foggidawn's Thread of Mystery 2021, Vol. 3

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foggidawn's Thread of Mystery 2021, Vol. 3

1foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 2, 2021, 9:29 am



Welcome, friends and strangers, to my third thread of mystery!

If you have come seeking a kindred consumer of whodunits, I fear you will be disappointed, for though I occasionally indulge in a detective story, that is not the source of my thread's mystery this year. No, indeed -- it is the content of the thread itself that will be mysterious...

*drops the Professor Trelawney act* So, here's the deal: As some of you know from last year's thread, I'm serving on a major children's book award committee this year. (I'd prefer not to mention the name, so as to keep off the search engines' radars, but you can PM me if you're curious.) In order to be in strict compliance with the rules concerning social media use by committee members, I will not be listing titles or writing reviews of books eligible for the award: that is, books published for children in the USA in 2021. I'll keep a kind of tally here, so you'll know how many books I've read, roughly (I may lose track at some point). And, of course, I can post as usual about books not eligible for the award -- I'll probably start the year off with several of those, before the other books start pouring in. I also won't be adding books to my LT library that I receive for award reading, at least, not until the award winner (and possibly honor books) are announced in early 2022.

Obviously, I won't be participating in any kind of reading challenges or making any reading resolutions this year. I failed hard at last year's reading resolution, anyway, so if time permits here in the early months of the year, I may try to pick up one or two of those books.

I'm counting on you all to keep my thread alive even when there aren't a lot of book titles to talk about! I'll still post about other things in my life: my darling dog Lottie, pictured above in a rare calm moment; family, friends, housemate, and dating adventures; cooking, gardening, gaming, sewing, and theatre (depending on what the reading load is like, I may not do a lot of those things, but I'll need the occasional break from reading!); and life in general. Plus, I'll tell you as much as I'm permitted about my award committee experience. Serving on this committee is a tremendous honor and it's been one of my "bucket list" items ever since I got my library degree. I know some of you are curious about the process, so if you have questions, ask 'em -- I'll answer them if I can.

2foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 1, 2021, 11:41 am

Naturally, most of my reading the year is going to be Top Secret, but every now and then I squeeze in a book not eligible for the award, so here are the...

Books Read (That I Can Tell You About) in 2021

1. A Light in the Window by Jan Karon
2. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
3. The Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay
4. Little Moments of Love by Catana Chetwynd
5. A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
6. Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
7. Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
9. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
10. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

3foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 1, 2021, 11:47 am

Sometimes I'll mention my boyfriend John, aka "Chainsaw Boyfriend." If you've been around for the past year or so, you may have been following our saga. Here's a photo from a recent date night to see a show:

(We are not good at looking directly at the camera, apparently.)

4foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 16, 2021, 2:02 pm

I use this placeholder for the books I can't talk about -- here's the total read, etc. as of 8/31:

(203 books read)



Award reading count: 193 finished, 23 DNF
Books received: 417

Feel free to post below!

5MickyFine
Bewerkt: sep 1, 2021, 12:11 pm

>3 foggidawn: Awwww! You're both so adorable.

Also, happy new thread.

6drneutron
sep 1, 2021, 1:11 pm

Happy new thread!

7thornton37814
sep 1, 2021, 5:17 pm

Happy new thread!

8quondame
sep 1, 2021, 5:28 pm

Happy new thread!

Good to see you're out having fun!

9PaulCranswick
sep 1, 2021, 8:51 pm

Happy new one, Foggi!

10Whisper1
sep 1, 2021, 9:09 pm

Happy New Thread!

11compskibook
sep 1, 2021, 9:18 pm

Yay! A new thread! I love the pictures!

12FAMeulstee
sep 2, 2021, 4:33 am

Happy new thread, Foggi!

>1 foggidawn: Lottie is still adorable, even with muddy feet :-)

>3 foggidawn: You both look happy.

13foggidawn
sep 2, 2021, 9:32 am

Thanks for visiting, Micky, Jim, Lori, Susan, Paul, Dana, and Anita!

>12 FAMeulstee: Oops, I changed the picture but not the text -- she's much less muddy in this photo than she was in the one from the last thread! But she is adorable either way. :-)

14foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 16, 2021, 2:02 pm

(204 books read)



Award reading count: 194 finished, 23 DNF
Books received: 418

15leahbird
sep 2, 2021, 1:21 pm

Happy new thread!

16ronincats
sep 5, 2021, 10:55 pm

Happy New Thread, foggy!

17humouress
sep 6, 2021, 12:24 pm

Happy new thread foggi!

Nice date photo. And Lottie is looking shiny - is that after her tomato sauce bath? Congratulations on your double 75 (although you've probably passed your double 100 by now).

18foggidawn
sep 7, 2021, 4:56 pm

Thanks for visiting, Leah, Roni, and Nina!

>17 humouress: That photo is from a few months ago, actually, but it's one of my favorites.

I hope everyone had a Labor Day weekend as nice as mine! Lottie and I went to the farm for the weekend and had a lovely time. My bother and his family were there until Saturday, and John drove over Saturday afternoon so he could at least meet them. We all had a nice lunch together, and then I got to show John around the farm and the surrounding area just a bit before he had to head home. For the rest of the weekend, Mom and I worked on several different tasks, including canning tomato paste, picking the last of the grapes, and transplanting strawberry plants. Oh, and I read some books...

19foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 16, 2021, 2:02 pm

(205-218 books read)



Award reading count: 208 finished, 23 DNF
Books received: 437

20curioussquared
sep 10, 2021, 4:32 pm

Happy new thread -- love the Lottie and date photos :)

21foggidawn
sep 12, 2021, 3:28 pm

>20 curioussquared: Thanks!

Yesterday I had a nice date with John -- we went antiquing, and I came away with a couple of books (The Yellow Princess, which doesn't seem to have a touchstone, and a pocket-sized hardcover of Idylls of the King), and a Christmas present for my mother (she collects a certain china pattern, and I found a piece that I don't think she has). We drove around a bit and he showed me the main library in the county just south of where he lives. Then we got supper at an ice cream parlor that also does sandwiches and burgers -- my burger was delicious, and the ice cream was terrific, of course. We read another chapter in Til We Have Faces, and then we went and looked at some apple trees that belong to some of John's relatives, that he picks and makes into cider. I'm planning on helping with the apple-picking this year, but the apples won't be ready for a few more weeks yet. An entirely pleasant afternoon.

22MickyFine
sep 13, 2021, 10:44 am

Oh that sounds like a perfect day!

23foggidawn
sep 13, 2021, 5:26 pm

>22 MickyFine: It was delightful! I'm really looking forward to the apple-picking next month, but less enthused about not seeing him again until then. His work schedule should ease up a bit in October, but he'll be busier around the farm that month, as he helps his dad harvest their field corn.

24foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 16, 2021, 2:02 pm

(219-224 books read)



Award reading count: 214 finished, 21 DNF
Books received: 475

I had a huge delivery of books on Friday -- 37 books spread across 3 boxes! It still feels a little bit like Christmas, but it's also starting to feel a little bit like the week before finals, in that there's so much to read and a steadily decreasing amount of time. I made a huge dent in the accumulated pile of picture books over the weekend (remember, I only count picture books in my reading total above if I or someone else on the committee finds them noteworthy). I also did a lot of necessary book-organizing and prioritizing, which makes the unread stack seem a little less daunting. (Still pretty daunting, though.)

25bell7
sep 13, 2021, 5:47 pm

Happy new thread, foggi! Sorry to hear the reading is getting daunting, and hope you're able to continue making a dent without it feeling too much like homework.

26foggidawn
sep 13, 2021, 6:49 pm

>25 bell7: A couple of recent books have felt like a slog, but all in all, I'm still enjoying reading. The benefit of having so many books to read is that I can allow myself to read ones that I'm excited about if I get in a rut of ones I feel I have to read. Today I had the morning off, so I took the kayak out on the lake and brought a book. I paddled out to a quiet spot, and floated and read. Heavenly!

27MickyFine
sep 14, 2021, 12:09 am

>23 foggidawn: Aww, I'm sorry to hear it's such a long stretch before you see him in person again. Hopefully he can squeeze in phone calls or video chats around work and the harvest.

Also I've always got pom poms handy if you require cheering on for all that reading.

28aktakukac
sep 14, 2021, 11:40 am

Fingers crossed for a quick, easy harvest for John's family, with perfect weather and no break downs or problems! Glad you're still enjoying all the reading, even if it feels daunting at times.

29foggidawn
sep 14, 2021, 12:31 pm

>27 MickyFine: Oh, there will be phone calls, definitely! And thanks -- I may need some cheering on later, as I near the finish line.

>28 aktakukac: Thanks, much appreciated! Yes, I'm also glad. :-)

30foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 16, 2021, 2:01 pm

(225-226 books read)



Award reading count: 216 finished, 21 DNF
Books received: 476

There's my triple-75! I'm still going strong and might make a quadruple, but I make no promises...

31quondame
sep 15, 2021, 12:40 am

Congratulations on 3x75!

32MickyFine
sep 15, 2021, 11:14 am

Woot on the triple 75!

33curioussquared
sep 15, 2021, 1:08 pm

Congrats on triple 75!!! Rooting for your quadruple 😁

34bell7
sep 15, 2021, 3:29 pm

Congratulations on 75 x 3!

35foggidawn
sep 15, 2021, 4:14 pm

36FAMeulstee
sep 16, 2021, 6:09 am

>30 foggidawn: Congratulations on reaching 3 x 75, Foggi!

37foggidawn
sep 16, 2021, 9:45 am

>36 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

38SandyAMcPherson
sep 16, 2021, 1:00 pm

>30 foggidawn: Can't see the image!
But awesome congrats on the triple-75!

39foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 16, 2021, 2:05 pm

>38 SandyAMcPherson: Weird, it does seem to be broken. It was fine earlier... and, thanks!

ETA: Weirdly, the source code seems to have changed. The question marks image is saved in my "junk drawer" in my LT member gallery. The other photos on this thread are not in my junk drawer, though they are in my member gallery, so they're still appearing as usual. It was an easy enough fix to update the code for the occurrences of the image on this thread, but I'm not going to go back and fix previous threads!

40fuzzi
sep 16, 2021, 3:42 pm

Catching up!

>3 foggidawn: I mentally put a Jason mask on your boyfriend...

41foggidawn
sep 16, 2021, 4:14 pm

>40 fuzzi: Oh, my! Truly, he's a very nice guy and not anything like a serial killer! :-)

42fuzzi
sep 16, 2021, 4:25 pm

>41 foggidawn: I'm sure, it's just the "chainsaw" moniker that made me think of a white mask...

...good to see you!

43foggidawn
sep 16, 2021, 4:31 pm

>42 fuzzi: Good to see you, too!

44foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 27, 2021, 5:20 pm

(227-235 books read)



Award reading count: 225 finished, 21 DNF
Books received: 502

I continued to chip away at my large stack of picture books this past weekend, with just a couple left that I hope to finish this evening. *cue large package of picture books arriving on my porch*

Edit: I've just hit the 500 mark on books delivered to me! Fortunately, most of my recent deliveries have been novels, so the picture book area still looks fairly tidy.

45compskibook
sep 27, 2021, 8:48 pm

I am just here looking for a weekend update.

46foggidawn
sep 28, 2021, 7:30 am

>45 compskibook: Happy to oblige! This past weekend was short and boring — I worked on Saturday, and Sunday was taken up with church, reading, and completing some little tasks around the house. Next weekend should be fun, though, as John and I are planning to pick apples and press cider.

47MickyFine
sep 28, 2021, 11:35 am

Oooh, pressing cider and time with John. Sounds like a perfect fall date.

48foggidawn
sep 28, 2021, 12:19 pm

>47 MickyFine: It does, doesn't it? :-) I'm so looking forward to it.

49foggidawn
Bewerkt: sep 29, 2021, 11:09 am

(236-238 books read)



Award reading count: 228 finished, 21 DNF
Books received: 502

50compskibook
Bewerkt: sep 28, 2021, 6:34 pm

>46 foggidawn: Thanks :)
(edited to add an "s" ;)

51PaulCranswick
sep 28, 2021, 10:52 pm

Wow Foggi your reading this year is spectacular. Whizzed beyond 3x75 when I wasn't even looking!

52foggidawn
sep 29, 2021, 9:26 am

>50 compskibook: No problem!

>51 PaulCranswick: Thanks! Yes, I don't imagine I'll ever see these kind of numbers again -- unless I'm on one of these award committees again! (I hear that the Notable Books committee reads as much or more than we do.)

53foggidawn
sep 30, 2021, 11:30 am

(239 books read)



Award reading count: 229 finished, 21 DNF
Books received: 504

54foggidawn
sep 30, 2021, 4:30 pm

Exciting little announcement: I've accepted a job at a different Ohio library, so I'll be moving and starting a new job in the next month or so. My new job is actually at the branch library closest to John's place -- nope, that's not a coincidence! ;-) I'll be the children's librarian at that branch, so I'll be doing storytimes and kids' programs and a lot of outreach to local schools and such. It's similar to what I'm doing now, but in a better location (It's also about an hour closer to my parents). Pretty exciting, but my brain is spinning in all directions right now. I expect to be super busy at work and at home for the next four weeks, as I have a lot of job duties to pass along and a lot of stuff to pack, and the award committee reading doesn't stop just because I'm making a crazy jump right in the thick of things!

55scaifea
sep 30, 2021, 4:56 pm

>54 foggidawn: OMG, that's amazing news! Congrats!!!

56curioussquared
sep 30, 2021, 5:11 pm

>54 foggidawn: Congratulations!! That's super exciting news 😊 Good luck with the craziness of moving and starting a new gig!

57aktakukac
sep 30, 2021, 5:22 pm

>54 foggidawn: Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!

58compskibook
sep 30, 2021, 5:41 pm

>54 foggidawn: Wow! Congratulations and good luck!

59quondame
sep 30, 2021, 7:03 pm

>54 foggidawn: Congratulations on the new job! Hope the head spins damp out fast!

60thornton37814
sep 30, 2021, 7:07 pm

>54 foggidawn: Congrats on the new job! I don't envy you the moving part though!

61fuzzi
sep 30, 2021, 7:35 pm

>54 foggidawn: how wonderful!

62norabelle414
sep 30, 2021, 9:03 pm

Congrats Foggi!!

63MickyFine
okt 1, 2021, 12:20 pm

Congratulations, Foggi! It's exciting that you'll be moving closer to your parents and John. Hope your new colleagues are awesome!

64bell7
okt 1, 2021, 12:27 pm

Congrats on the new job, foggi, and good luck with the impending move!

65foggidawn
okt 1, 2021, 2:35 pm

Thank you Amber, Natalie, Rachel, Dana, Susan, Lori, fuzzi, Nora, Micky, and Mary! I'm about to the point where I can start to process what needs to be done and when.

I have a Zoom meeting with my award committee tonight, and if that doesn't go too long, I might make a cake after that. As mentioned above, I'm apple-picking/cider pressing with John tomorrow, and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day for it. I'm bring soup and sandwiches (and maybe cake) for our lunch. Sunday afternoon I hope to go through some things and decide what can be donated to the thrift store -- probably not books, as I did a good cull at the beginning of the year to make space for new books, but I think I have some clothes that I can say goodbye to, and mayyyybe some kitchen stuff. It will feel good to get started in some tangible way.

66scaifea
okt 1, 2021, 2:37 pm

>65 foggidawn: Oooh, yes to cake!!

Do you own your house or are you renting? Will you need to put the house on the market?

67foggidawn
okt 1, 2021, 2:49 pm

>66 scaifea: I'm renting, so I'm spared that hassle, at least.

68scaifea
okt 1, 2021, 3:59 pm

>67 foggidawn: Whew, that’s good news!

69Deedledee
okt 3, 2021, 11:54 am

>54 foggidawn:
Congrats on the new job!

70foggidawn
okt 4, 2021, 9:21 am

71foggidawn
Bewerkt: okt 6, 2021, 5:27 pm

(240-242 books read)



Award reading count: 232 finished, 22 DNF
Books received: 506

72foggidawn
okt 4, 2021, 9:42 am

Well, it's been an eventful week. After some discussion, we decided that it's time for an upgrade: Chainsaw Boyfriend shall henceforth be referred to as Chainsaw Fiancé.

73norabelle414
okt 4, 2021, 9:51 am

wow congrats!!!!

74drneutron
okt 4, 2021, 10:21 am

Cool! Congrats!

75aktakukac
okt 4, 2021, 10:39 am

Congratulations!!!

76leahbird
okt 4, 2021, 12:49 pm

YAY! Congrats! So happy for you Foggi!

77curioussquared
okt 4, 2021, 1:22 pm

Congratulations, Foggi!!!

78bell7
okt 4, 2021, 1:49 pm

YAYYYYYY Congrats!

79quondame
okt 4, 2021, 2:55 pm

>72 foggidawn: Congratulations! What great news!

80MickyFine
okt 4, 2021, 3:53 pm

>72 foggidawn: Congratulations!!! I had a sneaking suspicion this was on the horizon. Feeling a bit Emma-like and smug. So happy for you both!

81compskibook
okt 4, 2021, 7:15 pm

Wonderful news! I am so happy for you!

82fuzzi
okt 5, 2021, 11:27 am

>72 foggidawn: woooo!!!!!!!!!!

Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

83foggidawn
okt 5, 2021, 11:28 am

Thank you all for the good wishes! We haven't gone ring shopping yet, nor have we talked about setting a date. Right now, I'm so busy with award committee stuff, packing, moving, and starting a new job that I'm hardly in a position to start planning a wedding. So, we have a few months to get used to the whole idea of being engaged before we really start planning out the nitty gritty details. When we do start planning the wedding, it will probably be small and simple. That's our goal, at least.

84scaifea
okt 5, 2021, 11:35 am

Aw, that's wonderful news!! So many good things happening for you and I'm so happy for you!

85foggidawn
okt 6, 2021, 11:21 am

>84 scaifea: Thanks! I bought packing boxes yesterday. Things are in motion...

86scaifea
okt 6, 2021, 12:35 pm

>85 foggidawn: Wow, so fast! Exciting!!

87foggidawn
okt 6, 2021, 1:18 pm

>86 scaifea: Yes, I figured I had better get started. Tomorrow is my morning for running errands, and this weekend I expect to start tackling some things for real.

88scaifea
okt 6, 2021, 1:31 pm

>87 foggidawn: Oh gosh, all those award books to pack... Boyfriend better come and help his Chainsaw Bride-to-Be fill those boxes!

89foggidawn
okt 8, 2021, 9:31 am

>88 scaifea: No kidding!

90foggidawn
Bewerkt: okt 12, 2021, 8:46 am

(243-244 books read)



Award reading count: 234 finished, 23 DNF
Books received: 510

91thornton37814
okt 9, 2021, 7:59 am

>90 foggidawn: Seeing the number of your DNF's makes me feel better about the 4 on my list. I should probably abandon many more.

92fuzzi
okt 11, 2021, 8:21 am

>88 scaifea: The Chainsaw Bride...what a book title that would be!

93humouress
Bewerkt: okt 11, 2021, 10:05 am

Oh wow; I haven’t visited you in a long while because your thread has so many unread messages (on my board). So many congratulations due:

- on your triple 75
- on your new job
- on your engagement (to be honest, I was kind of hoping for that 😍)



I confess, I still get foggi and fuzzi confused (f, vowel, double consonant, i). And then you both went and had a back-and-forth conversation. My poor head!

94foggidawn
okt 11, 2021, 12:54 pm

>91 thornton37814: Truthfully, I expected that number to be a lot higher than it is by now! But yes, life is too short to read books you're not enjoying.

>92 fuzzi: It would be eye-catching, for sure!

>93 humouress: Thanks! I think you are not alone in the fuzzi/foggi confusion.

This past weekend, I did a lot of packing but not a lot of reading. I'm feeling some low-level panic about the number of books I'd like to get read this month. I think I'm going to focus on reading this week. My parents are going to come give me a hand with packing for a few days next week, and with what I've gotten done so far, I feel like I'm pretty much on schedule with the packing, so a few days to read as much as I possibly can won't go amiss.

95fuzzi
okt 11, 2021, 3:45 pm

>93 humouress: I'll take it as a compliment that you think I'm foggi and vice versa.

96humouress
okt 11, 2021, 5:52 pm

>95 fuzzi: >94 foggidawn: It’s all kind of misti.

97compskibook
okt 11, 2021, 7:37 pm

>96 humouress: That was humorous! ;)

98humouress
okt 12, 2021, 8:42 am

99foggidawn
Bewerkt: okt 13, 2021, 3:58 pm

(245-249 books read)



Award reading count: 239 finished, 23 DNF
Books received: 510

100foggidawn
okt 12, 2021, 9:36 am

>95 fuzzi: Same here!

>96 humouress: Har, har.

>97 compskibook: If I could think of one, I'd insert a pun on your username here . . . but I can'tski. :-)

>98 humouress: ;-)

101MickyFine
okt 12, 2021, 10:38 am

Glad to hear that packing is on track. Fingers crossed you can squeeze in the reading time you need.

102foggidawn
okt 12, 2021, 11:08 am

>101 MickyFine: Well, because I made that statement about being on track and focusing on reading this week, things were bound to change, right?

I just got a quote from the movers I plan on using, and their pricing seems about what I expected, but the 22nd is their only available date in October -- so it looks like I'm going to be packing like crazy to get everything ready to go by then. I'll do what reading I can (I've got a few audiobooks lined up), but I'm postponing my "focus on reading" days until after things get moved.

103quondame
okt 12, 2021, 5:24 pm

>102 foggidawn: Good that the cost is supportable, bad that it's a rush. Rushes just add turbulence.

104curioussquared
okt 12, 2021, 6:21 pm

>102 foggidawn: Rushes are no fun but at least you'll be done sooner!

105compskibook
okt 12, 2021, 6:43 pm

>100 foggidawn: This is cracking me up!

Good luck with the packing and reading!

106foggidawn
okt 13, 2021, 2:27 pm

>103 quondame: and >104 curioussquared: Yes, except of course since I thought that was all settled, it fell through at the last minute. Now I'm scrambling around getting quotes from different companies to see if I can find one that's willing to move my stuff. Technically, I have through November, but I'd like to get things moved in October so I can start the new job without having the stress of moving still hanging over me.

>105 compskibook: it brought a smile to my face, too. Thanks!

107MickyFine
okt 13, 2021, 4:12 pm

Ooof, moving truck coordination is so hard. Fingers crossed you find a company able to do the timeline that works for you. *hugs*

108foggidawn
okt 13, 2021, 4:23 pm

>107 MickyFine: Thanks. I am feeling the stress over this. So many other things have come together so well, I guess there was bound to be at least one hiccup.

109quondame
okt 13, 2021, 5:24 pm

>106 foggidawn: Oh arrgh! I hope you find a timely affordable mover without too much trouble.

110foggidawn
okt 14, 2021, 5:30 pm

>109 quondame: Thanks!

Okay, today I found movers who will be moving my stuff on the 26th! It's a load off my mind. Tomorrow I'm headed to my parents' for the weekend, stopping to drop my houseplants off at John's. Then, when I get back, I'll focus on packing, packing, packing.

111MickyFine
okt 14, 2021, 5:49 pm

Huzzah for finding movers!!!

112scaifea
okt 15, 2021, 7:30 am

>110 foggidawn: Whew! What a relief that must be! I'm so glad it worked out.

113foggidawn
okt 18, 2021, 10:39 am

(250-252 books read)



Award reading count: 242 finished, 25 DNF
Books received: 517

114foggidawn
okt 18, 2021, 10:47 am

>111 MickyFine: Huzzah, indeed!

>112 scaifea: It is a relief, thanks!

I had a good weekend, though it went by too fast. I did drop my houseplants (or as many of them as I could fit in my car) off at John's house. We had a nice breakfast together, and then we went ring shopping (!), though I didn't find anything I really liked. I've done some online browsing since to come up with a better idea of what I want, but looking at rings in person was also helpful. Then I headed to Mom and Dad's house for the rest of the weekend, which went by quickly. Mom and I made applesauce from some of John's apples, I finished a couple of books, played with the dogs, picked some raspberries... it was a good weekend, but like I said, it flew by. Now I'm back to my last two weeks at work, and packing and cleaning and preparing for the move.

115Whisper1
okt 18, 2021, 11:10 am

>3 foggidawn: I am so very happy that you found someone! I wish all good things for you!

116foggidawn
okt 18, 2021, 12:29 pm

>115 Whisper1: Thank you!

117MickyFine
okt 18, 2021, 1:45 pm

>114 foggidawn: I wish you much luck in a finding a ring you like (and also eventually one for John that he likes). Mr. Fine and I both got our rings from Brilliant Earth. They have vintage/antique rings if that's your jam but also vintage-style rings, which is what I went for. Their customer service was really great as well.

118norabelle414
okt 18, 2021, 2:37 pm

My mom got married in 2017 and she just found a ring she likes last month. So no rush :-)

119curioussquared
okt 18, 2021, 3:01 pm

Ooh, ring shopping! I also did some in-person ring shopping but knew that I wanted a lab diamond, which most traditional jewelers don't offer, so I found a style I really liked and then ordered the a lab diamond ring with the closest specs to the one I tried on in person online from Clean Origin. I also looked at Brilliant Earth, but their version of the style I liked was a little bit different from the one I tried on and I wanted to keep it as similar as possible to the one I knew I liked :)

120Berly
okt 19, 2021, 1:42 pm

Packing and ring shopping! My daughter's fiancé asked me to go with him to find a ring. Luckily I had access to her pinterest ring collection and we managed to find something she loved. Date set for next September. Life is changing up fast. Congrats. : )

121alcottacre
okt 19, 2021, 1:47 pm

Not even trying to catch up, foggi, just stopping by to say "Hello."

122foggidawn
okt 21, 2021, 12:43 pm

>117 MickyFine: Thanks for the tip! I will have a look at their website.

>118 norabelle414: LOL! I hope it will not take me that long!

>119 curioussquared: I'll look at that site, too. I'm not a big fan of diamonds, partly because of the potential ethical issues and partly because I just prefer a colorful stone, but I also would prefer lab-created, I think.

>120 Berly: Making a Pinterest collection is a smart idea! I'm not on Pinterest very often any more, but I may have to get back on there when I start thinking about wedding planning.

>121 alcottacre: Hello! Glad to see you!

123foggidawn
Bewerkt: okt 27, 2021, 10:10 am

(253-258 books read)



Award reading count: 248 finished, 25 DNF
Books received: 535

My reading pace is way slower right now than it has been for the past few months, but with less than a week until the movers arrive, I am trying not to stress about this. Unpacking will be a much more leisurely affair than packing, and I will be able to focus on reading a lot more in November (and the last few days of October).

124MickyFine
okt 21, 2021, 1:23 pm

>122 foggidawn: Pinterest was super handy for a ton of wedding things. I used it for pinning styles of dresses I liked, bridesmaid dresses for my bridesmaids to pick from, decoration ideas, and also wedding photo poses to share with my photographer.

125foggidawn
okt 21, 2021, 7:13 pm

>124 MickyFine: I'm planning on a small wedding, but I'm sure I will still need some ideas, and they are plentiful there! :-)

126leahbird
okt 22, 2021, 4:00 pm

One idea for John to consider when it comes time is a non-metal ring. Since he's a farmer, the risk from crush/catch injuries and metal rings are pretty high. I have several friends who have found that out the hard way but I will spare you those stories. ;) Wood and silicone are popular now and pose less risk. My dad wore his ring for like a month, got it stuck in a tractor (he wasn't injured luckily), and gave it to my mom for safe keeping since he wasn't going to wear it. She promptly lost it, never to be seen again. That was 43 years ago this month.

127foggidawn
okt 23, 2021, 2:21 pm

>126 leahbird: That's a very good thought -- especially since he works in manufacturing in addition to farming. I'll have to see what he thinks.

128foggidawn
okt 27, 2021, 10:10 am

Checking in, since I haven't posted in a few days:

Yesterday was moving day, so all of the big stuff is now at John's place, and I am basically camping out in the old house for the next couple days, until I finish up my work week. The old house is looking very empty and sad (and dirty! You think you are a good housekeeper until you start moving furniture!). I'll be working on cleaning All The Things these next few evenings, and then I'll drive over to John's place this weekend and start unpacking All The Things.

This past Sunday I had Game Night with three of my friends -- I won't say "my last Game Night," as I've told them I will be willing to drive over for future Game Nights periodically, weather and work schedule permitting. Hitting the table this time: Love Letter, Codenames, and Isle of Cats. We really enjoyed all three. (Codenames was a replay, but the other two were new to everyone but me.) Isle of Cats is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

I have a week off in between finishing the old job and starting the new one. John is taking a week of vacation time to help with the unpacking, and we're probably going to visit my parents for a day or two to plane lumber for . . . built-in bookshelves! Living the dream, right? I will post pictures of the shelves when they are done.

That's really all the interesting stuff I have to report -- other than that, it's all packing and cleaning and reading books I can't tell you about. ;-) The committee has just done our first round of nominations and I'm so pumped about the list thus far! There are two more rounds (in November and December).

Hope you all are having a good week!

129curioussquared
okt 27, 2021, 12:11 pm

Built-in bookshelves!! Truly the dream.

I played Love Letter for the first time this weekend, too! I really liked it -- quick but not lacking in gameplay depth.

130foggidawn
okt 27, 2021, 1:17 pm

>129 curioussquared: Yeah, it's a great "warm up" game -- our group tends to play a couple of shorter games before launching into something longer / more complex.

131quondame
okt 27, 2021, 3:49 pm

>128 foggidawn: OK. New location, new job, new living partner. Yep interesting. Lots of changes all at once. Best luck.

132MickyFine
okt 27, 2021, 4:08 pm

>128 foggidawn: Sounds like an excellent Game Night, Foggi. When I lived in Lethbridge, my group of friends that played table games called games like Love Letter a palate cleanser. Something quick to warm up while waiting for someone who was late or to play in between more involved games. I'm with you on really liking Isle of Cats. It's definitely one of my current faves.

Congrats on all the moving progress! I know every time I've moved it seems like there's enough cat hair under the couch to make another cat. Hopefully it's not quite so bad with Lottie.

Adding my ooh of envy for your built-in bookshelves.

133alcottacre
okt 27, 2021, 7:30 pm

>128 foggidawn: Isle of Cats is terrific, isn't it? The game is getting an expansion too - Isle of Cats: Kittens + Beasts. It is due out next year.

Congratulations on the move!

134foggidawn
okt 28, 2021, 3:22 pm

>131 quondame: Thanks! Big changes, but all positive ones, I think.

>132 MickyFine: "Palate cleanser" is a good term for that sort of game.

>133 alcottacre: Ooh, an expansion! I'll be on the lookout for that!

135alcottacre
okt 30, 2021, 12:37 am

>133 alcottacre: The expansion was on Kickstarter earlier this year, so I am sure it will be delivered to backers before it goes out to the general public, but from what I understand, the date will be late next year.

136foggidawn
okt 30, 2021, 6:45 am

>135 alcottacre: Great! I’ll almost certainly forget about it by then, but hopefully something will jog my memory when it’s available.

137humouress
okt 31, 2021, 2:10 pm

>128 foggidawn: It's all happening! And bookshelves - yay!!

138foggidawn
nov 2, 2021, 7:45 am

(259 books read)



Award reading count: 249 finished, 25 DNF
Books received: 568

139foggidawn
nov 6, 2021, 8:52 pm

Checking in once again: it’s been a good (busy) week of unpacking. I’m starting to get certain areas of the new house like I want them — I’d say my bedroom is at 90% and the kitchen is around 75%.

John took a week off work to help, which was lovely. We played some board games in the evenings: Mad Dash, Othello, and Bananagrams. We took a couple of days to make a quick visit to my parents to help with the lumber for the bookshelves.

Right now I’m at the old house for one last good cleaning. They’re throwing me a goodbye party at church tomorrow, and then I’ll be heading home. New job starts Monday!

140compskibook
nov 6, 2021, 9:37 pm

Thanks for the update! I am so happy for you! Good luck with everything!

141humouress
nov 7, 2021, 1:38 am

>139 foggidawn: Woo hoo! It sounds like everything is going well.

142MickyFine
nov 7, 2021, 9:47 am

Hope settling in continues to go well and you have an excellent first day at your new job tomorrow!

143alcottacre
nov 7, 2021, 12:08 pm

Happy Sunday, Foggi! Hope all is going well there!

144aktakukac
nov 8, 2021, 11:24 am

Hope your first day goes well! Glad the unpacking and settling in has been good, too!

145foggidawn
nov 9, 2021, 11:37 am

Thanks, Dana, Nina, Micky, Stasia, and Rachel!

My first day went well, though it's a lot of new information to process (like any first day of a new job). Everyone at the branch here seems very nice and I think we'll all get along well. I'm still trying to get a grasp of my duties, but it seems manageable so far.

John and I are still working on getting my stuff squared away in our spare time. It's so nice to see him every day! Lottie has decided that John is her most fun new toy, because he will play Frisbee with her until she is completely worn out. She follows him around when he is doing farm chores, and listens to his commands well already.

I'm done with the old house -- I finished cleaning and did a final walk-through with the landlord. Rob is staying there for the time being, so if any stray packages come to me there, he can collect them for me and I can run over and get them.

I feel like I am running behind with my award committee stuff, having only read a few books in the past week. I think I'm to the point where I will start DNF'ing more and more as I rush to make sure I've at least taken a look at everything before these last rounds of nominations. Then, the focus shifts to the nominated books, rereading and taking notes on all of them.

All in all, I have only good things to report. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the stuff I need/want to get done and by all of the new information I am processing, but not so overwhelmed that I can't function. I think that, once I get settled in, this will be a good situation for me.

146MickyFine
nov 9, 2021, 12:09 pm

Glad to hear the first day went well. I always feel like the first 3 months or so of a new job is a neverending learning curve, even if the work is similar to what you've done before. Happy you get to see John every day though. :D

147alcottacre
nov 9, 2021, 12:32 pm

Congratulations on the first day going well! I hope things continue in that vein for you.

148foggidawn
nov 9, 2021, 2:51 pm

(264 books read)



Award reading count: 254 finished, 25 DNF
Books received: 583

149foggidawn
nov 9, 2021, 2:52 pm

>146 MickyFine: Learning curve - absolutely! Fortunately, we seem to be moving as a sustainable pace at present; I don't feel like I have to know everything right away.

>147 alcottacre: Thanks!

150curioussquared
nov 9, 2021, 5:08 pm

Glad to hear the move and first day went well, and that Lottie is having fun training John!

151scaifea
nov 9, 2021, 6:28 pm

Aw, YAY! It sounds like things are going really well and that's excellent!

I was wondering about Rob but didn't want to ask in case you answered that already and I had forgotten...

152SandyAMcPherson
Bewerkt: nov 10, 2021, 7:20 am

>54 foggidawn: Hi Foggi, past due I stopped by to say Howdy.
Lots going on in your life and it is great that you have a new position at a library nearer family and the BF's location.

I saw further down the thread you are renting. Very smart choice. I feel that the hubs and I should switch to the hassle-free aspect of not owning but Canadian LL (landlords) are notoriously amateurish unless it's a condo building or townhouses and they're run by businesses. I wish the European model (where way more people rent than own and it's professional) was the case.

Anyway, all best wishes for this development. I'm not frequenting much of the talk threads this year. Kind of a pandemic burnout ~ I hope by year end there's a light at the end of that tunnel but I kind of doubt this will happen.

Edited to add, I'm behind the news with John. Just realized that perhaps I missed the implications of your move... you're getting married? Did I understand that correctly? How exciting. And the new place, that's together, I guess. Sorry if I'm so out of the loop and asking silly questions.

153foggidawn
nov 10, 2021, 9:24 am

>150 curioussquared: Yes, she is enjoying training him. ;-)

>151 scaifea: Thanks! I may not have specifically said, but yes, Rob is continuing to rent the old house. He's substitute teaching, which is steady work right now, as I think subs are pretty much in demand everywhere, especially at the high-school level.

>152 SandyAMcPherson: Howdy! Sounds like renting is pretty similar in the US and Canada. I've done both, and when I was on my own I preferred renting, but John owns his own property. I like being able to do what I want in terms of painting, remodeling, etc., but it's less fun when something expensive breaks down at an inconvenient time. And yes, John and I are engaged now, though we haven't set a wedding date yet. No worries about the (not-actually-)silly questions; it's hard to keep up with what's going on with everyone around here!

154foggidawn
Bewerkt: nov 20, 2021, 2:05 pm

(265-269 books read)



Award reading count: 259 finished, 25 DNF
Books received: 586

155MickyFine
nov 16, 2021, 3:19 pm

When's your next discussion meeting, Foggi?

156AMQS
nov 16, 2021, 6:25 pm

WOW WOW WOW SO MUCH EXCITING NEWS! Congratulations! And oh how busy! Good luck with everything.

>128 foggidawn: The committee has just done our first round of nominations what does this mean? Some books have been added to a long, long list and some have been eliminated from award consideration? I'm just fascinated! I haven't read too many 2021 books yet, so I'm sure you're reading titles I've only just received (library book buying can be a slow process in the public school world). I can't wait until you can share! I feel like I haven't had many stand out reads this year.

157alcottacre
nov 16, 2021, 6:40 pm

Happy Tuesday, Foggi!

158foggidawn
nov 17, 2021, 3:41 pm

>155 MickyFine: We're going to have to do our deliberations virtually (sad face), so they'll happen over several days in January.

>156 AMQS: Thanks thanks thanks! So, in terms of this award, the committee makes suggestions throughout the year (on set days, so they can be anonymized and compiled and sent out as a document). That list can get pretty long, because there's technically no limit on books committee members can suggest. Nominations, on the other hand, happen in the fall, and each committee member is limited to seven total nominations (three in October, two in November, and two in December). The nominated books are ones that will definitely be discussed when we make our final deliberations. So, it's not that we're removing anything from consideration, it's just that only nominated titles make it to that final discussion. I've found it to be an agonizing process, trying to choose books to nominate! I've read so many good ones.

>157 alcottacre: Thanks!

159foggidawn
Bewerkt: nov 24, 2021, 3:49 pm

(270-272 books read)



Award reading count: 262 finished, 25 DNF
Books received: 586

160PaulCranswick
nov 25, 2021, 6:25 am

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.

Foggi, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

161foggidawn
nov 26, 2021, 10:14 am

>160 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

We had Thanksgiving with John's family yesterday, and will be driving over for Thanksgiving with my family tomorrow. I made pies for both, and sweet potato casserole for yesterday's meal. It's been nice, doing a little cooking -- this year, I've really held back on my usual activities in favor of reading. I'm kind of looking forward to getting back to my normal range of activities, though I wouldn't say I'm sick of reading yet!

162MickyFine
nov 26, 2021, 12:53 pm

Hope your second Thanksgiving is as tasty and fun as your first. Does John have siblings or was it a pretty small gathering?

163Berly
nov 26, 2021, 1:02 pm

Happy Day of Leftovers!! And looking forward to Thanksgiving Round #2 tomorrow. Glad to hear that the move went well and you are looking forward to new bookshelves. Hurrah!

164foggidawn
nov 29, 2021, 12:50 pm

>162 MickyFine: It was a small group -- John does have a sister, but she had a work emergency and couldn't get away (she lives in Michigan, so it's a bit of a trip for her). So it was just John and I, his parents, and an uncle, aunt, and cousin.

>163 Berly: Thanks! Round 2 was excellent, though it was a large and chaotic group of some of my cousins and their siblings, as well as my parents, grandparents, aunt, and two uncles. (My brother and sister-in-law, like John's sister, couldn't get away from work.) And yes, I am excited about the new shelves. I imagine they'll be ready about the time I am done with award committee work, so I'll be able to focus on organizing them when they get here.

165foggidawn
Bewerkt: nov 30, 2021, 12:36 pm

(273-275 books read)



Award reading count: 265 finished, 35 DNF
Books received: 586

166MickyFine
Bewerkt: nov 29, 2021, 1:51 pm

>164 foggidawn: Small gatherings are nice, especially when you're meeting extended family. Makes it easier to keep them all straight. Mr. Fine's parents both come from large families so he has a bunch of aunts, uncles, and cousins (most of whom I haven't met since they live on the opposite end of the country) and I have a hard time remembering who belongs to who. :P

Wowzers! Think you'll hit 300 by the end of the year?

167foggidawn
nov 29, 2021, 1:51 pm

>166 MickyFine: Yeah, John did an admirable job of remembering the names of at least the adults in my family, but I think he was feeling overwhelmed by the end of the day. I had a much easier time remembering names at his family gathering!

And yes, I suspect that I will reach 300 by the end of the year. I'm going to make a big push to read more of my unread books this week, so hopefully I'll be racking up some numbers over the next few days -- though I may end up racking up more DNF's (I already have a list that I haven't added to my count above, so expect to see that number jump soon).

168MickyFine
nov 29, 2021, 1:58 pm

*readies confetti cannon*

169curioussquared
nov 29, 2021, 4:08 pm

Glad you had two nice Thanksgivings and also cheering you on to 300!!

170ronincats
nov 29, 2021, 8:04 pm

Oh, wow! Drop out for a couple of months and get left WAY behind. Congratulations on the engagement, fellow feelings of commiseration on the move, yay for being closer to family AND fiancee, and loads of support on the final push for award reading!

171foggidawn
nov 30, 2021, 12:35 pm

>168 MickyFine: Hold your horses! If I do get to 300, it may be just in time for the new year -- which, come to think of it, is the perfect time for a confetti cannon, so...

>169 curioussquared: Thanks!

>170 ronincats: Good to see you around here! Thanks for all of the good wishes and commiserations.

172foggidawn
dec 2, 2021, 2:11 pm

(276 books read)



Award reading count: 266 finished, 37 DNF
Books received: 592

173quondame
dec 2, 2021, 11:12 pm

Hello! I hope all the new is becoming quickly comfortable.

174foggidawn
dec 4, 2021, 10:02 am

>173 quondame: It is, thanks! I'm loving making the house more cozy, and Lottie adores John and being a "farm dog" -- she killed a rat (!!!) the other day up at John's parents' farm, to the great approbation of John and his dad. (They were less thrilled when she decided to chase the geese.) We went to a nearby tree farm yesterday and picked out a pretty little blue spruce -- pictures when it gets decorated, if I remember to take them and upload them here.

175foggidawn
dec 4, 2021, 10:18 am

Speaking of uploading pictures:





As those of you who are Facebook friends with me may have seen, I have an engagement ring! It was John's great-grandmother's. We took it to a jeweler to get it cleaned, and they identified the stone as a pink sapphire. We've also picked a date -- September 17th, 2022. So, things are moving along!

176scaifea
dec 4, 2021, 10:50 am

>175 foggidawn: Congrats! It's a lovely ring. And September seems like such a nice month for a wedding (ours was June - we graduated on weekend, then got married and moved the next!), but I've still always thought fall would be fabulous for it.

177humouress
dec 4, 2021, 10:59 am

>175 foggidawn: That's pretty (both photos)! And how nice that your ring has some family history.

178FAMeulstee
dec 4, 2021, 11:55 am

>175 foggidawn: Congratulations, what a lovely engagement ring.

179curioussquared
dec 4, 2021, 12:46 pm

Gorgeous ring, and congrats on picking a date!!

180thornton37814
dec 4, 2021, 2:10 pm

>175 foggidawn: Congratulations!

181drneutron
dec 4, 2021, 4:00 pm

Congrats!

182quondame
dec 4, 2021, 6:43 pm

>175 foggidawn: Lovely. You and John too! I love that style of ring.

183MickyFine
dec 4, 2021, 11:51 pm

What a beautiful ring! And congrats on picking your wedding date - it's the day after our anniversary so almost twins! 😊

184fuzzi
dec 5, 2021, 11:54 am

>175 foggidawn: lovely ring, "something old".

You are only two days off from our anniversary, September 19th. 😁

185foggidawn
dec 6, 2021, 11:52 am

>176 scaifea: Thanks! As a children's librarian, June and July were Right Out when considering dates. September was when we started dating, so that's how we settled on that date.

>177 humouress: Thanks! Yes, the original diamond in the ring was apparently sold during the Great Depression, and then this pink sapphire was put in later when the ring was John's grandmother's. It has quite a story!

>178 FAMeulstee: and >179 curioussquared: and >180 thornton37814: and >181 drneutron: and >182 quondame: Thanks you all!

>183 MickyFine: and >184 fuzzi: Anniversary buddies!

186foggidawn
Bewerkt: dec 10, 2021, 10:55 am

(277-282 books read)



Award reading count: 272 finished, 37 DNF
Books received: 611

187quondame
dec 6, 2021, 6:11 pm

>185 foggidawn: My father wore a heavy gold band set with a diamond that was pretty much my mother's only inheritance and my sister later had a cubic zirconium put in the original platinum setting which she wore on those rare occasions she wanted to deter male interest.

188bell7
dec 6, 2021, 6:18 pm

What a lovely ring, and how cool that it's part of the family story. Congrats on having a date as well!

189foggidawn
dec 13, 2021, 10:47 am

>187 quondame: How interesting!

>188 bell7: Thanks!

190foggidawn
Bewerkt: dec 18, 2021, 9:41 am

(283-287 books read)



Award reading count: 277 finished, 44 DNF
Books received: 622

191foggidawn
dec 16, 2021, 9:31 am

Big day today: storytime this morning (if I get any participants -- the family that regularly attends will be out of town), then our work Christmas party (they're bringing in food from Olive Garden, yum), but most exciting/stressful of all, today our final nominations for the award committee are due. After today, we'll know (pretty much) what we'll be discussing next month, and my focus will shift to rereading those nominated books. I squeaked in a couple more reads yesterday, and a few DNFs as well. Now: decision time...

192humouress
dec 16, 2021, 9:37 am

>191 foggidawn: Getting exciting!

193MickyFine
dec 16, 2021, 11:28 am

>191 foggidawn: Exciting. Congrats on making it through the piles (and piles and piles) of books this year. I hope the discussions next month are lots of fun.

194compskibook
dec 16, 2021, 6:55 pm

This is so exciting! I had students start nominating for our Mock (other award) this week. January 24 is going to be great!

195AMQS
dec 17, 2021, 1:44 pm

Beautiful ring - so lovely! And I do think September is a lovely wedding month.

I can't wait to hear all about (REDACTED). I brought home a few 2021 books to read over break, but we'll have so much going on that I'm not sure how much reading time I'll have.

So exciting!

196foggidawn
dec 20, 2021, 10:26 am

>192 humouress: Oh, it is!

>193 MickyFine: Thanks! I'm sure they will be, though I anticipate some Zoom fatigue.

>194 compskibook: Great! I'd love to hear what they pick.

>195 AMQS: Thanks! Hope you enjoy the books if you get to them. I'm looking forward to being able to talk a little more freely about 2021 titles once the award is announced!

All of the nominations are in now, and the list is pretty long (I don't think I can say how long). I have a couple new-to-me reads to get through, and then I'll be doing some intense rereading and note-taking. I've cut way back on my Christmas celebrations this year (not watching many Christmas movies, minimal decorations, not doing a lot of baking, no mailing Christmas cards) and I miss all of that, but I keep telling myself that next year I can be a Christmassy as I want with no award discussions breathing down my neck.

197foggidawn
Bewerkt: dec 21, 2021, 7:33 pm

(288-293 books read)



Award reading count: 283 finished, 43 DNF
Books received: 623

198MickyFine
dec 20, 2021, 12:43 pm

>196 foggidawn: Hopefully there's still some fun to be had with more intense evaluation reading!

199foggidawn
dec 20, 2021, 12:50 pm

>198 MickyFine: I really like the vast majority of the books nominated, so it should be enjoyable reading, to delve back into some of my favorites of the year. There are a few I'm not crazy about, so I may do some skimming in those cases. ;-)

200curioussquared
dec 20, 2021, 12:54 pm

Exciting!! Getting down to the wire :)

201humouress
dec 23, 2021, 10:28 am

So, remind me (I'm sure you're allowed to tell us the bare bones of it); you all got a whole load of books and each person got the same? and then everyone gave every book at least a go to long list books. Now you're going to meet (on Zoom) and whittle down that long list, right?

202foggidawn
Bewerkt: dec 23, 2021, 1:49 pm

>200 curioussquared: We sure are!

>201 humouress: Kiiiiiiind of? Yes, we all got a whole load of books, and theoretically we all got the same books (some smaller presses or self-published books may have gone just to the committee chair, and the chair would decide whether the rest of us needed to see any of those books). So, barring any packing/shipping screw-ups, we all got the same. But as you can see from my numbers, I did not necessarily give all of those books a go. (I probably read more than it looks like I did, because I read or skimmed a ton of picture books that I didn't include in my count. But I still didn't manage to read all of the books that were sent to me.) And I did read some books that we didn't receive, because we're charged to seek out the best books of the year and not just rely on publisher submissions, so I got some through my library that I had heard about and wanted to try. We all made suggestions to one another throughout the year (via an official process of sending our suggestions to the chair, who sent out a list every month), and in the last couple months, we officially nominated our favorites (nominations being a more formal process, with each of us allowed to make exactly 7 nominations, writing a statement of support for each). In a normal (non-Covid) year, we'd meet in person for our deliberations, but alas, we are meeting via Zoom next month instead. When we meet, it's not so much about whittling down the list, as it is about finding the best of the list -- the hope is that, in the process of discussion, the most excellent book(s) will rise to the top. We'll vote once all of the books on the table have been discussed, and then possibly discuss and vote again as many times as is necessary to come to a decision. (The award manual gives the specifics of what kind of numbers are required to consider a book the winner and how to tally those numbers, and how to decide about honor books after the winner is chosen). I'm told that some committees have a winner on the first ballot, while some ballot several times.

Phew! It's both exhausting and exciting just to think about it!

203foggidawn
dec 23, 2021, 2:23 pm

I'm not sure how much I'll be on LT over the next couple of days, so...



Thank you for visiting my thread, friends! If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a lovely one! If you are celebrating or have recently celebrated other holidays, I hope they are/were wonderful! And if you don't celebrate any holidays this season, I wish you tasty drinks, comfy blankets, and excellent books to brighten your days.

I'm going to Mom and Dad's for Christmas, and my brother and his family will join us on the 26th. We'll exchange gifts on the morning of the 27th, and then I'll head home. (John has to work some of those days, so he's staying home alone, poor fellow. He's got family in the area that he will visit when he can, though.)

I have work the 28th-30th, but then John and I are both off for New Year's weekend, so we'll get to spend that time together.

As for reading, I'm going to continue on my award-related reading and re-reading for the rest of the year and into January. I'll start a thread in the new group some time closer to New Year's. I should easily make it to 300 books this year, so I'm sad I can't do any of the usual book memes/games with the vast array of titles I have to choose from! :-D

204MickyFine
dec 23, 2021, 3:33 pm

Merry Christmas, Foggi! I hope you and Lottie have a great time at the farm (or is she keeping John company?).

205foggidawn
dec 23, 2021, 4:46 pm

>204 MickyFine: Nah, Lottie's coming with me.

206bell7
dec 23, 2021, 4:49 pm

A Merry Christmas, foggi, and hope you have a good visit with your folks.

207compskibook
dec 23, 2021, 7:21 pm

Merry Christmas and Happy New____ Year!

208Whisper1
dec 23, 2021, 9:34 pm

I hope your holiday is filled with love and laughter.

209ronincats
dec 24, 2021, 2:40 pm

210PaulCranswick
dec 24, 2021, 8:13 pm



Have a lovely holiday, Foggi.

211quondame
dec 24, 2021, 10:20 pm

Happy Holidays Foggi!


212AMQS
dec 26, 2021, 2:28 pm

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a lovely time with your family.

213Berly
dec 26, 2021, 3:06 pm



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

214fuzzi
dec 27, 2021, 4:09 pm

>213 Berly: I don't see your picture...?

215foggidawn
dec 28, 2021, 10:34 am

>206 bell7: Thanks!

>207 compskibook: I see what you did there! ;-)

>208 Whisper1: and >209 ronincats: and >210 PaulCranswick: and >211 quondame: and >212 AMQS: Thanks for the holiday greetings!

>213 Berly: Thank you!

>214 fuzzi: Me neither, though I've seen it posted on other threads, I think.

216foggidawn
Bewerkt: dec 28, 2021, 3:44 pm

(294-297 books read)



Award reading count: 287 finished, 43 DNF
Books received: 629

217foggidawn
Bewerkt: dec 28, 2021, 3:44 pm

(298 books read)



A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I've read this book, or had it read to me, so many times that I have large parts of it memorized. Our family tradition is to read it aloud in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

218humouress
dec 29, 2021, 12:48 pm

>217 foggidawn: Very apt :0)

I would like to wish you and your family the very best of the season and good health and happiness for 2022.

219foggidawn
dec 30, 2021, 10:43 am

220foggidawn
dec 30, 2021, 10:44 am

(299 books read)



Award reading count: 288 finished, 43 DNF
Books received: 633

221Whisper1
dec 30, 2021, 11:35 am

>220 foggidawn: Wow! You read a lot of books in 2021. Congratulations!
>217 foggidawn: Our family tradition is to watch A Christmas Story during the holiday. We like the George C. Scout's rendition of Scrooge!

I hope your 2022 is filled with many wonderful books, and occasions.

222foggidawn
dec 30, 2021, 1:19 pm

>221 Whisper1: Thanks! I will finish at least one more book before the end of the year -- maybe more, if I really focus tomorrow, when I have the day off. My favorite film version of A Christmas Carol is the Patrick Stewart one.

223foggidawn
dec 30, 2021, 3:38 pm

(300 books read)



Award reading count: 289 finished, 43 DNF
Books received: 633

I made it to 75 x 4 by the end of the year!

Hopefully, I'll read another book or two before the year ends, because my award reading does not abate until mid-January. I'll start a thread in the new group before long, but it's still going to be a bit mysterious for the first few weeks.

224alcottacre
dec 30, 2021, 3:55 pm

Well, I am not even going to pretend to catch up with the 60+ posts behind that I am, foggi, but I will say "Congratulations" on the 300 books and "Happy New Year!"

225MickyFine
dec 30, 2021, 3:56 pm

Look at you, landing a quad!



Way to go!

226aktakukac
dec 30, 2021, 4:08 pm

I saw this and immediately thought of you... :)



Sorry, I'll go back to work now...

227foggidawn
dec 30, 2021, 4:12 pm

>224 alcottacre: Thanks for visiting!

>225 MickyFine: It does feel like quite a feat!

>226 aktakukac: Hahahahaha!

228foggidawn
dec 30, 2021, 4:14 pm

I went ahead and started up

my first thread in the 2022 group!

Hope to see all of you over there!

229FAMeulstee
dec 30, 2021, 5:06 pm

>223 foggidawn: Congratulations on reaching 4 x 75, Foggi!

230PaulCranswick
jan 1, 2022, 2:57 am



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, Foggi.

Well done on 4x75. Almost 2 books to every one I managed.

231humouress
jan 1, 2022, 5:10 am

Congratulations on quadruple 75!

>226 aktakukac: Like!

232thornton37814
jan 1, 2022, 11:40 am

I have only achieved a quadruple once. I'd love to do it again, but I doubt it will happen until I retire.

233curioussquared
jan 1, 2022, 2:17 pm

Woohoo, congrats on a quadruple 75!!