MickyFine Attends the Assembly Rooms in 2021, Tenth Cotillion

My second favourite adaptation of P&P. Also, who else really wants to do their hair like Lizzy's here?

I'm Micky, 34 years old, librarian, and generally bookish nerd. I usually have a good mix of reads going on every year with strong doses of romance, sff, historicals, and a dash of non-fiction. My only reading project this year is a re-read of Jane Austen's six major novels - the ultimate comfort reads for me. I'm trying to be a bit more chatty on my own thread and others and in addition to my reading, I'll also discuss what I'm watching, and general life goings on often featuring my husband, Mr. Fine, and our two cats, Ash and Smee. Posters and lurkers alike are welcome.

January
1. Paper and Fire - Rachel Caine
2. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
3. Fangs - Sarah Andersen
4. I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are - Rachel Bloom
5. Not Quite the Classics - Colin Mochrie
6. Giant Days Volume 11 - John Allison & Max Sarin
7. Ash and Quill - Rachel Caine
8. Emma - Jane Austen (re-read)
9. Giant Days Volume 12 - John Allison & Max Sarin
10. Read It and Weep - Jenn McKinlay
Favourite(s):


February
11. How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse - K. Eason (re-read)
12. Giant Days Volume 13 - John Allison & Max Sarin
13. Death by Shakespeare - Kathryn Harkup
14. Lumberjanes Vol. 16 - Shannon Watters & Kat Leyh
15. How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge - K. Eason
16. Little Moments of Love - Catana Chetwynd
17. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (re-read)
18. Clean: The New Science of Skin - Jame Hamblin
19. Giant Days Vol. 14 - John Allison & Max Sarin
20. Ready Player Two - Ernest Cline
Favourite(s):


March
21. More Than Words Can Say - Karen Witemeyer
22. Snug: A Collection of Comics about Dating Your Best Friend - Catana Chetwynd
23. The Noel Coward BBC Radio Drama Collection - Noel Coward
24. Mansfield Park - Jane Austen (re-read)
25. You Can Only Yell at Me for One Thing at a Time: Rules for Couples - Patricia Maxwell & Roz Chast
26. Redshirts - John Scalzi
27. Savor the Moment - Nora Roberts
28. Once & Future: The King Is Undead - Kieron Gillen & Dan Mora
29. It's in His Kiss - Julia Quinn
30. True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop - Annie Darling
31. Once & Future: Old English - Kieron Gillen & Dan Mora
32. Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher
33. An Infamous Army - Georgette Heyer
34. Black Widow: The Finely Woven Thread - Nathan Edmonson & Phil Noto
35. All Systems Red - Martha Wells (re-read)
36. Artificial Condition - Martha Wells (re-read)
37. On the Way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn
Favourite(s):

April
38. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
39. Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells (re-read)
40. Exit Strategy - Martha Wells (re-read)
41. The Jane Austen Society - Natalie Jenner
42. Valkyrie: The Sacred and the Profane - Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, & CAFU
43. The Martian - Andy Weir
44. Valkyrie: At the End of All Things - Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, Torun Grønbekk, Pere Pérez, CAFU, Ramon Rosanas
45. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (re-read)
46. Ours by Every Law of Right and Justice: Women and the Vote in the Prairie Provinces - Sarah Carter
47. Lumberjanes Vol. 17 - Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, Kanesha C. Bryant
48. Shit, Actually - Lindy West
49. The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill - Julie Klassen
50. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel You Know It's True - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
51. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel, You Really Got Me Now - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
52. Network Effect - Martha Wells (re-read)
53. Siri, Who Am I? - Sam Tschida
54. Fugitive Telemetry - Martha Wells
55. A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
56. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: I Kissed a Squirrel and I Liked It - Ryan North, Erica Henderson, & Jacob Chabot
57. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
58. Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
Favourite(s):


May
59. Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare
60. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton
61. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Like I'm the Only Squirrel in the World - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
62. Romancing the Duke - Tessa Dare
63. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Who Run the World? Squirrels - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
64. Yes Please - Amy Poehler
65. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (re-read)
66. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: I've Been Waiting for a Squirrel Like You - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
67. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
68. Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey - Countess Carnarvon
69. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: My Best Friend's Squirrel - Ryan North & Erica Henderson
70. Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro
71. Stories I Only Tell My Friends - Rob Lowe
72. The Mortal Word - Genevieve Cogman
73. The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green
74. Sunshine Girl - Julianna Margulies
Favourite(s):


June
75. Dolly Parton, Songteller - Dolly Parton
76. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon (re-read)
77. The Snark Handbook: Sex Edition - Lawrence Dorfman
78. On Borrowed Time - Jenn McKinlay
79. The Fourth Bear - Jasper Fforde
80. The Soulmate Equation - Christina Lauren
81. Lumberjanes Vol. 18 - Kat Leyh et. al.
82. Persuasion - Jane Austen (re-read)
Favourite(s):

July
83. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrels Fall Like Dominoes - Ryan North and Derek Charm
84. Q-in-Law - Peter David (re-read)
85. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Life Is Too Short, Squirrel - Ryan North, Derek Charm, and Naomi Franquiz
86. The Heart's Charge - Karen Witemeyer
87. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Call Your Squirrelfriend - Ryan North and Derek Charm
88. The Other Miss Bridgerton - Julia Quinn
89. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: To All the Squirrels I've Loved Before - Ryan North and Derek Charm
90. The Flatshare - Beth O'Leary
91. Black Widow: The Tightly Tangled Web - Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto
92. Modern Love - Daniel Jones (ed.)
93. Black Widow: Last Days - Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto
94. The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free - Paulina Bren
95. Ms. Marvel: No Normal - G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
96. Very Good, Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse
Favourite(s):


August
97. Ms. Marvel: Generation Why - G. Willow Wilson, Jacob Wyatt, and Adrian Alphona
98. The Diary of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell
99. Ms. Marvel: Crushed - G. Willow Wilson, Elmo Bondoc, and Takeshi Miyazawa
100. Any Way the Wind Blows - Rainbow Rowell
101. Ms. Marvel: Last Days - G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
102. A Lady by Midnight - Tessa Dare
103. No Offense - Meg Cabot
104. The Penderwicks - Jeanne Birdsall
105. Imzadi - Peter David (re-read)
106. Triangle: Imzadi II - Peter David (re-read)
Favourite(s):


September
107. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (re-read)
108. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (re-read)
109. Written in My Own Heart's Blood - Diana Gabaldon (re-read)
110. House of M - Brian Michael Bendis
111. Pirate Stew - Neil Gaiman
Favourite(s):

October
112. In the Heights: Finding Home - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter
113. Lumberjanes, Vol 19 - Shannon Watters & Kat Leyh
114. The Saturday Night Supper Club - Carla Laureano
115. The Book Charmer - Karen Hawkins
116. Poppy Harmon Investigates - Lee Hollis
117. Falling for Trouble - Sarah Title
118. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wild (re-read)
119. The Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin - Sophie Jordan
120. Lord Saville's Crime and Other Stories - Oscar Wilde
121. How the Penguins Saved Veronica - Hazel Prior
Favourite(s):


November
Favourite(s):

December
Favourite(s):

My rating system:

/ = Ran screaming in the other direction (aka did not finish)
* = Suffered through it for reasons I'm still not sure of
** = Had far more flaws than virtues
*** = A read I don't regret but could use some improvement
**** = A good, solid read that I might revisit
***** = Loved it beyond reason and will probably re-read in short order

What's on the agenda: After a day off yesterday for Truth and Reconciliation Day I'm back to the work from home life. Mr. Fine, however, has the day off (he'd booked time off for our local fan & comic expo, which due to our crazy COVID numbers was cancelled). He's currently off to the nearby rec centre to try out their gym. Meanwhile I've got all the customer suggestions to wade through today. If I get through them all, I'll spend some time poking at vendor lists and the new issues of Library Journal and AudioFile. Beef and broccoli for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: Will probably wrap up In the Heights: Finding Home today.

What we're watching: With a day off, Mr. Fine and I marathoned Infinity War and Endgame for the MCU rewatch. There was also a couple episodes of Supernatural and Big Bang Theory.

Happy new thread, Micky! May the day go fast and the weekend be restful.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Micky!

*swoon to that topper pic*

Happy new thread! And yes to the hairstyle!

Happy new thread!!

Happy new thread, Micky!

We've got, I think, at least three new adaptations of Pride & Prejudice coming in the next year or so? A modern adaptation called The Netherfield Girls starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan from Never Have I Ever, a modern gay adaptation called Fire Island starring Bowen Yang from Saturday Night Live, and a classic adaptation with Caitriona Balfe and Eleanor Tomlinson (sounds great until you find out that Lily James is playing Elizabeth.....no thank you!!!)

New thread orisons, Micky! Come visit mine, too.

I thought this was Canadian Thanksgiving. I didn't know that it was replaced by Truth and Reconciliation Day...if it was...?

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Micky!

>8 bell7: Thanks, Mary! The day did go quite quickly, which was nice indeed and the perfect fall weather is supposed to hold through this weekend so it's shaping up to be a good one.

>9 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

>10 katiekrug: I definitely swoon over that scene. The music from the soundtrack alone... *fans self*

>11 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi. If only I had the locks to pull it off.

>12 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

>13 norabelle414: Oooh, all the P&P. I'll keep my eyes peeled for all of those. I don't mind Lily James so I'm ok with her playing Lizzy.

>14 richardderus: Truth and Reconciliation Day (previously and still known as Orange Shirt Day) is a new federal holiday as of this year. It's meant to be a day to learn about and reflect on the horrors and ongoing legacy of the Indian Residential School System as we work towards reconciliation between First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples and settler peoples. Here's the federal government's page on the holiday in case you're interested.

Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October so we've got a a couple weeks to go for that. But soon there will be pumpkin pie. :)

>15 quondame: Thanks, Susan.

>16 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.

Happy new thread, Micky.

This year is comfortably the most busy your threads have been as you close in on 2,000 posts for the first time (1,957 and counting) and you are presently heading for a top ten finish in my stats and a first team most posts to a Canadian thread success!

I know, I know but I do find the keeping of the stats fun even though they probably don't mean too much.

>18 PaulCranswick: Aww thanks, Paul. We all need hobbies and stats is one of yours. 🙂

What's on the agenda: Solo breakfast for me as Mr. Fine has gone off to the gym. Afterwards I'll watch virtual church. Mr. Fine's daughter (and the boyfriend) are supposed to come by for a visit this afternoon and we're planning to do a fire in the backyard while they're here. I've also been promised another attempt at our new co-op game. Now that we're not figuring out game play, I'm hoping we can actually beat the game. Can't remember what's on the meal plan for supper tonight.

What I'm reading: Finished In the Heights: Finding Home yesterday and abandoned Honeysuckle Dreams after the first chapter last night. I'll be reading volume 19 of Lumberjanes today.

What we're watching: No viewing. We played Scythe and I was once again trounced at it by Mr. Fine.

Is anyone besides me starting to think about their reading challenges for next year already? I've decided to do my own Canadian authors challenge and have put together a list of authors/themes for each month next year. Happy to share my list if anyone else is interested.

>21 MickyFine: Me! Me! I am always eager to discover more CanLit. (I'm the weirdo who made my library buy Élisabeth Vonarburg's and Candas Jane Dorsey's books, and the Prix Aurora anthologies.)

I'm thinking about my blog jamboree, #Booksgiving, for this year...I think I'll do a listicle-a-week format. I mash up the idea of Iceland's Jólabókaflóð and Advent. I've posted over a thousand reviews so there's almost always fodder for a list of three to five similarly themed books.

>17 MickyFine: Second Monday! I had y'all's Thanksgiving stored in memory as first Friday. Well well well, whaddaya know, I was wrong.

Good on y'all for Truth and Reconciliation Day being a Federal Holiday, it's more than a gesture to those who will make the least bit of effort to use it so.

>22 richardderus: Here's my list:

January - Michael Ondaatje
February - Esi Edugyan
March - Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour
April - Kim Thuy
May - Alice Munro
June - Thomas King
July - Giller Prize
August - Kelley Armstrong
September - Leonard Cohen
October - Vivek Shraya
November - Non-fiction November
December - Lucy Maud Montgomery

For months with awards as the theme, I'm giving myself the option to pick a title from longlists and not necessarily winners.

>23 MickyFine: - Thanks for sharing the list! I might dip in and out of it next year. And yes! I am totally think about plans for next year :)

>24 katiekrug: I had a feeling you'd be in the same planning boat as me. :)

Book 112



In the Heights: Finding Home - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter

A collection of essays in which McCarter collates interviews from various individuals involved in the process of bringing In the Heights to the stage and then later to the screen. Also included are essays from Quiara Hudes reflecting on key moments in the stage and film versions and the different ways she wrote them. And the main attraction (at least for this reader), are the full lyrics of the musical (the stage version) with Lin-Manuel Miranda's annotations.

For fans of either the original Broadway cast recording or the new film adaptation, this will be a fun read. While I was mostly in it for Lin's annotations (and the opportunity to see the Spanish lyrics so I could look up translations), the essays made for interesting reading. I was particularly fascinated by the section on international productions of the musical - doing In the Heights in Japan, the Philippines, or Norway must be a very different experience.

Rating: *****

Book 113



Lumberjanes, Vol. 19 - Shannon Watters & Kat Leyh

As the end of the summer draws nears, the 'janes decide to each do one last thing they want to do before they no longer have the chance. April has one last badge to earn, Jo and Ripley go to the land of lost things to see Ripley's favourite dinosaur, and Mal and Molly just want to spend the day together. Of course, this being a Lumberjanes tale, nothing quite goes as expected.

Is an emoji with giant heart eyes enough of a review? I love this series and this penultimate volume was note-perfect. I'm sad that the end is in sight but also looking forward to seeing the 'janes final adventure.

Rating: *****

What's on the agenda: First full week of work in a while. We'll see how I'm doing by Friday. :P I've got two meetings today and around those it'll mostly be customer suggestions as the turnover to a new month means my regular suggesters who max out every month are back with a new set of 5 requests. Chili for dinner tonight, likely with leftover biscuits that I made to go with the stew we had yesterday.

What I'm reading: Full day yesterday meant I only managed one chapter in my book but liking The Saturday Night Supper Club so far.

What we're watching: A few episodes of TNG and a couple of Big Bang.

>27 MickyFine: I love how much you love the Lumberjanes!

>23 MickyFine: I've favorited the list so I can refer back...I've got a Thomas King book that Sandy sent to me and it keeps slipping down the TBR because it's a tree book...this can be my emergency pusher to keep it from slipping again. Thanks!

Have a lovely week ahead's reads.

>29 richardderus: They're so very easy to love - feminist and queer-embracing they're also just fun and funny. I'm eyeing adding them to my personal collection as I love them so.

Happy to nudge you towards adding another Canuck or two to your reading queue. :)

>30 MickyFine: I'm eyeing adding them to my personal collection as I love them so.

Charlie and I are just waiting to see if they'll release a collected set once all the volumes are out (I suspect they will) and then we're definitely adding it to our shelves.

>23 MickyFine: I will almost certainly join in for some of the months at least Micky. Some of my absolute favourite authors are Canadian so it will be great to broaden my perspective with some new to me authors too.

>31 scaifea: Ooh, I'll be keeping a watch on your thread in case you discover them before I do. :)

>32 PaulCranswick: Awesome, Paul. I'm not always the best at reading Can Lit so I'm trying to be more proactive about searching some out.

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus and then made a trip to the gas station to fill up the car. Work today will include continuing to catch up on customer suggestions. I've also got to spend some time doing my annual check on our standing orders for travel guides and reference-type material and see if I need to nudge any numbers around (unlikely given this year). Take out for dinner tonight is my pick and I'm still mulling what to get. Maybe Greek, maybe pizza?

What I'm reading: The Saturday Night Supper Club is continuing to charm me.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke and a couple of Big Bang.

Pizza! Always choose pizza. One never knows when all the pizza joints in the world will go bankrupt and close their doors forever on the same night, and all the yeast cultures in the world will suffer from some fatal and unfixable blight that night too.

It could always be your very last one ever....

>35 richardderus: You make an excellent point. As it is the pizza joint I want to order from is having issues with their online ordering portal so I have to call in my order like it's 1995. But pizza is worth making a dreaded phone call. :P

>36 MickyFine: As long as you don't have to *go*there*to*pick*it*up* all is well.

>37 richardderus: I did pick up but mostly because it was half a block away from where I pick up Mr. Fine from the bus.

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus this morning. Then I dropped off my winter coat at the dry cleaner's, which I meant to do all summer. I've probably got a couple more weeks before I'll need it so I'm not cutting it too close. Nothing too exciting going on at work. I get to go grocery shopping solo after work as Mr. Fine is on his later shift, so we'll see how I do at picking out a turkey for Thanksgiving this weekend. Soup for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: The Saturday Night Supper Club is still really enjoyable and some of the food descriptions sound amazing.

What we're watching: After a long first day back to work, Mr. Fine just wanted to watch Big Bang rather than deal with any Arrowverse angst. So we did.

I keep thinking that I need to get our coats to the cleaners soon...

>40 scaifea: - Same!

Thanks for the reminder, ladies!

Just bought a new winter coat, thanks for the reminder!

>39 MickyFine: *aaarrrgh* I knew I forgot something! Drat!! Musty-coat blues unless I get this thing hauled to the cleaners soon...

Heh. My poor winter coat never gets a trip to the dry-cleaners.

>40 scaifea: Happy to provide a nudge.

>41 katiekrug: You're welcome, as always!

>42 norabelle414: Oooh, new coat. Hope it's cozy and cute.

>43 richardderus: Hopefully it's not too much of a trek for you, Richard.

>44 foggidawn: Oh I have plenty of fall/winter coats who normally don't get a dry-cleaner trip but this one is pink and shows the dirt much easier than some of my others so off to the cleaner's it goes.

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus and then came back home to heat up some tea and start my work day. Customer suggestions, review journals, and checking on travel guide stuff are the big things on my agenda. After work I'll pop by the library to pick up some holds. Chicken curry for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: Hoping to wrap up The Saturday Night Supper Club today but we'll see how I do at carving out reading time.

What we're watching: A few episodes of West Wing and the season finale of What If...?

>46 MickyFine: Pleasant day ahead! I'm still just too lazy to get my bones the five blocks to the cleaners, sad to say.

Enjoy that curry a little more on my behalf.

>47 richardderus: Recovering from a bunch of social time when you're not used to it is definitely a thing. Hopefully a few more days of rest and you'll feel up to such ventures. And the curry was delicious and will continue to be as I've got leftovers for lunch. :)

What's on the agenda: Friday before a long weekend vibes around here. Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus this morning then came home and showered before starting my day. Work will be customer suggestions in OverDrive, checking for new editions of travel guides I purchase as eBooks, and maybe some time with the newest issue of AudioFile. After work I'll pick up my coat from the cleaners and we also need to pop in to the store quickly as we changed our meal plan for tonight since it's national perogy day. We've got perogies but no sausage. Also will do a bit of spot cleaning as my parents are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

What I'm reading: About 60 pages left in The Saturday Night Supper Club so I'll for sure wrap it up today.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Supernatural and a couple of Big Bang.

>49 MickyFine: Oh, they're coming for Thanksgiving early! Have a delicious National Perogy Day, though without sausage whatever's the point....

Happy weekend-ahead's reads!

>50 richardderus: Yeah, we're not too picky about doing Thanksgiving on the actual day. As long as we manage to do something during the weekend, I'm happy (and Mr. Fine's happy as long as there's turkey at some point). As it is, with current gathering restrictions and my dad's travel limits (he's on call this weekend), I'll be doing two separate events so I can see my parents and also my sibling and his crew.

The lack of sausage is the reason for the trip to the store. :)

>51 MickyFine: The lack of sausage is the reason for the trip to the store. :)

OIC

Well, it would be, wouldn't it.

What's on the agenda: Lounging about until Mr. Fine returns from the gym. I've been promised omelets for breakfast when he returns. Afterwards we'll probably watch church and go for a long walk. Then Mr. Fine will start making our Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, two kinds of stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, and salad. My job will be to stay out of his way so I'll probably read or craft while he's cooking. My parents are planning to arrive around 5 and are bringing pumpkin tarts for dessert. Planning to teach them Wingspan after dinner. Since my Dad is a keen birdwatcher, I think he'll like it.

What I'm reading: Starting The Book Charmer today.

What we're watching: Game night last night and we played one of Mr. Fine's favourites, the DC Deck Building Game (original version).

A very happy additional Thanksgiving holiday, Micky!

>54 richardderus: Thank you, Richard!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!

Yesterday's adventures: Lounged in bed while Mr. Fine went to the gym and then ordered in breakfast (Tim Hortons, nothing fancy). Drove out to my brother's farm for the afternoon to see him, his wife, and the four kiddos. Since it was just Mr. Fine and I visiting, I got lots of time with all the kids including reading a couple stories with a kid on each side and one on my lap. My nephew (the youngest of the four) just started walking last week *sob*. Came home and had a dinner of leftover turkey and sides, watched some TV, and then read in bed for a bit before crashing.

What's on today's agenda: Mr. Fine is making waffles and then I've got all the chores to tackle, including cleaning up the flower beds as the peony bulbs I ordered have shipped and will likely be here in the next week and should go in the ground shortly. After the cleaning is done, we might squeeze in a movie this afternoon but we'll see. I think it's some form of pasta for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: The Book Charmer is proving to be a sweet read.

What we're watching: A few episodes of TNG and a couple of Big Bang.

Book 114



The Saturday Night Supper Club - Carla Laureano

Rachel Bishop is the head chef at Paisley, an up and coming restaurant she co-owns in Denver, right up until a bad review gets magnified by a New Yorker think piece and Rachel makes a comment to the media that gets taken out of context and goes viral. Suddenly, her co-owners have pushed her out of the restaurant and Rachel is a bit of a pariah in the chef community. Alex Kanin is the author of the think piece and is horrified that an article he wrote against social media storms caused one and ended up forcing Rachel out. And so he reaches out to her and offers any help he can to get her back into the restaurant world. It doesn't hurt that she's easy on the eyes too. As they figure out a way to get Rachel back into a professional kitchen, they'll discover something else is cooking between them.

I really enjoyed this foodie contemporary Christian romance. Rachel has baggage, Alex has his own familial drama, and while the final conflict before the HEA is a little predictable, it's an enjoyable journey. Laureano is fantastic at describing the various Denver neighbourhoods and her food descriptions are often mouth watering (I'm still envious over a flight of sorbets). I'm looking forward to trying the other books in this series and exploring Laureano's bibliography further.

Rating: ****

No chance of catching up to you, Micky, but just checking in!

>57 MickyFine: - On the list!

>58 alcottacre: Lovely to see you making the rounds, Stasia!

>59 katiekrug: Nice! I thought it might be of interest.

Missed your thanksgiving weekend, Micky. Belated greetings.

May interest you to note that this is the 2,000th post on your threads this year. First time you have reached 2,000 in a year beating comfortably the 1,631 you racked up in 2013. Leading Canadian thread by posts also this year so far. xx

What's on the agenda: It's my EDO (earned day off) today and it's already off to a decent start. I was up at 5 as Mr. Fine is working early shift but after dropping him off and putting garbage and recycle on the curb, I curled up in bed again with a book and Mr. Smee. Finished the book at 8 and now I'm contemplating what I want to do with my day as it's been ages since I've been home alone and not working. Sadly, my massage that I booked for today was canceled yesterday as the therapist's kid is sick and she needed to do child care. Bright side, I can now stay in PJs all day if I want. I'll probably do some crafting, watch a movie, and I might bake cookies. Take out for dinner tonight is Mr. Fine's pick but as of this morning he hadn't decided yet.

What I'm reading: Wrapped up The Book Charmer this morning and next up is Poppy Harmon Investigates, which I believe was a recommendation from Richard.

What we're watching: Finished season one of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and I'm looking forward to the second season. Then a couple episodes of Big Bang.

>61 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Do I get crown covered in maple leaves if I stay at the top? Lol.

Hope you have a pleasant and restful day!

>63 MickyFine: No but I may well perhaps send you a book.

Enjoy your day-to-yourself-off! *smooch*

>63 MickyFine: Lol, I'm enjoying the image of your Canada crown. Have a good day off!

>64 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi. It was a pretty perfect day off, I must say.

>65 PaulCranswick: You charmer. :)

>66 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. It was nice to get some quality solo time.

>67 curioussquared: Happy to entertain, Natalie!

What's on the agenda: Back to work this week and after an extra day off, I have extra email to deal with. I'll be updating our Lucky Day collection and checking on a few smaller tasks I do every week. I've also got the first of two two-hour webinar sessions from the Internet Archive on "Digital Ownership and the Future of Library Collections." Predictive sessions like this are always weird and at best have a 50% chance of being accurate but I'll be interested to see what goes down. After work, I'll be headed out for grocery shopping. Frozen pizza for dinner after that quest.

What I'm reading: Poppy Harmon Investigates is looking like it'll be a quick cozy mystery read.

What we're watching: A few episodes of Arrow. Season 7 Thank goodness more peppy Felicity is back but so is whiny William. Le sigh. I really wanted this top Felicity wore:



There were also a couple episodes of Big Bang.

>69 MickyFine: Frozen pizza for dinner after that quest.

::sad trombone::

>70 richardderus: I like frozen pizza. :)

>69 MickyFine: No idea what a "Lucky Day" collection is, but good luck with it! I will be curious to see what you think of Poppy Harmon Investigates.

>71 MickyFine: Me, too! Do you have a favorite brand?

>71 MickyFine: and >73 scaifea: - Me three! I'm a Newman's Own and Freschetta (thin crust) fan - not that you were asking me, Amber :)

>72 alcottacre: Lucky Day is the OverDrive/Libby equivalent of a bestseller express collection that many libraries do in print. It has copies of popular titles that are not holdable and have a shorter 1-week loan period. Every couple weeks I'll add new in-demand titles, shift titles out where demand has died down and I can use those copies to fill holds instead, or adjust the number of copies allocated for Lucky Day if popularity has grown or reduce numbers if licenses have expired and we have less copies.

>73 scaifea: We usually get the small individual frozen pizzas from Costco (Sabatossa's according to package). Half of them are pepperoni for Mr. Fine and I get the plain cheese ones. Although I also don't a mind Pillsbury pizza pop (4 cheese is my preference) every once in a while. :)

>74 katiekrug: I don't think I've seen either of those in the freezer section. I didn't even know Newman's Own did pizza, I've only ever seen the salad dressing.

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus, returned some items to the library using the outdoor slot, and then spent my time before work reading. Work today will include diving into customer suggestions and maybe getting my monthly order of documentaries and non-fiction audiobook CDs through. I've also got my monthly department meeting and there's a new policy that everyone HAS to share during roundtable (otherwise our department full of introverts usually just stares at the screen uncomfortably when our manager asks for round table items) so we'll see how that goes. Costco chicken pot pie for supper.

What I'm reading: Poppy Harmon Investigates continues and my feelings get increasingly mixed as it goes along.

What we're watching: A few episodes of West Wing including the first season Christmas episode, which always makes this Josh and Donna shipper very happy.

>74 katiekrug: I keep seeing both of those in the freezer section and thinking about trying them. (And of COURSE I want to know what kinds of pizza you like! Goes without saying, really.)

>75 MickyFine: I haven't heard of a Pillsbury pizza pop but now I think I need one...

>77 scaifea: If you ever try it, I highly recommend cooking it in the oven rather than putting it in the microwave. The crust comes out much nicer that way.

Newman's Own is the best national brand of frozen pizza!! I love the spinach pizza.
(I actually like my grocery store's brand slightly better but of course you can only get it there)

Newman's Own PIZZA?! Wow. They stopped making my dotes, the ginger sandwich cookies, but they make frozen pizza. Truly an age of wonders in which we live.

Happy week's-finally-ending wishes, Micky.

>78 MickyFine: I'm not a savage, Micky. One doesn't put frozen pizza in the microwave. Ever.
/kidding /sort of

>75 MickyFine: - Poor, forsaken Canadians going without The Best frozen pizza ;-)

>77 scaifea: - One of those brands is usually on sale, so which one I get depends on that...

>79 norabelle414: - *fist bump* I want to try the spinach one but will have to wait for a time when I don't need to share it with Mr. I-Don't-Like-Cooked-Spinach.

>80 richardderus: - Ha!

I also occasionally branch out and get a California Pizza Kitchen Thai-style chicken pizza. Though I haven't seen those around much, come to think of it...

>75 MickyFine: Thanks for explaining Lucky Day, Micky. I love "behind the scenes" library stuff. I've been volunteering at our local branch but don't really get to "see" the eBook side of things.

>74 katiekrug:, >79 norabelle414:, >80 richardderus: In a weird coincidence, I went grocery shopping this morning and for the first time in my life, noticed Newman's Own Pizza in the freezer case. My reaction was much like RD's; in other words, thrilled. The hubs has sworn off carb-heavy food lately, but that can't last forever, right? I'll try Newman's Own pizza one of these days.

Oh, if we're sharing favorite frozen pizzas, I like the Freschetta four-cheese rising crust. I haven't tried their thin-crust varieties yet, but I'll bet they're good, too. I didn't like their pepperoni, though -- which you would think would just be the cheese one with pepperonis added, but it was not as good.

>83 lauralkeet: - I believe NO has a cauliflower crust frozen pizza for the carb-avoidant. I haven't tried it, so can't vouch for it, but I find most of their products pretty good, so maybe something to keep in mind if the pizza craving gets too strong... :)

>84 foggidawn: - I haven't tried the rising crust variety (yet); I do like their square brick oven pizzas, but the thin crust is my favorite.

>79 norabelle414: Huh. Up here the big ones are Delissio and Dr. Oetker, the latter of which I get occasionally and is also pretty tasty.

>80 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. With working only 3 days this week, it's my hump day today. :P

>81 scaifea: Well, pizza pops are sort of like Hot Pockets (I think? We don't have hot pockets up here) so all the ads show nothing but putting them in the microwave.

>82 katiekrug: We do OK. This exists up here:



>83 lauralkeet: Happy to oblige, Laura. The short description of my job I give to people when we meet is that I buy books all day, but it's fun to get into the nitty gritty of it sometimes.

>84 foggidawn: This is why I find wandering the grocery store aisles when I'm in the US so fascinating. So many different things than we get here!

>86 MickyFine: ...pizza...cioccolato...

MY EYES MY EYES

>86 MickyFine: - I WANT!

>86 MickyFine: Oh well Hot Pockets, sure, but that's not really pizza. (I just bought some Hot Pockets today...)

Also, I have a good recipe for a dessert pizza that involves a peanut butter cookie crust, marshmallows, and chocolate chips...

>87 richardderus: There, there, Richard. Just avert your eyes and pretend it doesn't exist. Much like you do for *ahem* that Chicago specialty.

>88 katiekrug: Mr. Fine and I tried it once when we were dating. It's pretty tasty.

>89 scaifea:


Also, your dessert pizza sounds amazing, Amber!

>85 katiekrug: Oh wow Katie, I'll look for that cauliflower version next time I'm at the supermarket. Thanks!

Pizza! I prefer California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken. And their Margherita. But I am thinking you can't go wrong with a chocolate one!! LOL

Happy Thursday.

>75 MickyFine: One of the local libraries' Overdrive has Lucky Days and another has Enjoy These with No Wait for a Limited Time!, but alas, the library with the largest collection doesn't seem to offer that though they did have a Hot Books area in their branches.

>86 MickyFine: Oh, that reminds me of the local Brazilian Pizza place which has several desert Pizza's and is all you can eat, tiny slice by tiny slice. I do miss honking big slices sometimes though.

>92 Berly: Mmm, BBQ chicken might be tasty - I like a version of it from one of my favourite pizza joints but I've never tried a frozen version.

>93 quondame: In the back end of OverDrive, it's called Lucky Day but libraries can name it whatever they want on the side their users see. We stuck with Lucky Day but my home library system calls it Bestseller Express and treats it like an extension of their print collection that has the same name.

We've made BBQ Chicken Pizza ourselves before because it's pretty easy if you by a pre-made pizza crust. Just add your favorite bbq sauce, cubed grilled/cooked chicken, and monterey-jack cheese (or, you know, whatever cheese you want), then bake. Easy peasy, and pretty tasty.

>95 scaifea: Nice! Sounds tasty!

Book 115



The Book Charmer - Karen Hawkins

In Dove Pond it's always been accepted that when the Dove family has seven daughters, amazing things happen. Sarah Dove is aware of the town's expectations and has known from a young age that she'll have a role to play in saving the town - after all a book told her so. When Grace Wheeler arrives in town with her foster mother and her niece in tow, Sarah is surprised that the books firmly believe Grace will help Sarah save the town. While Sarah desperately wants to befriend Grace, Grace has no desire to call Dove Pond home for longer than she has to. Can the small town convince her otherwise?

A magical realism novel set in a small town with a main character who's a librarian who can hear books talk to her? This book was basically catnip for me and was everything I'd hoped it would be. Filled with several lines that made me laugh out loud, there's plenty of charm from our main characters as well as the community members who make appearances throughout. But it's not all bookish magic and charm as Grace is dealing with being a caretaker for both her foster mother who is showing signs of dementia as well as her niece who is angry after the death of her mother, Grace's sister, Hannah. Watching Grace's family become a part of the community is part of the delight. Recommended and I'm looking forward to reading Hawkins next Dove Pond novel.

Rating: ****

Book 116



Poppy Harmon Investigates - Lee Hollis

When Poppy Harmon's lawyer informs her that her recently deceased husband has left behind a mountain of debt, she's shocked. In her early sixties, Poppy hasn't worked since she left acting more than two decades earlier. As she tries to figure out a way to her support herself, she ends up getting her private investigator license. When her first case trying to recover jewelry stolen from an aging starlet in her gated retirement community expands into a murder investigation, it will take the best efforts of Poppy and her two best friends, Iris and Violet, to solve the case.

I wanted to like this cozy mystery novel more than I did. Lee Hollis is also a screenwriter whose credits include episodes of Golden Girls, which for a novel starring three older characters is a good sign. But while the writing was serviceable it was never particularly good or funny and ultimately a paint-by-numbers attempt at a cozy. It takes over 100 pages for Poppy to become a PI and get her license and it's nearly 200 pages before the murder teased in the first chapter finally shows up in the timeline of the novel. I stuck it out to the end to see whodunnit but Poppy and her crew ended up annoying more than charming me so I won't be searching out further entries in the series.

Rating: ***

Happy Friday, Micky!

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine, did some tidying in the kitchen, showered, and finished a book all before 8 this morning. Work today will include finishing up DVD customer requests, going through customer requests in OverDrive, submitting my A/V orders and then hopefully working on some annual collections projects I do every fall. We'll see how the day goes. Chicken kebabs, rice, and Greek salad for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: Finished Poppy Harmon Investigates this morning and will start Falling for Trouble later today. The latter is a librarian romance novel so I'm hoping for good things.

What we're watching: A few episodes of Supernatural. Season 9 Cain has arrived and first it was weird to see Timothy Omundson playing someone besides King Richard in Galavant and then it was weird to realize that his British accent in Galavant isn't his natural accent. Mind blown. There were also a couple episodes of Big Bang.

>99 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Happy penultimate working TGIF!

It's actually my last working Friday, as next Thursday is my last day :D

>102 katiekrug: Lucky duck! Well then, happy last working TGIF!

>97 MickyFine:, >98 MickyFine: Two really good reads in a row! Yay for Miz Micky!

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, smoochling.

>100 MickyFine: Oooh, you should watch Psych, then, if you want a mind-blowingly different version of Omundson...

>104 richardderus: Thank you, sweetie-darling. Same to you!

>105 scaifea: I've been meaning to get around to Psych if only to see Dule Hill play someone other than Charlie. Nice to know you recommend it.

>75 MickyFine: Thanks for the explanation!

>86 MickyFine: Hard pass from me. I do not do chocolate at all.

>97 MickyFine: My local library has a copy of that one, so I put it on hold.

>98 MickyFine: Too bad about that one. I had hopes it would be good.

>107 alcottacre: Always happy to explain, Stasia. I hope you enjoy The Book Charmer. You might like Poppy Harmon Investigates more than I did. You could always try it and Pearl rule it if it doesn't work for you.

>108 MickyFine: There are too many good books out there calling for my attention, so I will give the lackluster Poppy Harmon as pass for now. Maybe I will get around to it in future.

>106 MickyFine: Dulé is amazing in it, as is James Roday Rodriguez. I predict that you will love it.

What's on the agenda: Chill day at home. Mr. Fine has gone off to the gym so I'm currently lounging about the house. We'll have brunch when he gets back and then watch church. Afterwards we'll go for a walk. Mr. Fine wants to try playing Everdell this afternoon so we'll see how it goes. Shepherd's pie for supper.

What I'm reading: Falling for Trouble is going along smoothly right now.

What we're watching playing: We played Smash Up where my aliens and wizards trounced Mr. Fine's cowboys and tricksters. Then we played a surprisingly longish round of Batman Fluxx, which Mr. Fine won.

Yesterday's adventures: Usual Sunday chores and bill sorting. I also spent a bit of time hanging out with my parents while my car was at the garage having the winter tires put on.

What's on the agenda today: Work today will include customer suggestions and my annual evaluation of standing order titles (still). My work group has also spent some time today digging into some weirdness with how lists are displaying Libby. The life of a collections librarian, the definition of glam. Quiche for dinner tonight and virtual craft circle for me.

What I'm reading: My Collected (possibly Complete?) Works of Oscar Wilde volume came up in my what to read next selection shuffle so I'll be reading chunks of it over the next little while (I'm giving myself permission to read it in fits and spurts, especially as there's a bunch of poetry). Started a re-read of The Picture of Dorian Gray last night.

What we're watching: Saturday night we watched Free Guy, which is cute and fun but not earth-shattering or anything and a couple episodes of the last season of Kim's Convenience. Last night was a few episodes of TNG and a couple more of Kim's.

>112 MickyFine: Is Libby like Overdrive for phones? I keep seeing Libby getting shoved at me every time I use Overdrive.

Happy week-ahead's reads!

>113 richardderus: Libby is the app for OverDrive, yes. The legacy OverDrive app is being phased out either later this year or early next year. If you access OverDrive on a laptop (or similar computer device) nothing will really change for you.

>114 MickyFine: I do; I expect to continue to do so when I get my new phone later this year. I'm not really fond of reading on my phone, it's too fiddly for my big fat fingers.

BTW I have a fresh thread.

>114 MickyFine: The legacy OverDrive app is being phased out either later this year or early next year.
Nooooooooooooooo

While Micky is dispensing Overdrive information... My Libby app no longer lets me read my loans on my phone. The book shows on my Bookshelf on the app, but it directs me to Amazon to read it. As I'm typing this, I am thinking maybe it still lets people read non-Kindle editions on the app. And I also recall that y'all don't have Kindle books in library collections up there, so probably have no idea what I'm talking about and now I've wasted your time. Apologies.

Yes, I could just delete this, but...

>115 richardderus: Guess I better visit or I might be in trouble.

>116 norabelle414: Sorry friend. We're not psyched about it either.

>117 katiekrug: Yeah, we haven't got Kindle lending at all on this side of the border. You could try reaching out to your local library system though. They might know a fix for the problem (or confirm it's not just you).

>117 katiekrug: That's an Amazon thing. They don't let anyone read kindle editions in anything but the kindle app.

Book 117



Falling for Trouble - Sarah Title

Joanna Green is less than enthused to be going back to her tiny hometown of Halikarnassus, New York, after her attempts at a career in rock and roll have flamed out. At least until she meets library director Liam Byrd, who might just convince her that being back in Halikarnassus isn't as bad as it appears.

A sweet contemporary romance. While the writing has a couple rough patches a good editor should have caught (repetitions of similar descriptions of places/characters pretty close together in the book), the story is charming enough to compensate. Joanna is a prickly but sympathetic character and Liam is an excellent librarian who really loves the small town library life, even if he does have to deal with a lot of wrangling with city council over his library budget. From the library side of things, I can definitely say the book is accurate (benefit of the author being a librarian as well). Recommended if romances involving libraries are one of your faves, like they are for me.

Rating: ***

>120 norabelle414: - BUT THEY USED TO! I rarely read on my phone, but I would open the book in Libby to screenshot the cover for my IG posts...

>119 MickyFine: - Wait, I'm allowed to talk to the librarians?!?!

>123 katiekrug: We allow it every once in a while. LOL.

>124 MickyFine: Infrequently. Grudgingly. Beware, >123 katiekrug:, if you DARE to waste A Librarian's time when you *could* have spent 2-3 hours searching in increasing despair and frustration on the websites of all commercial parties...well...let's just say The Wicked Witch's flying monkeys will look like Good Samaritans.

>125 richardderus: Ooof. I promise that most of us are much more keen to help than that.

>111 MickyFine: I have played Smash Up once. My husband and I sat down at a table at the Dice Tower convention in 2014 to play it when this teenager asked if he could play too - and then promptly trounced us as neither Kerry or I had ever played it :)

>127 alcottacre: When I lived in Lethbridge, Smash Up was in regular rotation with my group of friends that I played board games with every week. I find there are some factions I prefer more than others and am able to use their game play methods better (I LOVE time travelers, for example). I also find that while it is playable for 2 players, it's more fun if you've got 4+ as there's more going on with competition for bases.

What's on the agenda: Cool and quiet day around here. I'm likely to finish up checking on my standing order stuff, I'll dig into some vendor lists, and then likely spend some time with my core collection tome. I'm getting Indian for take out tonight - it's the perfect weather for curries.

What I'm reading: Still re-reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. I'd forgotten how many awful things Lord Henry says about women. Although I did chortle about not trusting women over 35 who wear pink ribbons.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Fringe and one of Kim's Convenience.

>129 MickyFine: Oh gosh yes...curry = fall, the best possible meeting of the cuisines.

Happy tome-ing. Lord Henry was pretty, um...not a lady's man.

Anyone who wears pink ribbons after there are two digits in their age needs to be viewed with caution.

>130 richardderus: There's going to be aloo gobi, matar paneer, and chicken masala with coconut rice and garlic naan. I'm drooling already.

Well you already viewed me with caution, being one of those professional book bulleters, my pink ribbons just add extra reasons to keep an eye on me at all times. :P

>129 MickyFine: Perfect weather for curries. For me it's always perfect weather for curries even if I don't like the actual weather.

>128 MickyFine: I can definitely see how the game would be better with more than 2. Not sure if I will ever play it again as it is not my style - I am more of a euro gamer, especially these days - and Kerry did not care for it overmuch.

>105 scaifea: OMG I just realized who that means he played! Mind blown.
I saw random episodes of Psych and enjoyed it but never did watch it through with any regularity. One of the many shows I've thought of going back and watching.

>131 MickyFine: Ooooh, slightly jealous of your takeout.

Sounds like you've been having good days at home and work. Hope your next book is better (though bonus points for it being accurate about librarianship!).

>134 bell7: *snork!* YES!! He's a fantastic actor, managing such different characters so easily.

>132 quondame: Oh we definitely eat curry year-round but it's particularly nice to eat something warm on a cool day.

>133 alcottacre: Hmm. What's a "euro gamer"?

>134 bell7: Thanks, Mary.

What's on the agenda: Nothing too exciting planned for today. Spending time looking at the March prepub alerts from LJ, doing my semi-annual check on the "for Dummies" new releases (it's the only way I can stay on top of new tech guides), and then time with the core collection tome. Turkey soup for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: Nearly finished The Picture of Dorian Gray. Then I'll start A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin, which is a BB from Katie.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Kim's Convenience and one of Arrow.

>137 MickyFine: Have a pleasantly ordinary day, Micky.

>136 MickyFine: Modern board games are broadly divided into 2 categories - AmeriTrash and Euro games. AmeriTrash are games that concentrate more on the theme of the game, while Euro games concentrate more on the game's mechanics and strategy. Hope that helps!

Happy Wednesday!

>137 MickyFine: - Oooh, a BB from me for a book I now barely remember - hahaha. I take no blame if it's a dud. But if you like it, I'll take ALL the credit :)

>138 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. Doing my best.

>139 alcottacre: Interesting. What are some popular games you'd consider "AmeriTrash"? I'm assuming games like Scythe or Wingspan would fall into the Euro games but I'm having a hard time figuring out what would be more about theme than game mechanics...

>140 katiekrug: Snort. I think I'll give you credit/blame either way. :P

>141 MickyFine: The problem with the strict definitions these days is that hybrids are creeping in more and more.

AmeriTrash - Betrayal at House on the Hill and Arkham Horror are good examples

Euro Games - Pretty much anything designed by Uwe Rosenberg, my favorite designer, such as Agricola and Glass Road

>142 alcottacre: Cool. Thanks for that info, Stasia.

What's on the agenda: Half day of work today during which I'm likely to just spend it working on customer suggestions but may get a bit of core collection tome time, we'll see. Dentist appointment this afternoon for a cleaning. May treat myself to a fancy cinnamon bun afterwards as there's a Cinnaholic pretty close to my dentist's office. Also need to pop into the library to return a couple things and pick up holds. Manicotti for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: Started The Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin last night. So far the writing is pretty solid so I think Katie may just get credit and not blame. :P

What we're watching: A bunch of West Wing including one of my all-time favourite episodes, "Take This Sabbath Day." Also an episode of Kim's Convenience.

Book 118



The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde (re-read)

The classic tale of Dorian Gray who remains young and beautiful while his portrait takes on all the outward signs of his transgressions.

I think I read this novel for the first time while I was still in high school and on a classic novel kick. Re-reading the novel half a lifetime later is an interesting experience. While I have a better grasp of the themes Wilde is exploring, I also found myself wishing for a university class to really dig into it as I'm sure I missed things. While some of the philosophical and descriptive passages were a bit wearing for this reader at times, Wilde's dialogue between his characters sparkles throughout.

Rating: ****

What's on the agenda: A mellow start to my Friday as I wrapped one of Mr. Fine's birthday gifts I had stashed away and managed to squeeze in some cross-stitch and podcast time before starting work this morning. Work will be customer suggestions in OverDrive and then core collection tome time. Chili for dinner tonight and then game night.

What I'm reading: Still working through The Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin. Somehow I'm finding the fact that the leads are step siblings a little weird, even though the book is clear they've spent almost no time together, cousin marriage in historicals/classics never bothers me, and I love Clueless (which has the same relationship dynamic and that never weirds me out).

What we're watching: A few episodes of Supernatural and a couple of Kim's Convenience.

No GBBO?! shocking

>147 richardderus: *whispers* I've never watched it.

>148 MickyFine:

...but...but you live in Canada where everything works and everyone's good and nothing prevents you from watching any UK television!! NEVER?!

>149 richardderus: Honestly, we probably have a harder time watching some UK TV than you do. GBBO isn't on Netflix up here - I get it for the library from the PBS DVDs.

>150 MickyFine: Well, that's a dimwitted way to handle distribution! Can't access channel4.co.uk from there? Weird!

>151 richardderus: I run into this weirdness all the time in my professional life for both print and A/V material. International distribution rights are bananas, even just for material produced in the US that we want to get in Canada. For books, UK material is often easier but for film and TV, it's often much trickier.

And no, being a Canuck doesn't get me access to channel 4 streaming. :(

What's on the agenda: It's a very rainy day here so cozy day in. Had our usual fry up for breakfast although I had hot chocolate with whipped cream with it instead of my usual tea. Watched church. Probably going to play a board game or two this afternoon. Chicken stir fry for supper. My pick for movie night tonight.

What I'm reading: Finished The Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin this morning and now I'm on to some Oscar Wilde short stories.

What we're watching playing: Mr. Fine won all the things. He wiped the floor with me when we played Lords of Waterdeep and then beat me by a few points at both Mario Kart and Mario Party.

Book 119



The Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin - Sophie Jordan

Reading this romance, it felt much more in line with older romances I read from the 90s and early 00s, rather than its publication date of 2014. There's a lot more damsel in distress than I go in for these days and while usually things like cousin marriage doesn't phase me, I could not stop being a little weirded out by the fact that the romantic leads are step-siblings (why I'm not weirded out by the exact same dynamic in Clueless I honestly don't know. Paul Rudd makes everything ok, maybe?). The book isn't bad and Sophie Jordan's writing is good enough that I'd consider picking up another of her novels but I won't recommend this one.

Rating: ***

Book 120



Lord Saville's Crime and Other Stories - Oscar Wilde

An excellent collection of short stories from Oscar Wilde that are full of the funny plots and excellent turns of phrase that I so admire in his works. My favourites of this short collection were the title story in which Lord Saville is told by a palm reader that the Lord will commit a murder, which leads the Lord down a ridiculous path and "The Canterville Ghost," where an American family's matter-of-factness makes life miserable for the ghost that haunts their new home in England.

Rating: ****

>154 MickyFine: - *sigh*

Yesterday's adventures: Pretty normal Sunday with the usual chores and bill stuff. Managed to make good progress on both my cross-stitch and crochet projects. Homemade pizza for dinner.

What's on today's agenda: Early week for Mr. Fine so after dropping him off at the bus I had time for both a shower and some cross-stitch and podcast listening before starting my work day. Work will mostly be customer requests and core collection tome time. Perogies, sausage, and some form of veggie (likely salad) for dinner tonight. Virtual craft circle for me tonight.

What I'm reading: How the Penguins Saved Veronica is off to a decent start.

What we're watching: Saturday night I picked Bedknobs & Broomsticks for movie night and we followed it with the last two episodes of Kim's Convenience *sob*. Last night was a handful of TNG episodes. We're almost done season 1 and I cannot wait for the arrival of Commander Riker's beard.

>157 MickyFine: I hate that Kim's Convenience is off but more than that I hate *how* it went off.

...I have to be wrong about this...you did not cross-stitch MrFine to the bus...?

I need to get to the last season of Kim's Convenience -- thanks for the reminder!

>143 MickyFine: Happy to answer any and all game-related questions

>158 richardderus: Yeah, it was not ideal. They managed to tie it off decently but I am sad that some of the arcs weren't completely resolved like they would have been with one more season. Will you try the spin-off with Shannon's character, Strays? I'll probably give it a spin as well as Andrew Phung's (Kimchi) new show that's scheduled to debut next year.

And Mr. Fine is safe and un-cross-stitched, don't you worry.

>159 curioussquared: Happy to nudge anyone towards Kim's Convenience, Natalie. It's a gem of a show.

>160 alcottacre: Excellent!

Yesterday's adventures: I worked. We had Swiss Chalet for dinner. I went for a massage. Nothing too earth-shattering.

What's (been) on today's agenda: I'm a little rough around the edges today as I didn't sleep particularly well. Opted to cross-stitch in my free time before work. Work this morning was mostly small recurring tasks I do every month and our weekly group meeting. This afternoon will be a vendor list and some core collection tome time. Grocery shopping after work. Chicken pesto sandwiches for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: I had a brief rocky patch with How the Penguins Saved Veronica when I wasn't sure I was attached enough to it to bother finishing it but I'm now halfway and it's pulled me back in.

What we're watching: Monday night was a couple episodes of Fringe and one of Big Bang. Last night Mr. Fine wasn't in the mood for a drama so it was just a handful of Big Bang.

>161 MickyFine: I don't know about Strays...the b.t.s. asininity might just've put me off for good.

I'm relieved you haven't cross-stitched the espoused to some form of transit.

*smooch*

What's on the agenda today: Starting off the day in a good mood, which is a nice change. After dropping off Mr. Fine, I washed some dishes and then, for the first time in yonks, spent some time playing piano (very rusty). I'm trying to add piano practice time and exercise time (beyond my daily afternoon walk) into my routine. We'll see how I do at sticking with it. Work so far has been sorting out scheduling for a course my group will be offering early next year, some personal scheduling (booked my annual physical for next month and was on the ball enough to book a lab slot for the following morning for the inevitable blood work), and customer suggestions. After that it will probably be core collection tome time mostly. Need to pop in to my home library to pick up holds after work. Manicotti from Costco for dinner tonight.

What I'm reading: Still working my way through How the Penguins Saved Veronica.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of West Wing before I headed off to the basement for some cardio on the stationary bike and some weights.

>164 MickyFine: I send my husband to pick up my holds for the most part, since he has the car, but my local library is close enough that I could pick them up. The weather has not been cooperative this week though.

Happy Thursday, Micky!

Happy practical-housecatting day, Micky. Hope your piano practice is going to fit smoothly into your day.

Hiya, Micky!

>165 alcottacre: Ha! Sounds like I'm like your husband when it comes to quick pick up/drop off trips as I'm the driver in our house. My home library is technically walkable but it's a long trip with an armload of books (1 hour round trip). Normally I'm also in and out of my work library several times a week but with working from home full-time right now, I haven't borrowed any physical items from them in weeks. I'd have to get Mr. Fine to pop in to pick them up for me as he's still commuting into the city and works pretty close to a branch.

>166 richardderus: I do frequently joke that I'm part cat.

>167 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

Hope the piano practice and exercise both fit into the routine smoothly for you, Micky.

I need to start something for exercise, too, but now that I have my own place I don't have the borrowed treadmill, which makes winter exercise that much tougher...

>169 bell7: Well I managed to do both again today so not too shabby.

Winter exercise can be more challenging. I highly recommend a good pair of snowpants and then you can walk whatever the weather. Although even I wimp out when it gets down to -30°C or below. Then it's just yoga in the house.

Today's adventures: After dropping off Mr. Fine at the bus, I took a long hot shower (one of those days where I was constantly freezing) and then did some piano practice. Work day was mostly eaten up by meetings, one about Lucky Day stuff and one was a Partners Week meeting from my former library school. Twice a year the school gets librarians working in the field to sign up to spend time talking with library school students about the realities of a certain job (and we also get to hear a bit about what's going on at the school). I really enjoy it although I'm always hoarse by the end (nearly 2 hours of mostly me talking). The student who signed up to meet with me this year is in the online program and lives in Salem, Massachusetts, so that added some extra fun to the discussion. Around that I mostly dealt with customer suggestions in Overdrive. Went for a longer walk after work with Mr. Fine. He then tried a new recipe tonight: fish tacos with zesty lime mayo and mango salsa. So, so good. Then just cozy evening reading and puttering on devices. Excellent start to the weekend.

What I'm reading: Finished How the Penguins Saved Veronica and now trying to decide between another chunk of my Wilde tome or The Gown next.

What we're watching: Last night was a couple episodes of Big Bang and a couple of Supernatural. Tonight no viewing (or board games) to report.

>171 MickyFine: What? No board games to report? Sad face. . .

>172 alcottacre: There will be some today, Stasia. Don't worry. :)

Book 121



How the Penguins Saved Veronica - Hazel Prior

Veronica McCready has always had a rather grim view of the other human beings on the planet and her nearly 86 years on the planet have done little to change her opinion. After a disastrous first meeting with her newly discovered grandson, Patrick, Veronica is even more convinced that no human deserves the rather large amount of money she's acquired in her lifetime. Instead, inspired by a nature documentary on television, she's decided to leave it to a penguin conservation project. But to make sure the project is deserving, Veronica has every intention of going to Antarctica to check out the scientists and, of course, the penguins. The scientists being pretty vehemently opposed to Veronica's idea, won't have any impact on her choice of course.

This is a sweet character study (with a bit of a save the planet streak) that if you're in the right mood will be an excellent read and if you're in the wrong one, may just rub you the wrong way. Veronica is the definition of curmudgeonly and her grandson, Patrick, who is the other first-person perspective we get to experience as readers, takes a bit to warm up to as well. However, I found the reading experience ultimately worth it - particularly the middle section where we discover what experiences made Veronica the way she is. Is the ending pretty unrealistic? Definitely. Did I enjoy it anyway? Absolutely. Plus, penguins!

Rating: ****

Note that this book was originally released in the UK as Away with the Penguins.

>174 MickyFine: That sounds like fun...though penguins, in the flesh, are seriously smelly and very noisy.

Happy new week ahead's reads!

Hope you're having a good weekend, Micky!

>97 MickyFine: I finished The Book Charmer this morning, Micky, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you do not mind, but I quoted part of your review. Thank you for recommending the book!

>173 MickyFine: Good! I hope there were!

>174 MickyFine: My local library has a copy of that one, so I will try and get to it soon. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

Have a great week!

Yodeleee-whoooo-hooooo

>175 richardderus: Yes, the novel is very good about pointing out how smelly the penguins are. Antarctica was on my travel bucket list for a long time but my discovery of how seasick I get has nixed it. If mild chop off Maui sets me off, I doubt I could handle the cruise required to go see penguins in the wild myself.

>176 bell7: Thanks, Mary. It was a great weekend.

>177 alcottacre: I don't mind at all, Stasia! Happy it found another fan and crossing my fingers that you and Veronica get on just as well.

>178 richardderus: I'm here. All is well.

I'll do my month-end wrap up here and then summarize my (long) weekend goings on on the new thread. Hold tight, friends!

October Summary





Numbers in parentheses are for year to date. Note pages read/hours listened for abandoned books are included in totals.

Books read: 10 (121)
Books abandoned: 1 (8)

Fiction: 9 (100)
Non-fiction: 1 (21)

Adult: 9 (89)
YA: 1 (30)
Children's: 0 (2)

Library: 8 (95)
Mine: 2 (25)
Borrowed elsewhere: 0 (1)

Re-reads: 1 (19)

Female authors: 7 (75)
Male authors: 4 (59)
Non-binary authors: 0 (0)

Pages: 2,633 (28,173)
Hours: 0 minutes (4 days, 13 hours, 21 minutes)

Average rating: 4.00

Average time to read book: 3.75 days

Favourite book(s): Several solid reads to pick from this month but I'll give the prize to Lumberjanes Vol. 19 and The Book Charmer.

That's it for this thread. Follow me over to the November one.