giver' not a 'Taker'
27. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
28. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
29. Each night before you go to bed, pray to God and be thankful for what you accomplished, today. What if you woke up this morning and only had what you thanked God for yesterday? DON’T FORGET TO THANK GOD FOR EVERYTHING.
30. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed! 💕

I try to remember when I start my prayers to say "Lord, before I ask for anything, I want to thank you for everything."

Thursday, January 21st is National Hugging Day. But that's a no-no right now. I'm sending mine virtually to all my friends.

>18 cyderry: I agree!

Like wire clothes hangers, freebie ebooks seem to multiply into unmanageable mountains when left unattended...

Happy reading weekend, Cheli.

>21 cyderry: Some sound ones in there, Cheli.

When you have books that you really enjoyed reading, do you hold on to them or pass them on to someone else?

I always kind of think that I'm going to re-read them but rarely find time for a re-read - there are so many that I haven't read yet!

This week I was talking to my sister and she mentioned that she found an author, Mary Balogh, whose books she really enjoyed and when she told me who it was, I agreed saying that I loved her books too. Then we started talking about the Bridgerton series from Julia Quinn that's on Netflix and I said that I just loved the books. She said "They were books!!?" So I told her yeah and that she had just seen the adaption from the first book, that there were at least 7 more. I checked my catalog and found I had several on my shelf waiting for that elusive re-read. Today I boxed up all the ones that I'd already read to send to her. 14 were by Mary Balogh and the 8 first Bridgerton books. Her birthday's next week.

>26 cyderry: Carrie and I regularly swap books, but we are both using libraries more and acquiring less fiction so it's less than I used to do.

>26 cyderry: I have learned to say goodbye to books - to see which ones I will definitely not read again even if I enjoyed them. I can easily give them away. But if the books really count to my favourites I will buy the books and give them as a present.
Your situation is a good strategy as well: If you want to re-read the series you can easily ask your sister. :)

This year I've decided that I really need to evaluate the books that are sitting on my TBR list. So far, I have identified and removed from Mt. TBR 90 books that I know I will not read in my lifetime (unless of course someone finds the fountain of youth or can conjure up a potion of immortality). I've been going through my catalog here with all the tags and collections and entry dates - these have helped my identify the orphan books that are being left behind.

How do you determine if you have an old book sitting on your shelf if you are going to read it eventually or abandon it?

>29 cyderry: Cheli, I usually go through my shelves from time to time. Either to re-arrange or to dust. Or I just go through what I have got on rainy Sundays... Usually, I will find older ACRs that sounded intruiging when they came out but I know that I won't read them anymore. I usually bring them back to our bookstore where we use them for sponsoring.

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>31 cyderry: Hee! That me when reading over someone's shoulder!

>29 cyderry: Tough call. Removing 90 books unread is impressive! I too go through dusting or reorganizing or moving stuff every year or so. Especially as the new books pile up in front of old books, and I try to make room on the shelves. I definitely rely more on looking at physical copies and weighing them up, rather than my LT inventory.

>33 cyderry: hahaha!

I think that I have finally gotten back on track with my historical readings (FDR is the current President under review). I've read 2 doorstops so far this year - No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin about the home front during World War II and The Coming of the Third Reich about the start of Nazism.
Both books were extremely informative, giving me so much information about the time period that I never knew.

I have a few other books picked out but was wondering if anyone had a book they would recommend about the time - 1935 through 1945.

Here are a few I am considering:
1939: Countdown to War
Wine and War
Winston's War: 1940-1945
Hitler's Children
Hitler and the Habsburgs
The Women with Silver Wings
The Secret Lives of Codebreakers
War on the Eastern Front
Saving Italy
Blitzkrieg
Night of the Assassins :The Untold Story of Hitler's Plot to Kill FDR, Churchill, and Stalin

I am really open for suggestions.

>36 cyderry: No Promises in the Wind is about the Great Depression, might be 1933-ish.

Hello Dear Friend.

I can always find good books to read when I visit your threads. For now, I am adding Night of the Assassins :The Untold Story of Hitler's Plot to Kill FDR, Churchill, and Stalin

Thinking of you and hoping all is well.

>36 cyderry: Anything in the WWII era would probably interest me as long as it isn't heavy with military terminology.

>39 thornton37814: I found while reading my presidents that their time in office became clearer if I read background information about the period. When I got to Lincoln I found that there were so many books about the American Civil War that weren't related to the battles but about what was happening with the economy, medical advancements, industry that it was a different kind of history lesson, so I've continued trying to find those kind of books as I progress in the years. I'm interested in reading the books about the codebreakers and the female pilots but also the efforts in France to protect the wine industry and saving the artwork in Italy in my WWII reading.

I'm ashamed to say that I really know very little about WWII other than the Axis powers vs. the Allies, Pearl Harbor, D-Day. So, I am really going to try to teach myself some of that history. I'm concentrating on the war in Europe this year and next year, if I've finished Europe, then I will look to the War in the Pacific.

Because it is such a serious topic and the books are normally doorstoppers, I can usually only do 1, maybe 2 a month so I do need to be very picky about what I choose to read.

That's why I was hoping for some suggestions.

Hi Chèli

>21 cyderry: Excellent advice, both practical and spiritual.

>26 cyderry: I adore Mary Balogh, mostly the ones she wrote before 2002, and have 56 on my shelves. What a wonderful birthday present for your sister – Balogh and Quinn.

>29 cyderry: How do you determine if you have an old book sitting on your shelf if you are going to read it eventually or abandon it? It’s totally unpredictable – I just read a book that’s been on my shelves since 2003, Life of Pi, and now wonder why it took me so long. Other books, bought in the heat of Friends of the Library book sales, I have no trouble parting with if they aren’t in my core areas of interest. Having said that, however, I always keep in mind that my library is an asset for my daughter. I keep it somewhat pruned, but there are all sorts of interesting things in there that are of either sentimental value or $$ value. And an empty bookshelf is a red flag in front of a bull - gotta fill it!

>42 karenmarie: Granted it has been difficult to determine if an old book has been sitting on my shelf too long and that I would be ready to abandon it. What I have done, is look at the description and decide that if I didn't already have it, would I buy it or try to get it from the library? If the answer is no, then I am ready to let it go. A physical book I will box up and donate to either a library or a women's shelter, e-book, I will just archive.

I have asked my friends if they are interested in any of the physical books before making the donation.

Those I've read, if I don't want to re-read then I'll donate.

>43 cyderry: Lately, I've been looking at books on the shelves and discovering they are in bad condition. I'll read them, sometimes, and then they go out. It's a lot easier to do that with the old paperbacks falling apart than with newer trade paperbacks and hardcover, of course. But it's a start.

>44 ffortsa: it's good to read them before they head for recycling.

I just realized this morning that I haven't identified the books that I have read this year. So here a re the books that I have read so far.

1. Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs
2. Page Marked for Murder by Lauren Elliott
3. Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott
4. One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon
5. Egg Shooters by Laura Childs
6. Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn
7. A Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns
8. Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle
9. Killer Comfort Food by Lynn Cahoon
10. Big Fat Greek Murder by Kate Collins
11. A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison
12. For whom the book tolls by Laura Gail Black
13. Under Cover of Murder by Lauren Elliott
14. The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard Evans
15. Death Gone A-Rye by Winnie Archer
16. Beware the East Wind by Barbara Barrett
17. Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott
18. Lethal Letters by Ellery Adams
19. Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom
20. Where Have All the Birdies Gone? by Charlotte Elkins
21. Writing All Wrongs by Ellery Adams
22. The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams
23. Killer Characters by Ellery Adams.
24. Hex for Danger by Esme Addison
25. Two Wicked Desserts by Lynn Cahoon
26. Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle
27. Murder at the Arts & Crafts Festival by G.P.Gardner
28. Dead-End Detective: A Piper and Porter Mystery by Amanda Flower
29. Murder at the PTA by Lee Hollis
30. Peachy Scream by Anna Gerard
31. The Body from the Past by Judi Lynn
32. Murder with a View by Diane Kelly
33. Courting Can Be Killer by Amanda Flower
34. No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin
35. Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower
36. Book Charmer by Karen Harkins
37. Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld
38. Ruby Red Herring by Tracy Gardner
39. A Room with a Roux by Sarah Fox
40. A Glimmer of a Clue by Daryl Wood Gerber
41. Wining and Dying by Daryl Wood Gerber
42. Lemon Drop Dead by Amanda Flower
43. Whole Latte Murder by Lena Gregory
44. Winston's War by Max Hastings
45. Beauty Expos are Murder by Libby Klein
46. Peaches and Schemes by Anna Gerard
47. Wedding Bear Blues by Meg Macy
48. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell
49. Crown Jewels of Britain and Europe by Prince Michael of Greece
50. Night Moves by Julie Mulhern
51. Here Comes the Body by Maria DiRico
52. Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico
53. Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
54. Murder Can Confuse Your Chihuahua by Rose Pressey
55. Murder Can Haunt your Handiwork by Rose Pressey
56. Murder at Ochre Court by Alyssa Maxwell
57. Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss
58. The Figure in the Photograph by Kevin Sullivan
59. A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas
60. The Stolen Letter by Paige Shelton
61. The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman - book club
62. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo - granddaughter's class reading
63. The Wedding Tree by Robin Wells - book club
64. The Story of Arthur Truluv - book club
65. Strega Nona and the Magic Ring library
66. Strega Nona Meets Her Match library
67. Strega Nona does it again library
68. Strega Nona, Her Story library
69. Strega Nona Takes a Vacation library
70. Cold Reading Murder by R.J. Lee

You're almost up to 75!

>47 thornton37814: Yes! This month I should get to 75 - the swiftest I've ever gotten there!

>46 cyderry: woo!

Spent the weekend with grandkids for dance recital. This is Bella's first year of competitive dance and due to COVID there were limited tickets so we had a watch party for the livestream. Here's a picture of Bella ready for her ballet dance and one of her little sister Maddie Grace who is following her footsteps.

More books read:

71. Crown in Crisis
72. Murder in the Cookbook Nook
73. Midnight Library
74. The Malt in Our Stars
75. The Book Stops Here
76. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard
77. Flower Power

I have reached 75!!!

>51 cyderry: Congratulations on reaching 75, Chèli!

Congrats on zipping past the goal!

>51 cyderry: congratulations!

Congrats on 75, Cheli!

Congrats on getting past the magic number!

Well, things may go downhill for me in 10 weeks. I'm having trouble with my one eye and it is caused by a cataract so I'm scheduled to get it removed on August 2nd. That's the soonest I could get in for the surgery. However, the doctor said that I might not be able to read for a week or so. What!!! The doctor says that I shouldn't try to read with just the other eye. I didn't have the heart to tell him that that is basically what I've been doing for months. So I need to prepare by getting a bunch of audiobooks ready to go. I'm wondering if 10 will be enough.

>58 cyderry: you'll love it once your eye has healed enough to read!

>58 cyderry: Good luck with the surgery, Chèli.
I would not worry much about reading with one eye, I do that my whole life. I have one very nearsighted eye, and that was only discovered far in my twenties. By then my eyes were used separately, one for distance, one for near. With glasses they do work together now (it took rather long time to get there), but without glasses the original division still stands.

>60 FAMeulstee: glad to hear that. my hubbie says that he will not help me when I am one-eyed.

Good luck with the cataract surgery!

>61 cyderry: here's hoping everything is going well.

Well, something new to report...

About 3 weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of night and my ankle hurt like the dickens. I figured I must have twisted it somehow and would just rest it. But instead of getting better, it seems to be getting worse, so today I went to the doctor and he gave me this fancy new footwear. What do you think?

Good excuse to sit and read.

>64 cyderry: Looks bad, Chèli, is it broken?

>64 cyderry: Your new footwear looks hot for the summer months.

>64 cyderry: I see your doctor gave you the boot!!! 😂😂😂

>65 FAMeulstee: The doctor says it's just strained and that I need to take it easy.

>66 thornton37814: yes, it is hot but fortunately for me, my hubbie likes to keep the AC set at 65⁰. Usually, I sit under a blanket, year-round.

Well, this morning I headed back to the doctor to exchange my boot. The one they had given me didn't allow me to bend my knee. I walked into the Doctor's office carrying the boot and the technician, said "They gave you a Tall, what were they thinking?!" The new one is much better.

>69 cyderry: I'm glad you got that size adjusted.

I was reading a review here at LT and was wondering something.

Do you think that a review is what someone thought of the story and the writing and the characters or how they didn't like the story because it made them angry about the subject matter?

The review I was reading was for a book that I've read and didn't agree with what the reviewer said. The book centered around a character that was thinking of suicide and the reviewer criticized the reasons that the character used to arrive at her decision. The reviewer made it seem that they were a psychologist or psychiatrist talking of Situational and not Clinical depression making the reasoning written never seeming to be right.

In a piece of fiction, do you think that that kind of criticism is right or fair?

>71 cyderry: I think everyone can put in a review what they think, right or wrong. I don't think being fair has to be a part of it. I wouldn't write such a review for a book of fiction, but I wouldn't say others can't do so.

>71 cyderry: I sometimes comment about things that are not correct when it's in my area of expertise. I suspect there would be others besides yourself who would disagree with that reviewer's take. So many approaches to psychology exist. Ultimately though, in a work of fiction, the author is the omniscient person when it comes to why a character did something. I disagree with a good many books. Sometimes I comment; sometimes I don't. A few years ago I commented on an ARC about the unlikelihood of the scenario the author created happening in real life. The author took me to task in a very rude manner. The author was pushing an agenda on the reader, and although the scenario was not impossible, it was not likely. The author's reaction made it clear that the "agenda" was what drove his comment, and I knew my assessment had been correct simply because of the way the author reacted.

>74 cyderry: Isn't that the truth, LOL!

>74 cyderry: My hubby and I were just minutes ago talking about how to change our diets to shed a few. I wish!! LOL

Stopping by to wish you well, Cheli.

Hani is pushing me to make a more concerted effort to lose some weight but this darned climate here is so draining.

Have a lovely weekend.

September marked the 1st anniversary of my Mom's passing. Though it's been hard with her being gone I wish that there were happier times with my siblings rather than issues of settling the estate. Have others who have lost a parent(s) had similar issues?

>78 cyderry: I'm happy that we had no issues with the estate.

Hello, Cheli. Thanks for stopping by my thread. Just thought I would return the favor.

>78 cyderry: when my mother passed we didn't have issues, for which I am thankful. But I saw plenty of unnecessary spiteful actions when my grandmother passed. The sibling who was appointed executor through guile and coercion made a grab for "all the goodies", despite his mother's wishes. People were not allowed to the graveside service for no reason. They're all gone now, but it left a sourness in what should have been a coming together of family.

Missing your mother will always be there, but the pain eases over the years. My mother died in 1994.

Posting my reads from the last few months. I guess I'm a little behind.

78. Left-Handed Booksellers of London
79. Jokers Wild
80. Murder in a Teacup
81. Murder at Mondial Castle
82. Ripped From the Pages
83. Murder 101
84. Picture Perfect Frame
85. Murder at Crossways
86. Haunted Hibiscus
87. Mint Condition Murder
88. Books of a Feather
89. Trace Elements
90. A Caribbean Mystery
91. Castle Shade
92. Cajun Kiss of Death
93. Wine and War
94. Murder at Kingscote
95. Once Upon a Spine
96. Dressed for Death in Burgundy
97. Deadly Editions
98. Buried in Books
99. Draw and Order
100. Murder with Orange Pekoe Tea
101. The Sign of Death
102. Big Lies in a Small Town
103. Pumpkin Spice Killing
104. The Secret Staircase
105. The Hidden Oracle
106. The Book Supremacy
107. Murder at Page One
108. Sense and Sensibility
109. Camp Jupiter Classified
110. Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder
111. Death and Sensibility
112. Murder on Washington Square
113. Booked for death
114. The Grim Reader
115. Murder on Mulberry Bend
116. Cluttered Corpse
117. A Deadly Edition
118. Death Loves a Messy Desk
119. Second Time Sweeter
120. On the Corner of Hope and Main
121. Marsh Madness
122. The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall
123. Treacherous Curse
124. Little Black Book
125. Transient Desires
126. Crimes and Covers
127. Claret and Present Danger
128. The Secret Lives of Codebreakers
129. Murder Outside the Lines
130. Giver of Stars
131. The Murders at Foxglove Close
132. Marriage Can be Mischief
133. A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder
134. The Madness of Crowds
135. Wrinkle in Thyme
136. Southern Double Cross
137. The Lure of the Moonflower
138. Poppy Harmon and the Pillow Talk Killer
139. Lyin' Eyes

>82 cyderry: Yeah, just a little behind :) I enjoyed The Left Handed Booksellers of London. What did you think of it?

>83 alcottacre: Several items in this book bothered me. First, even though it is science fiction, I felt that it was a bit too graphic and frightening in some areas for the younger readers (It frightened me in spots!) and second, it was hard to follow in some areas. I felt that it could have stood a little more editing.

I can really be dangerous for myself. I was reading an article today on line about how somewhere in Wisconsin they located a 1200 year old canoe in Lake Mendota(sp?) and on the side of the screen it had something about an archeological team going to look for a ship that was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico(!!) during WWII. I had never heard about that kind of action so close to home, so of course, I had to go looking for a book to supplement my WWII reading. Finally found one after searching 4 different online libraries I have access too. Whew. Glad I didn't have to hunt down another library to check.

Do you ever get yourself in trouble with your own curiousity?

>84 cyderry: I never thought of the book as juvenile literature, but more like young adult, so I did not consider it to be too graphic for them.

>85 cyderry: Do you ever get yourself in trouble with your own curiousity?

Absolutely!

>86 cyderry: True!

A Thanksgiving to Friends (Lighting the Way)

In difficult times
a friend is there to light the way
to lighten the load,
to show the path,
to smooth the road

At the darkest hour
a friend, with a word of truth
points to light
and the encroaching dawn
is in the plainest sight.

Cheli, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

Cheli, I wish you (and yours) happiness and health on this day of Thanksgiving. And cookies. : )

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Cheli!

Another variant!!!

Today is the day!

Finally, after a little over a year my sisters and I are finalizing the sale of my Mother's home and the estate will be settled. We've been struggling with a settlement attorney who doesn't seem to have entered the 21st century - no e-docs, bad communications (voice mail, e-mail) and the documents don't seem to have ever been proofed! The settlement sheet doesn't even balance! Hopefully, everything will go smoothly.

I would start December off well.

>92 cyderry: when my mom passed I was the one sibling to handle all the probate stuff. However, no property like a house was part of the process, so it wasn't too complicated.

>94 cyderry: bwahaha!

Truth.

Have a lovely holiday, Cheli.

These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. I hope the same is true for your holiday and here's to next year!!

>98 cyderry: Hey, that is my delivery!!

>98 cyderry: Rock , paper, scissors!

Forget your stresses and strains
As the old year wanes;
All that now remains
Is to bring you good cheer
With wine, liquor or beer
And wish you a special new year.

Happy New Year, Cheli.

Anybody that knows me well, knows that I love to play with numbers, and now that I've finished 2021 here are the numbers that describe the books I read in 2021.

173 books were read
10 were history related (I'm currently reading about World War II)
9 Children's books
7 were fiction non-series
4 books were abandoned

and 143 were part of a series. (why I start new series when I can't get caught up, I don't know.)

18 were the first books in a series
20 were the second in a series
17 were the third book - so I've really decided to continue the series
89 were the 4th book or farther in the series.

33 series were caught up (no books waiting to be read)
4 series were finished (there will be no more published)
2 series were abandoned

Now Here are some interesting facts

of the 173 books

134 were e-books
37 were audiobooks
2 books were actually made of paper!

But the last thing that I didn't plan and thought was very unusual, the first Book I read 2021 was A Teddy Bear Mystery and the last book I read in 2021 was the next book in the same series.

My 5 favorite books:

The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig
Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom
Ruby Red Herring by Tracy Gardner
Night Moves by Julie Mulhern
Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld

2021 MEME for books read in 2021

Describe yourself: The Figure in the Photograph
Describe how you feel: Without a Brew
Describe where you currently live: On the Fringe
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: On the Corner of Hope and Main
Your favorite form of transportation is: The Secret Staircase
Your favorite food is: Two Wicked Desserts
Your favorite time of day is: No Ordinary Time
Your best friend is: Book Charmer
You and your friends are: Writing All Wrongs
What’s the weather like: Beware the East Wind
You fear: Wining and Dying
What is the best advice you have to give: Beauty Expos are Murder
Thought for the day: Second Time Sweeter
What is life for you: The Secret Lives of Codebreakers
How you would like to die: Buried in Books
Your soul’s present condition: Hollow of Fear
What was 2021 like for you? Charleston Challenge
What do you want from 2022? Death on the Shelf

>103 cyderry: I'm not sure I wish your 2022 "want" upon you! I do like your advice.

>104 thornton37814: I was afraid it wouldn't be understood.

What I want for 2022 is the Death of COVID. I want COVID to be shelved, never to raise it's ugly head again!

>105 cyderry: We would all love COVID to go away.