Lori (thornton37814) Watches Birds with Her Fur Boys in 2021 - Thread 4

Napping Cats. Sherlock, Mr. B, Barney

My cats love napping, but they love bird watching almost as much. This year's theme receives its inspiration from their pastime.

The topics for my categories remain similar to last year's. I split mysteries into multiple categories so I don't have 80+ books in one category again! I took out cats and replaced it with "Older than 50 years" so I would force myself to read more older and classic works. I expanded my "food" category to include other things associated with the old home economics class and called it "domestic arts." I anticipate developing a new genealogical lecture or two that will involve some works that fit here.

My main goal for 2021 is to read more history and social history books. I recently joined an online book club with other genealogists reading a title a month. In addition to the main monthly discussion, they also hold "Bring Your Own Book" nights where we get to share a few minutes about a book we read or are reading. I own many unread books that fit this category and just ordered several more with the end-of-the-year university press sales.

I'll address inspiration for individual category names under the first post for them.

My 2021 Categories:

1. Bald Eagle - Mysteries with a United States setting
2. Puffin - Mysteries set in the United Kingdom or Ireland
3. Peacock - Mysteries set in the Rest of the World
4. Bluebird - Children's & Young Adult Literature
5. Flamingo - Poetry
6. Goldfinch - Historical Fiction
7. Cardinal - History & Genealogy
8. Hummingbird - Domestic Arts (Food, Drink, Needlework, etc.)
9. Sparrow - Religion & Spirituality
10. Penguin - First published more than 50 Years
11. Lorikeet - Other Fiction and Literature
12. Owl - Other non-fiction

Abandoned Reads will go in the category - "The Raven."

Image Credit: Paul Friel, "“Helga” – A Bald Eagle," 2005, Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/34157260@N00/46140365);
CC BY 2.0

The United States national bird!

Category 1: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with a United States setting)

1. Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day - completed 9 January 2021
2. A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates - completed 23 January 2021
3. Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay - completed 9 February 2021
4. Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs - completed 14 February 2021
5. Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates - completed 26 February 2021
6. Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert - completed 13 March 2021
7. Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams - completed 15 March 2021
8. Deadly Anniversaries edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini - completed 14 May 2021
9. Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton - completed 28 May 2021
10. Fishing for Trouble by Elizabeth Logan - completed 3 July 2021
11. Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delany - completed 6 July 2021
12. Outsider by Linda Castillo - completed 16 July 2021
13. A Specter of Justice by Mark DeCastrique - completed 21 July 2021
14. Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly - completed 1 August 2021
15. Murphy's Slaw by Elizabeth Logan - completed 2 August 2021
16. Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower - completed 7 August 2021
17. Silence of the Lamb's Wool by Betty Hechtmann - completed 13 August 2021
18. Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches by Karen Rose Smith - completed 29 August 2021
19. An Appetite for Murder by Lucy Burdette - completed 18 September 2021
20. Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger - completed 21 September 2021

(continued below)

Image Credit: Paul Friel, "“Helga” – A Bald Eagle," 2005, Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/34157260@N00/46140365);
CC BY 2.0

The United States national bird!

Category 1: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with a United States setting)

(continued from above)

21. The Thunder Keeper by Margaret Coel - completed 29 September 2021
22. The Cure for What Ales You by Ellie Alexander - completed 4 October 2021
23. The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott - completed 18 October 2021
24. Hard Truth by Nevada Barr - completed 28 October 2021
25. Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert - completed 8 November 2021
26. Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs - completed 12 November 2021
27. Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah - completed 14 November 2021
28. Egg Shooters by Laura Childs - completed 14 December 2021
29. Darned If You Do by Monica Ferris - completed 30 December 2021
30. Trouble Is Brewing by Ellie Alexander - completed 31 December 2021

Image Credit: Henrik Thorburn, "Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) spreading its wings, Iceland," 2010, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Puffin_Latrabjarg_Iceland.jpg); CC BY 3.0

I often read books set in northern parts of Scotland or the Shetland Islands which mention puffins.

Category 2: Puffin (Mysteries set in the United Kingdom or Ireland)

1. Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters - completed 4 January 2021
2. Murder on the Lake by Bruce Beckham - completed 20 January 2021
3. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 28 January 2021
4. In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 7 February 2021
5. The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler - completed 14 Februrary 2014
6. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz - completed 23 February 2021
7. Striding Folly by Dorothy L. Sayers - completed 1 March 2021
8. The Stolen Letter by Paige Shelton - completed 27 March 2021
9. Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie - completed 20 April 2021
10. Murder by Milk Bottle by Lynne Truss - completed 9 May 2021
11. Death Comes to London by Catherine Lloyd - completed 31 May 2021
12. Death Walks in Eastrepps by Francis Beeding - completed 2 June 2021
13. The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves - completed 11 July 2021
14. The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley - completed 19 August 2021
15. Flowers and Foul Play by Amanda Flower - completed 22 August 2021
16. The Irish Inheritance by M. J. Lee - completed 30 September 2021
17. Unnatural Causes by P. D. James - completed 11 October 2021
18. A Killer's Christmas in Wales by Elizabeth J. Duncan - completed 17 October 2021
19. Murder in a Scottish Shire by Traci Hall - completed 23 October 2021
20. A Turn for the Bad by Sheila Connolly - completed 25 October 2021

Image Credit: Henrik Thorburn, "Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) spreading its wings, Iceland," 2010, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Puffin_Latrabjarg_Iceland.jpg); CC BY 3.0

I often read books set in northern parts of Scotland or the Shetland Islands which mention puffins.

Category 2: Puffin (Mysteries set in the United Kingdom or Ireland)

21. Snow by John Banville - completed 2 November 2021
22. Murder at Wedgefield Manor by Erica Ruth Neubauer - completed 20 November 2021
23. A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch - completed 27 December 2021
24. Blood Underground by Dan Waddell - completed 31 December 2021

Image Credit: BS Thurner Hof, "Peacock (Pavo cristatus), displaying his tail, Duisburg Zoo," 2005, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Pfau_imponierend.jpg); CC BY-SA 3.0; GFDL

Inspired because peacocks seem to be more populous in other parts of the world such as Africa.

Category 3: Peacock (Mysteries set in the rest of the world)

1. The Golden Egg by Donna Leon - completed 13 January 2021
2. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker - completed 2 February 2021
3. In the Shadow of Power by Viveca Sten - completed 12 February 2021
4. The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan - completed 7 March 2021
5. By Its Cover by Donna Leon - completed 8 March 2021
6. The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker - completed 10 April 2021
7. In the Name of Truth by Viveca Sten - completed 17 April 2021
8. Murder at the Mena House by Erica Ruth Neubauer - completed 7 May 2021
9. Murder in Chianti by Camilla Trinchieri - completed 21 May 2021
10. Falling in Love by Donna Leon - completed 22 May 2021
11. Mist by Ragnar Jonasson - completed 26 May 2021
12. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny - completed 14 June 2021
13. Black Diamond by Martin Walker - completed 18 June 2021
14. In Bad Company by Viveca Sten - completed 27 June 2021
15. The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon - completed 16 July 2021
16. The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker - completed 3 August 2021
17. Earthly Remains by Donna Leon - completed 8 September 2021
18. Negative Image by Vicki Delany - completed 29 September 2021
19. The Devil's Cave by Martin Walker - completed 9 October 2021
20. The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer - completed 3 November 2021

Image Credit: BS Thurner Hof, "Peacock (Pavo cristatus), displaying his tail, Duisburg Zoo," 2005, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Pfau_imponierend.jpg); CC BY-SA 3.0; GFDL

Inspired because peacocks seem to be more populous in other parts of the world such as Africa.

Category 3: Peacock (Mysteries set in the rest of the world)

21. The Temptation of Forgiveness by Donna Leon - completed 19 November 2021
22. Bruno and the Carol Singers by Martin Walker - completed 5 December 2021

Image Credit: Blalonde, "Male western bluebird in December on the UBC Okanagan campus," 2014, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Western.male.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

Inspired by the nursery rhyme "Bluebird, Bluebird."

Category 4: Bluebird (Children's & Young Adult Literature)

1. Child Whispers by Enid Blyton - completed 26 January 2021
2. I Escaped the Donner Party: Pioneers on the Oregon Trail, 1846 by Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters - completed sometime in January 2021 but I forgot to record it so I'm putting down yesterday 1 February 2021
3. The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha; illustrated by Yuko Shimizu - completed 4 February 2021
4. Snap: A Happy Book of Colors by Patricia Hegarty - completed 14 March 2021
5. The Cookcamp by Gary Paulsen - completed 18 April 2021
6. Alida's Song by Gary Paulsen - completed 19 April 2021
7. The Quilt by Gary Paulsen - completed 20 April 2021
8. McTavish Takes the Cake by Meg Rosoff; illustrated by Grace Easton - completed 22 June 2021
9. We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell - completed 24 June 2021
10. Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned from a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow - completed 17 September 2021
11. Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan; illustrated by Taeeun Yoo - completed 1 October 2021
12. The Bookstore Cat by Cylin Busby; illustrated by Charles Santoso - completed 1 October 2021
13. A Traveling Cat by George Ella Lyon; illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson - completed 1 October 2021
14. Lila Lou's Little Library by Nikki Bergstresser; illustrated by Sejung Kim - completed 2 October 2021

Image Credit: Blalonde, "Male western bluebird in December on the UBC Okanagan campus," 2014, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Western.male.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

Inspired by the nursery rhyme "Bluebird, Bluebird."

Category 4: Bluebird (Children's & Young Adult Literature)

(Reserved for #21 and beyond)

Image Credit: Adrian Pingstone, "Caribbean Flamingo, also known as the American Flamingo, at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, England," 2004, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Caribbean_Flamingo.jpg); Public Domain.

Flamingoes seem to be a bird made for poetry.

Category 5: Flamingo (Poetry)

1. The Space Child's Mother Goose by Frederick Winsor; illustrated by Marian Perry - completed 14 January 2021
2. What Though the Field Be Lost: Poems by Christopher Kempf - completed 15 January 2021
3. Good Poems, American Places compiled by Garrison Keillor - completed 23 September 2021
4. Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni - completed 21 October 2021
5. Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood - completed 23 October 2021

Image Credit: Rhododendrites, "American goldfinch at a feeder in Green-Wood Cemetery," 2020, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Goldfinch_%2833612%292.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

Goldfinches remind me of "gold" which reminds me of kings. A lot of kings play roles in historical fiction set in the Renaissance or earlier.

Category 6: Goldfinch (Historical Fiction)

1. Dear Miss Kopp by Amy Stewart - completed 1 January 2021
2. A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel - completed 7 February 2021
3. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - completed 10 March 2021
4. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - completed 20 Mar 2021
5. The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera - completed 9 June 2021
6. Where the Heart Takes You by Virginia Wise - completed 20 June 2021
7. The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen - completed 1 July 2021
8. The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis - completed 26 July 2021
9. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart - completed 27 August 2021
10. Deadly Summer Nights by Vicki Delany - completed 22 November 2021
11. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles - completed 3 December 2021

Image Credit: Torindkflt, "Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis) perched on a bird feeder," 2008, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Male_Northern_Cardinal_At_Feeder.jpg); CC BY 3.0; GFDL

I'm not really sure why I chose this one for this category. It just seemed to fit, and I went with it. Maybe red is associated with royalty?

Category 7: Cardinal (History & Genealogy)

1. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask - completed 2 January 2021
2. The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer - completed 5 January 2021
3. The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain - completed 17 January 2021
4. Gone to the Grave: Burial Customs of the Arkansas Ozarks, 1850-1950 by Abby Burnett - completed 31 January 2021
5. They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers - completed 12 February 2021
6. The Passion of Anne Hutchinson: An Extraordinary Woman, the Puritan Patriarchs, and the World They Made and Lost by Marilyn Westerkamp - completed 18 February 2021
7. The Tombigbee River Steamboats: Rolladores, Dead Heads and Side-Wheelers by Rufus Ward - completed 18 February 2021
8. Colonial Mississippi: A Borrowed Land by Christian Pinnen and Charles A. Weeks - completed 24 March 2021
9. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick - completed 26 March 2021
10. D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose - completed 1 April 2021
11. The Glass Universe: How the Women of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel - completed 1 May 2021
12. The Soul of the Family Tree: Ancestors, Stories, and the Spirits We Inherit by Lori Erickson - completed 15 May 2021
13. The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss - completed 29 May 2021
14. Journeys Home: Inspiring Stories, Plus Tips & Strategies to Find Your Family History featuring Andrew McCarthy, Joyce Maynard, Pico Iyer, Diane Johnson, & the National Geographic Travel Teams - completed 1 June 2021
15. The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, A Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth by Karen Branan - completed 7 June 2021
16. Women on the Civil War Battlefront by Richard H. Hall - completed 19 June 2021
17. Marcel's Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man's Fate by Carolyn Porter - completed 8 August 2021
18. Brabbling Women: Disorderly Speech and the Law in Early Virginia by Terri L. Snyder - completed 3 September 2021
19. The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore - completed 5 September 2021
20. The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes - completed 14 September 2021

(continued below)

Image Credit: Torindkflt, "Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis) perched on a bird feeder," 2008, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Male_Northern_Cardinal_At_Feeder.jpg); CC BY 3.0; GFDL

I'm not really sure why I chose this one for this category. It just seemed to fit, and I went with it. Maybe red is associated with royalty?

Category 7: Cardinal (History & Genealogy)

(continued from above)

21. Christ in Camp and Combat: Religious Work in the Confederate Armies by Dennis L. Peterson - completed 30 September 2021
22. Historic Photos of Cincinnati by Linda Bailey - completed 11 October 2021
23. A Nation of Descendants: Politics and the Practice of Genealogy in U.S. History by Francesca Morgan - completed 18 October 2021
24. How to Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman - completed 15 November 2021

Image Credit: Pslawinski, "Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)," 2014, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Male_Ruby-Throated_Hummingbird_Hovering.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

As people look out their kitchen windows, they often see the ruby-throated hummingbird at a feeder.

Category 8: Hummingbird (Domestic arts--food, drink, needlework, etc.)

1. A Real Southern Cook: In Her Savannah Kitchen by Dora Charles - completed 29 January 2021
2. Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber - completed 1 May 2021
3. The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from the Best Little Bakery in the South by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day with Amy Paige Condon - completed 13 May 2021
4. Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet: A Culinary Journey through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid - completed 31 May 2021
5. See You on Sunday : A Cookbook for Family and Friends by Sam Sifton - completed 1 July 2021
6. The Secret History of Home Economics: How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live by Danielle Dreilinger - completed 8 July 2021
7. The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor by Matt Lee and Ted Lee - completed 18 September 2021
8. At Home on the Range by Margaret Yardley Potter; presented by Elizabeth Gilbert - completed 5 October 2021
9. Circle of Friends Cookbook: Dips and Spreads by Gooseberry Patch - completed 31 December 2021

Image credit: Simon Pierre Barrette, "Song Sparrow, Refuge d'oiseaux de Nicolet, Quebec, Canada," 2010, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Song_Sparrow.jpg); CC BY-SA 3.0

"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

Category 9: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

1. Anchored in Jesus: Holding on to Truth in a Drifting World by Johnny Hunt - completed 10 January 2021
2. Bathed in Prayer by Jan Karon - completed 17 January 2021
3. The Gospel at Work: How the Gospel Gives New Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert - completed 29 January 2021
4. Uncommon Church: Community Transformation for the Common Good by Alvin Sanders - completed 9 February 2021
5. Magnify His Name by Ed White - completed 27 February 2021
6. Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life by Lois Tverberg - completed 13 March 2021
7. Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message by Ravi Zacharias - completed 24 March 2021
8. The Walk: The Life-Changing Journey of Two Friends by Michael Card - completed 29 March 2021
9. Old Testament Words for Today: 100 Devotional Reflections by Warren Wiersbe - completed 10 April 2021
10. 50 Women Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Heroines of the Faith by Michelle Derusha - completed 25 April 2021
11. Jesus in Me: Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion by Anne Graham Lotz - completed 9 May 2021
12. All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson - completed 21 May 2021
13. The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ by Lee Strobel - completed 6 July 2021
14. Jesus Over Everything: Uncomplicating the Daily Struggle to Put Jesus First by Lisa Whittle - completed 17 July 2021
15. Is God Speaking to Me?: How to Discern His Voice and Direction by Lisa TerKeurst - completed 21 July 2021
16. Be Heroic: Demonstrating Bravery by Your Walk: OT Commentary Minor Prophets by Warren W. Wiersbe - completed 3 August 2021
17. Paul: A Biography by N. T. Wright - completed 20 August 2021
18. God Has Not Forgotten You: He Is with You, Even in Uncertain Times by David Jeremiah - completed 11 September 2021
19. Agents of the Apocalypse: A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times by David Jeremiah - completed 25 September 2021
20. We Will Not Be Silenced by Erwin W. Lutzer - completed 27 October 2021

Image credit: Simon Pierre Barrette, "Song Sparrow, Refuge d'oiseaux de Nicolet, Quebec, Canada," 2010, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Song_Sparrow.jpg); CC BY-SA 3.0

"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

Category 9: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

21. Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History by Deborah Vansau McCauley - completed 16 November 2021
22. Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History and Future by Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich - completed 28 November 2021
23. Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV) - completed 31 December 2021 (read entire Bible but read Psalms 3 times)
24. Near to the Heart of God: Meditations on 366 Best-Loved Hymns by Robert J. Morgan - completed 31 December 2021

Image credit: Gary Bembridge, "Gentoo Penguin Orne Harbour Antarctica," 2019, Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tipsfortravellers/33460794478/); CC BY 2.0

Penguin publishes classics.

Category 10: Penguin (First published more than 50 years ago)

1. Good-bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton - completed 16 January 2021
2. The Sweet Flypaper of Life by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes - completed 26 January 2021
3. Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope - completed 27 February 2021

Image source: Andrew Mercer, "Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) in Brisbane, Queensland," 2013, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Rainbow_Lorikeet_-_AndrewMercer_IMG08212.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

I needed to use the colorful bird that bears my name, so I chose it for the fiction catch-all category since reading genres will vary. Other literary forms such as drama or essays will also fit here.

Category 11: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

1. The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James - completed 14 January 2021
2. An Amish Surprise by Shelley Shepard Gray - completed 13 February 2021
3. The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury - completed 3 March 2021
4. Portobello by Ruth Rendell - completed 15 April 2021
5. The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce edited by Michael Newton - completed 21 April 2021
6. At Lighthouse Point by Suzanne Woods Fisher - completed 24 April 2021
7. The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn - completed 2 May 2021
8. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy - completed 10 May 2021
9. An Amish Husband for Tillie by Amy Lillard - completed 16 May 2021
10. The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman - completed 12 August 2021
11. A Season on the Wind by Suzanne Woods Fisher - completed 3 September 2021
12. The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson - completed 3 October 2021
13. The Robin's Greeting by Wanda E. Brunstetter - completed 11 October 2021
14. If I Were an Evil Overlord edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis - completed 17 November 2021
15. A Plain & Simple Christmas by Amy Clipston - completed 4 December 2021
16. A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers - completed 10 December 2021
17. An Amish Cookie Club Christmas by Sarah Price - completed 11 December 2021
18. Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old compiled by Miriam LeBlanc; illustrated by David G. Klein - completed 12 December 2021

Image source: Andrew Mercer, "Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) in Brisbane, Queensland," 2013, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Rainbow_Lorikeet_-_AndrewMercer_IMG08212.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

I needed to use the colorful bird that bears my name, so I chose it for the fiction catch-all category since reading genres will vary. Other literary forms such as drama or essays will also fit here.

Category 11: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

(Reserved for #21 and beyond--just in case I need it)

Image source: William H. Majoros, "Megascops asio (Eastern screech owl, captive)," 2011, Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Screech-owl-101.jpg); CC BY-SA 4.0

Reading non-fiction makes us wiser.

Category 12: Owl (Other non-fiction)

1. Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them by Adrienne Raphel - completed 1 March 2021
2. Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester - completed 14 April 2021
3. Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper - completed 16 September 2021
4. If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende - completed 23 September 2021
5. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose - completed 14 November 2021
6. Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution by John Archibald - completed 28 November 2021

Image source: Marcin Klapczynski, "A raven spotted on the roof," 2005, Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Raven.JPG); CC BY-SA 3.0

"Quoth the raven . . . Nevermore."

Abandoned Reads: Raven

1. Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner - abandoned 27 April 2021
2. Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen - abandoned 3 June 2021
3. Summerwater by Sarah Moss - abandoned 27 July 2021
4. A Portion of Paradise by Eva Zarley - abandoned 4 October 2021
5. Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae - abandoned 12 October 2021
6. Murder in Saint-Rémy by Susan Kiernan-Lewis - abandoned 27 December 2021

BINGO CAT


1. Portobello by Ruth Rendell
2. The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera
3. The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker
4. Bathed in Prayer by Jan Karon
5. Falling in Love by Donna Leon
6. The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson
7. A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates
8.
9. The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon
10. The Gospel at Work: How the Gospel Gives New Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert
11. The Sweet Flypaper of Life by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes
12. A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel
13. Monk's Hood by Ellis Peters
14. The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes
15. The Space Child's Mother Goose by Frederick Winsor; illustrated by Marian Parry
16.
17. Murder on the Lake by Bruce Beckham
18. The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James
19. The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer
20. Anchored in Jesus by Johnny Hunt
21. What Though the Field Be Lost: Poems by Christopher Kempf
22. Good-bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton
23. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
24. The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl & Griffith Day
25. Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams

Book 158. Murder in a Scottish Shire by Traci Hall

Date Completed: 23 October 2021

Category: Puffin (Mysteries set in British Isles)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This promising first installment features Paislee, a single mom, who owns a yarn shop. When her landlord serves an eviction notice allegedly because the building is being sold, she knows she needs to find a new location. However, when a former employee fails to show up for her interview to be rehired, she knows something is wrong. She goes to the woman's apartment where the door is ajar and the neighbor's dog comes out the door. She finds the woman murdered. The town's former detective just retired so a new younger man conducts the investigation. Paislee gets wrapped up in the investigation more than seems fitting. Her best friend is a real estate agent who notices the sale of Paislee's building hasn't been recorded. Paislee manages to get herself into dangerous situations. The detective brought her estranged grandfather to Paislee's door. He'd been found sleeping in the park. His son with whom he lived went missing. While the amateur sleuth and detective succeed in capturing the murderer, the shop's future location and Paislee's missing half-uncle's whereabouts remain unresolved. I loved the Scottish dialect. I believe the principal and the detective will end up vying for Paislee's affection.

Book 159. Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood

Date Completed: 23 October 2021

Category: Flamingo (Poetry)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This enjoyable but melancholy collection of Atwood's poetry features mostly short lines which I generally prefer. An interesting poem group offered thoughts on murdered sisters. I wondered what inspired these poems. She also offered a series of poems about environmental dangers, particular plastic. Many poems reflected on the past. The poem describing to a younger generation how Polaroid cameras worked amused me. I still remember the awe I had as a child watching those photos develop right before my eyes.

Happy New Thread! I'm still missing two squares on my Bingo too. (Oops - I have 3)

Happy new thread! That is one cute Scottie dog on the cover of >23 thornton37814:.

Happy new thread! It's a nice opportunity to enjoy again the beautiful bird photos you selected.

Happy new and I suppose last thread of 2021!

Happy new thread, Lori!

Happy new thread, Lori. Have you figured out your theme for next year?

Happy new thread, Lori. Hard to believe that 2021 is almost over!

Happy new thread!

>25 dudes22: I've read things that could fit the "nature or environment" category, but I've been trying to get something that is a better fit. I've probably also had some of those books read recommended by a younger generation, but I haven't always recorded my book bullets, so I don't know.

>26 rabbitprincess: It is a cute dog!

>27 NinieB: I enjoy the birds!

>28 clue: I think it will be the last thread!

>29 MissWatson: Thanks!

>30 RidgewayGirl: I've had some thoughts, but I haven't settled on anything yet.

>31 DeltaQueen50: I'm ready for 2021 to be over! The 1950 U.S. census comes out April 1, 2022. Something to look forward to!

>32 Tess_W: Thank you!

I'm here, love the birds as always.

>36 fuzzi: Thanks! The birds will be a hard theme to beat next year.

Happy new thread! >37 thornton37814: Agree! Especially getting a colourful category with your name in it as you have this year!

>38 VivienneR: Yes. I couldn't resist the Lorikeet. It's such a beautiful bird!

Book 160. A Turn for the Bad by Sheila Connolly

Date Completed: 25 October 2021

Category: Puffin (Mysteries set in British Isles)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Maura is beginning to settle into her role as owner of Sullivan's pub. A man goes missing and his son is found in one of the coves. While much smuggling goes on, this man was just an honest farmer, and the only logical explanation is that he stumbled across something he should not have seen. A man's body turns up, but it is not this man. Can the garda find him? WIll Maura and her friends lend a hand? I enjoyed listening to this installment of the series. I enjoyed it more than previous ones.

Book 161. We Will Not Be Silenced by Erwin W. Lutzer

Date Completed: 27 October 2021

Category: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Erwin Lutzer, pastor of Moody Church, discusses the assault made against Evangelical Christianity by the left. Although he offers Christians some insights into how they should respond, the majority of the work concentrates on how faith is being attacked. He does call out the philosophies behind many of the attacks, but he could do a better job of telling Christians how to stand strong in the face of the assault.

Book 162. Hard Truth by Nevada Barr

Date Completed: 28 October 2021

Category: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Anna married Paul in Mississippi, but three days after the wedding, she moves to Colorado to assume a position as chief ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was an opportunity she could not pass up, but Paul had just won an local election and wasn't ready to give that up either. The two decided to evaluate the situation in a year. When a paraplegic woman is rescued by two girls who went missing in the park, Anna discovers the girls belong to local cult founded by a former LDS member. Unfortunately the girls' parents refuse to allow their children to be examined for rape or get psychiatric help. Three girls had gone missing, but only two came out. Where was the other girl? When one girl accidentally reveals she stayed with Robert, the cult's youth leader, Anna begins looking for the missing girl. A trip to the outhouse at a back-country ranger station reveals a disturbing mice crucifixion. The ranger states Robert must have done it, but Anna keeps options open as she continues the search for the girl and the now missing Robert whom she needs to question. Meanwhile another seasonal ranger rescued wolf pups from another park and is hiding them in a location Anna discovers in the search. The paraplegic woman remains involved with the two girls who rescued her and takes an interest in finding their abductor. When Anna does meet the missing girl, it's clear she's been brainwashed. The ending provides plenty of suspense. I enjoyed this novel, but some religious depictions may be stereotypical and/or misleading to persons not familiar with the mainstream LDS group.

>41 thornton37814: This militancy is frightening.

>43 pamelad: I probably agree with a lot of his points. Just judging from my FB feed, people on both sides of the spectrum are intolerant of people on the other side. I do believe people on both sides probably believe the other side wants to silence them. I think a lot of your own personal philosophy will determine how you see the "attacks"--no matter the side of the political spectrum with which you identify or how you religiously affiliate (or don't).

>41 thornton37814: My SS read this book. I agree with most of his points, but I'm sure those of another persuasion would not. I do believe Christians are being attacked, especially in the work place.

>45 Tess_W: I think many Christians concur and would point to passages that prophesy some of the things we witness in these times.

Book 163. Snow by John Banville

Date Completed: 2 November 2021

Category: Puffin (Mysteries set in British Isles)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Inspector Strafford of the gardai is called to a country home where a parish priest was murdered. Although rumored to have fallen down the stairs, the man met his demise as a stabbing victim with a twist. The small suspect list consists of only those persons on the premises that night. His sergeant becomes missing later in the novel. The novel worked although it wasn't outstanding until the last 65 pages or so. At that point, the author takes us to a point in the past and eventually also to a point in the future. The information for the first part could have been told in another manner in the present-day. The future time period created an interesting twist. However, I really would have appreciated the resolution coming in the present time. I'm not sure I really liked Strafford as a detective that much. As a fan of some of Banville's other work, this book disappointed.

>47 thornton37814: Love the cover art. It deserves a 5* book!

>48 clue: It is great cover art!

Book 164. The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer

Date Completed: 3 November 2021

Category: Peacock (Mysteries set outside U.S. and U.K.)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: After World War II, Emil returns from his Arctic fishing expedition with Norwegian crews to his native Eastern European country. He joins the militia as a homicide detective. He gets his first case, but it's clear a cover-up is in the works. It reads like a thriller, particularly when he finally goes to East Germany to follow a lead. The murdered man's wife becomes a romantic interest of the young detective. We learn a little about Emil's family, particularly about his grandfather. I'm not the best fit for thrillers, and this one had its share of problems besides the genre itself. I was interested in the time period and setting, but I found it frustrating in this particular book. I listened to the audio book read by Ned Schmidtke who really didn't make it exciting. I noticed a place where the recording levels did not match, and the narrator sounded different.

I went to the library to return some books this morning. I discovered they were holding a book sale. For $10, I brought home the above pictured books.

1) First Church of God (Knoxville, Tenn.). Wonderful Celestial Goodies Cookbook
2) Kacirk, Jeffrey. Forgotten English: A Merry Guide to Antiquated Words, Packed with History, Fun Facts, Literary Excerpts, and Charming Drawings
3) Savoring Savannah: Feasts from the Low Country / foreward by Nathalie Dupree; introduction by Martha Giddens Nesbit. (No editor mentioned in the credits.)
4) Hobson, Archie, ed. The Cambridge Gazetteer of the United States and Canada: A Dictionary of Places
5) Trevor, William. A Writer's Ireland: Landscape in Literature
6) Wallis, Michael. Route 66: The Mother Road. 75th anniversary ed.
7) Wilkes, Sema. Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from Her Savannah Table (with a history by John T. Edge)

>51 thornton37814: Nice haul! That must have been a treat. I missed the last library sale here, but more than made up for it when we went to the big book sale for the food bank benefit last month.

>51 thornton37814: Nice haul!

Nice haul and what a fun surprise to come across a booksale accidentally. I have the Mrs. Wilkes cookbook -- bought years ago on a visit to Savannah, we ate at her boardinghouse. She sat in the front and signed copies of her book.

>52 LadyoftheLodge: The Morristown library sale is not huge, but at least there were some great bargains!

>53 Tess_W: I'm pleased with it.

>54 RidgewayGirl: I'm excited about that one. It truly was a bargain price. I ate at this "new little restaurant" people were raving about when I went camping with my parents on one of my breaks. The new restaurant was Lady and Sons. Who knew Paula Deen would be so big? Of course I learned back then that the real magic behind the restaurant was her African-ancestored cook!

Book 165. Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert

Date Completed: 8 November 2021

Category: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Following the death of her own husband, Charlotte Reed inherits a book-themed bed-and-breakfast from her great aunt Isabella. The family knew little about Isabella, but Charlotte will learn much more about her as she investigates a homicide that took place on her property. Most persons present possessed a motive--some stronger than others. Charlotte, with the help of an interesting neighbor, discovers she has a knack for investigating. Unfortunately too many things screamed "implausible" to me. We barely saw the police, although they were present. The book got off to a slow start but the pace began picking up after the half-way mark. Mystery lovers will love the way the plot is peppered with mentions of other authors and books. One of my favorite lines in the book was, "I wasn't Miss Marple, or Inspector Gamache, or even Nancy Drew." (page 53) I loved that Gamache was given equal footing with these classic sleuths. I'm hoping the next in the series works a little better for me. I love the locale and book-themed bed-and-breakfast premise. I have not yet fallen in love with the amateur sleuth. I hope future installments will include more interaction with the real detectives working the case.

>50 thornton37814:. I read Bridge of Sighs a few years ago and remember it as being OK but maybe not for everyone.

>57 hailelib: Yes. I was disappointed because I had higher expectations for it.

Book 166. Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

Date Completed: 12 November 2021

Category: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: When Timothy Neville's niece Willow French dangles from the widow of the Heritage Society's haunted house, the gruesome scene puts an end to the night's festivities. Detective Tidwell sends Pete Riley, Theodosia's boyfriend, to check out Willow's home where a gunshot would sends him to the hospital. Theodosia, of course, feels the need to investigate, particularly when TImothy asks her to do so. In the midst of this, a valuable edition of Poe goes missing from the heritage society. Things missing from WIllow's home include her computer, her engagement ring, and her hibiscus diamond earrings and pendant. Theodosia's investigation uncovers many suspects and motives. I think readers were cheated by the underdevelopment of the killer's character. I also feel Pete should have been incorporated into the plot more after his release from the hospital. One thing that struck me as I listened to the audiobook is that persons unfamiliar with the series could have picked up this installment without missing too much because the author spent a good deal of time with the back story and setting. While I enjoyed the visit with all the tea shop crew, this was not my favorite installment.

Book 167. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide For People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose

Date Completed: 14 November 2021

Category: Owl (Other Non-Fiction)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: For those who aspire to write fiction, Francine Prose offers insights into writing styles and devices used by classic authors as well as some modern ones. Some of the quoted passages went on and on. It offers little in the way of advice for those whose writing interest lies in non-fiction. Perhaps the best feature of the book is the bibliography of what you should read now.

>60 thornton37814: After reading this I made a real effort to read closely, but it didn't last long and I returned to racing through the pages.

Book 168. Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah

Date Completed: 14 November 2021

Category: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When New York investment banker Lindsey Bakewell catches her fiancee in bed with his colleague, she purchases a lighthouse in a small lakefront Michigan town to pursue her baking dream. Lindsey spent time here as a child when visiting her grandparents. While one woman in town and her followers wish to close her down, most people are grateful the old light will become a shop rather than bulldozed for condos. Her dog Wellington befriends neighbor Rory, a former Marine turned author. He tells her about the former Captain whose ghost supposedly resides at the light. Lindsey's blogger friend Kennedy publicizes the bakery's grand opening. When Lindsey's ex-fiancee Jeffrey and his girlfriend Mia show up at the opening to stir things up, no one is more surprised than Lindsey. Mia causes a big scene in the shop and then falls dead on the lawn. Lindsey becomes a suspect. Can she find the real killer before the local law enforcement arrests her? I enjoyed this first installment and look forward to future ones. Some of the scenes were comical. I thought the lead detective was a little underdeveloped and that she relied too much on a junior officer, but it was still a fun read. If there's a lighthouse housing a bakery with as delectable treats as this one, I want to visit it!

>61 pamelad: I completely understand!

Book 169. How to Be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Tudor Life by Ruth Goodman

Date Completed: 15 November 2021

Category: Cardinal (History & Genealogy)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Author Ruth Goodman perused court records, wills, estate inventories, diaries, and other resources to examine life for common people in Tudor England. Her readable guide explores facets of daily life--household furnishings, cleanliness and hygiene, clothing, food, education, work, recreation, and sex. She treats subjects such as religion as part of the discussion for other topics. The resulting book contains social history that genealogists can utilize in constructing fuller narratives of ancestors and relatives living during this period. While several of Shakespeare's plays are mentioned throughout the book and theatre is treated in the section on recreation, the lack of mentioning Shakespeare and the Globe in that section seems a serious omission since his influence began in Elizabeth I's days and extended into the Stuart reign of James I. I found it interesting the author tried many Tudor ways of doing things prior to writing about them.

>64 thornton37814: This looks like a winner! I have read her previous book on "coal' and how it caused household revolution. Will put this one on my WL.

>65 Tess_W: It was quite interesting.

Book 170. Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History by Deborah Vansau McCauley

Date Completed: 16 November 2021

Category: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This academic treatment of Christian sects in Appalachia falls a little short. Problems in the accuracy of treatment of the branches of the Stone-Campbell movements with which I am very familiar make me wonder how many other problems exist. McCauley's focus appears to be on the more independent and fundamentalist Baptist groups and upon holiness churches of various sorts. I suspect she concentrated her research on those groups and failed to thoroughly understand other groups mentioned. The academic tone will limit the book's appeal a great deal. While she mentioned snake-handling churches, she barely did so. (I'm just glad she didn't offer pictures of these people "lifting up the serpent.")

>64 thornton37814:

Sounds interesting.

>68 hailelib: That one was definitely interesting and enjoyable.

Book 171. If I Were an Evil Overlord edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis

Date Completed: 17 November 2021

Category: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 2 stars

Review: I'm not the best audience for this book, but my faculty book club chose this one to read and discuss this semester. The best stories were "A Woman's Work" by Tanya Huff and "Art Therapy" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I hated pretty much all the remaining stories with the exception of one that was enough better than earlier installments that I tolerated it a little better. In our final wrap-up discussion, all of us pretty much agreed that those two stories were the best. I'm just thankful this one is complete and that we can move onto something different next semester.

Book 172. The Temptation of Forgiveness by Donna Leon

Date Completed: 19 November 2021

Category: Peacock (Mysteries set outside U.S. and British Isles)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: A woman serving the architecture faculty at Paola's university consults Brunetti about her son's drug use. Soon afterwards her husband dies in a fall from a bridge, and it appears he had some help getting over it. At times Griffoni seems a more capable investigator than Brunetti. At the same time Patta tries to find a leak in the department. While I always enjoy my visits to Venice through these novels, this one doesn't seem to be quite as cohesive as some. Some plot lines seem to almost drop from the radar. Leon's endings never wrap up quite as neatly as ones by other mystery writers--and I'll leave that there as a teaser! David Colacci's narrations are always superb.

In such a long series some are bound to fall short of the author's best. That particular Brunetti novel is pretty far in the future for me but I'll get there eventually.

>72 hailelib: I still enjoy the series. The only reason I'm this far along is because of the group read over the past few years.

Book 173. Murder at Wedgefield Manor by Erica Ruth Neubauer

Date Completed: 20 November 2021

Category: Puffin (Mysteries set in the U.K.)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Jane Wunderly and her aunt Millie are visiting the country estate of Lord Hughes. When an employee dies in an automobile, it is discovered the break line was severed. Jane can't resist the chance to assist in the investigation, and the unexpected appearance of Mr. Redvers to deliver the news of the crash gives her the perfect partner once again. While I enjoyed this and loved the way her flying lessons were put to use, this installment was not quite as strong as the previous one. One reason for this was the over-treatment of a relationship between two female characters which made it feel like the real agenda of the book was to promote LGBTQIA relationships rather than solving the mystery itself. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sarah Zimmerman.

Book 174. Deadly Summer Nights by Vicki Delany

Date Completed: 22 November 2021

Category: Goldfinch (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Set at Haggerman's Resort in New York's Catskills in 1953, manager Elizabeth Grady spots a body in the water near a remote cabin. Her mom, a well-known star, owns the resort through an inheritance. The victim, a retired college professor, came to the resort to work on a book. The sheriff sees a copy of The Communist Manifesto among the man's possessions, jumps to the conclusion the man is a communist, and brings in the FBI. The man's nephew, a New York Times reporter, comes to help settle his uncle's affairs. The Red Scare angle is played up, perhaps a little too much. I enjoyed the revelation and trust the next installment will allude to some of the aftermath. Readers may have been introduced to too many hotel staffers in the first book, particularly in the early pages. While I like the lead character less than Constable Molly Smith or librarian Lucy Richardson of the author's other series, I still enjoyed it. I suspect Elizabeth will grow on me.

Happy Thanksgiving, Lori. I hope you and the fur boys had a good celebration.

>76 RidgewayGirl: I enjoyed being home with them. They didn't really like the turkey, but then they've never been cats who like table food. I try at least once a year.

HappyTthanksgiving, Lori, sorry to be late. If the boys don't like table food, does that mean you can leave your plate unguarded? My sister's cats have all shown tremendous interest in our food. Even the coffee.

>78 MissWatson: They still enjoy sniffing it out so I can't really do that. I usually drink my coffee in a travel mug so it's protected from them, but they've been known to sniff it when I drink from a regular cup.

>79 thornton37814: Ah yes, the curiosity of cats!

>80 MissWatson: Yes. They must check out everything.

I've been a bit distracted today. The nursing building on campus caught fire this morning. Ten trucks responded. The building is a total loss. They contained the fire to the one building which is miraculous as there is an adjoining one--a men's dormitory which had about 30 students (mostly athletes) in it at the time. They were all evacuated, and some administrators took care of their needs. Needless to say the end of the dorm nearest the nursing building has some smoke in it and may need some environmental treatment, but the building itself is fine. No one was injured. I suppose we should be thankful it happened over a break period instead of when the buildings would be full.

My heart goes out to colleagues who lost all their personal libraries and momentoes in the fire. I hope that most of the faculty were using the cloud storage the university has been encouraging us to use rather than their computer desktops. I understand the registrar and provost found places to hold the last three days of classes and exams after that. I'm not sure what we'll do next semester. Nursing is one of the largest programs on campus. Construction on a new nursing building began in the fall, but it is far from complete. No cause has been determined, but it is believed to have begun in an attic area of the building.

I was tempted to drive to campus when I heard of the fire, but I decided there was nothing I could do, and it would be better for me to stay out of the way. An English professor was grading papers in his office and took a break to watch the fire and take photos when he heard the sirens. The VP for Student Services also took photos and video. All the Knoxville news stations also came to campus.

In its former life, the nursing building was the town's old elementary school. A lot of townspeople are also mourning the passing of this piece of their history.

>82 thornton37814: Oh no, that's awful! I'm glad no one was hurt, but saddened about the loss of notes and books and such.

>82 thornton37814: It's always sad for me to see or hear of an old building being destroyed by any means and I'm sure there are people who will miss it. I hope whatever immediate change is made for the nursing students works out for them.

>83 Tess_W: It is a tragic loss.

>84 clue: I have not seen the plan, but I suspect the library will receive a copy of it before we open Sunday so returning students can easily find the information needed.

>82 thornton37814: What a sad loss!

>86 MissWatson: Yes.

Glad no one was injured, but so sorry to hear about the fire!

>88 christina_reads: We're all thankful for the "no injuries."

Book 175. Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution by John Archibald

Date Completed: 28 November 2021

Category: Owl (Other non-fiction)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: John Archibald examines his family's involvement in the Civil Rights movement and wishes it had been greater. His father and grandfather were both Methodist pastors, and Archibald reads sermon manuscripts to see how they addressed it with their congregations. He also takes a look at the Methodist Church and homosexuality, using his brother Murray as a case study. While I disagree with some of the author's theological assertions, the well-written but under-documented book creates a readable examination of the Civil Rights era in northern to central Alabama. The book was received for review in a professional library publication. This longer review is forthcoming.

Book 176. Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History and Future by Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich

Date Completed: 28 November 2021

Category: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Former Congressman Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista take readers on a tour of Washington D.C.'s memorials, buildings, and monuments to identify elements of the Christian faith found displayed on the memorials, in the lives of individuals honored, or on artwork housed in the buildings. Those interested in Christianity's influence upon our nation and its leaders will find the book interesting.

>82 thornton37814:

Fires like that are sad news but even more so when an old but full of history building is lost.

>92 hailelib: Indeed.

Book 177. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Date Completed: 3 December 2021

Category: Goldfinch (Historical Fiction)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Set in two time periods, the book reveals Odile's story. The 1980s story features a widowed and withdrawn Odile living in a small town in Montana. Lily, a teenager from next door comes calling on Odile to learn about France for a school report. Odile begins teaching the girl French and helps her through her mother's death and father's remarriage. The older story shows Odile as a young woman, working in the American Library of Paris. She loves connecting books to subscribers. Her father works for the police. She falls in love with Paul who works for her father. Her brother Remy goes off to fight in the war. As the situation in Paris grows more dangerous, many American Library workers return to the United States or their homes. Only a few workers remain with Odile being one of them. When the Germans take over Paris, restrictions are placed on the library. Some patrons disappear. Odile's world changes.

I'm not a fan of books featuring two or more time periods. In almost every case, one story is stronger, and one story seems unnecessary. This is a case where both stories deserved telling, but both stories also suffered. Perhaps this book needed to be told as two books--with the World War II stuff in one book and the story of Lily and Odile's post-War years as a sequel. The author spent far more time on the war story than the later one although the manner in which it was told made it easy to put down. The later period told a more passionate story deserving more pages and additional development.

Book 178. A Plain & Simple Christmas by Amy Clipston

Date Completed: 4 December 2021

Category: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Three years ago Anna Mae married Englischer Kellen McDonough, resulting in her shunning. Now expecting her first child, Anna Mae wants to reunite with her family to bring healing and so the boppli will know her parents. She enlists the help of her sister-in-law Kathryn to arrange the visit. Although a remark by her mother-in-law makes Kathryn certain it is God's will, her husband David is not so certain. David and Anna Mae's father Henry serves as bishop to the Amish community, and his heart seems hardened. Although the doctor said travel was fine, Kellan asks Anna Mae to think twice about the visit because of the approaching due date and concern for her should things not go well. Will the family reunite and heal, or will they continue to hold Anna Mae at a distance? I enjoyed this in the audiobook format. Clipston's feel-good Christmas story features characters from her Kauffman Amish bakery series which I have not read yet but plan to enjoy in the future.

>82 thornton37814: So sorry to hear about the fire and loss of an old building. Glad no one was injured.

>96 VivienneR: Thanks.

>94 thornton37814: That one is on deck for my WWII CAT in 2022.

>98 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it. It's a good story. I just wish she'd left out the second time period.

>95 thornton37814: I read all the books in the Kauffman Amish bakery series, and enjoyed them. This one you described sounds like a winner to me.

>100 LadyoftheLodge: She apparently wrote two Christmas books (at least so far). I picked that one up on Kindle somewhere. I decided I'd read it!

Book 179. Bruno and the Carol Singers by Martin Walker

Date Completed: 5 December 2021

Category: Peacock (Mysteries set outside the US and British Isles)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Bruno plays Father Christmas for the town. He arranged a carol sing for Pamela who misses the UK tradition. A Lebanese Christian woman and her son recently moved to town. He receives a call that her convicted husband escaped from the release program. He feels certain the man will show up in town and when something happens to Pamela, he's certain of it. It's more of a feel-good Christmas story than a mystery. This is mainly for fans of the series. Others will probably not find much depth in the story.

Book 180. A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers

Date Completed: 10 December 2021

Category: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Claire is the new librarian in Knights Bridge. She's widowed with a son. Her husband died in a car crash, and she's overly cautious now. Logan, a busy Boston ER doctor, helps get his grandmother settled in an assisted living facility. Townspeople think he has not spent enough time with his grandmother and question whether it was her decision to move into the facility. The two meet when she delivers books for residents to the facility. They strike up a friendship that quickly becomes something more. There were places where the narrative seemed repetitive--especially when hearing thoughts. I enjoyed the overall story, but tighter editing could make it stronger. I listened to the audio book read by Susan Boyle (which I assume to be the Britain's Got Talent winner). She did a great job.

Book 181. An Amish Cookie Club Christmas by Sarah Price

Date Completed: 11 December 2021

Category: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: With the current pricing models making dairy farming less profitable, Edna supplements her family's income by serving authentic Amish meals to Englisch tourists. Her friend Mary has been helping her through tourist season, but after she suffers an injury which lays her up, Mary is not sure what she will do. She hopes she need not resort to taking up her friend Wilma's offer of her two troubled daughters. Edna's son John works at an auction house. Her other two boys help their father on the farm. Eventually it is decided Mary's daughter Bethany, a very shy young woman, will help in Mary's place. As John picks Bethany up, the two begin to find a lot to admire in each other. The book includes cookie recipes. I enjoyed seeing the romance blossom and appreciated the author's adherence to biblical standards of waiting until after marriage for sexual relations.

Book 182. Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old compiled by Miriam LeBlanc; illustrated by David G. Klein

Date Completed: 12 December 2021

Category: Lorikeet (Other Fiction & Literature)

Rating: 5 stars

Review: I loved this collection of short stories which portray the true spirit of Christmas. Each story includes a black and white illustration. Some stories are classics, such as Rebecca Caudill's "A Certain Small Shepherd" and Henry Van Dyke's "The Other Wise Man." Others are by well-known authors such as Katherine Paterson, Elizabeth Goudge, and Madeleine L'Engle. I normally do not keep fiction books after reading them, but I will keep this collection because I anticipate re-reading it in Christmases to come. It's that good! I received this through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation of an honest review.

Our church's Christmas choral program: https://vimeo.com/656733643

Book 183. Egg Shooters by Laura Childs

Date Completed: 14 December 2021

Category: Bald Eagles (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When Suzanne decides to take a thermos of chili to Sam at the hospital, she walks into an armed robbery. After the thief kills the security guard and injures the receptionist, Suzanne throws the chili at the thief who makes a remarkable getaway. Suzanne and her friend Toni will get into a couple of situations as they "assist" Sheriff Doogie and his deputies into the investigation into the robbery and into a series of truck hijackings. I pegged the killer early on, and the red herrings never really threw me off. It's a fun cozy mystery although pretty low on the believability scale.

I've sorted the gifts for wrapping. The cats will be angry with me tomorrow because I plan to lock myself in the spare bedroom for most of the duration of wrapping. I will need to grab several boxes before I go in there as well as the wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and bows. Well, I might wait and put the bows on when I get to Mississippi so they don't smash in the car. I'm not happy with the "polo shirt" for my brother, but it's the one she said to get. I just can't imagine he really wants that fabric. It's not traditional "polo shirt" fabric. We can return it, if necessary. I think he'll like the rest of his gift though. Everyone else's came from their wish list for the most part or it's stuff we knew they wanted--and I'm happy with what we ordered. The cats are going to have lots and lots of fun when Santa comes!

>108 thornton37814: Ooh, yes, I can imagine the cats would want to play with all the paper and bows, and sit in the boxes of course!

>109 rabbitprincess: They've been having fun with a big Amazon box I emptied and left out for them. I may use that box to hold other boxes to make them easier to get into my brother's house. Of course, I usually have assistance unloading. Still it might be nice to have them boxed so Eric or Braden can take them inside.

Book 184. A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch

Date Completed: 27 December 2021

Category: Puffin (Mysteries set in British Isles)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Just returned from his honeymoon and ready to begin his new career as a member of Parliament, Charles Lenox looks into a footman's murder. Knowing his time will be limited due to his duties as a public servant, he involves his protege John Dallington in the investigation. Charles comes up with a solution to the problem of two butlers by having his own come to work for him in his new role. I suspected the perpetrator almost from the beginning, but the author did probably develop enough other options to distract many readers from the solution. I listened to the audiobook read by one of my favorite narrators, James Langton.

Abandoned Book 6. Murder in Saint-Rémy by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

Date Abandoned: 27 December 2021

Category: Raven (Abandoned Books)

Comments: I stuck with this one for longer than I should have because it showed promise. Then I got to a point where the murderer was revealed to readers, and we weren't even halfway through. I decided it wasn't worth continuing. I have not read earlier installments. The sleuth Maggie goes to Saint-Rémy to visit her author friend who is introducing her to her agent. After Maggie returns home, the very pregnant 14-year-old niece shows up at Maggie's house where she has her baby. When the woman is found murdered, suspicious immediately goes to the niece who claims she did not do it. She was, however, holding the knife and had wished her aunt dead earlier. Maggie sets out to investigate and is threatened by the investigating officer with jail if she doesn't leave the premises. This just didn't work for me, and I didn't finish it because the author revealed too much too early, and I was not engaged in it.

>111 thornton37814: - This is one of my favorite series. Luckily, I still have a few more to go.

>113 dudes22: I would not categorize it as a favorite, but I do like it.

>111 thornton37814:

That's my next one in the series.

>113 dudes22: Ditto that! I think I have read most of the books in the series, but I might have a couple more on my Kindle.

>115 hailelib: >116 LadyoftheLodge: I'm glad it's such a popular series.

Book 185. Darned If You Do by Monica Ferris

Date Completed: 30 December 2021

Category: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When a storm comes through town, an eccentric man is trapped in his bed by a neighbor's tree which fell on him. Rescuers discover the man is a hoarder, and when authorities contact his next of kin to come to town, she gets help from Betsy and the stitching group at Crewel World to help sort through things. Valuable coins and jewelry and even a mailbag with 1996 mail turn up as they go through things. When murdered in his hospital bed, cousin Val becomes the chief suspect because she had the most to gain. Betsy is certain she didn't do it, but can she prove it. It was a pretty obvious solution, but I still enjoy visits with Betsy and friends. Although this one features stitching, it is not quite as prominent as some of the earlier installments. I listened to the audiobook read by Susan Boyle who did a great job.

Book 186. Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV)

Date Completed: 31 December 2021

Category: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The language beauty of other Bible translations is just not present in the English Standard Version. Since I read through the Bible each year, I decided a few years back to begin reading different translations each year. I opted for the ESV this year because I have visited churches in the last few years where many persons are using it. It does not compare in language beauty to the King James or even the New King James. Its texts sometimes deviate so much from other translations that it feels like a paraphrase rather than a translation. This will never be a favorite translation for me.

I read the entire Bible once and Psalms 3 times. The plan I used actually ended on Christmas day, stopping at Psalm 59 on the 3rd round, but I came up with a plan to complete Psalms 3 times by the end of the year.

Book 187. Near to the Heart of God: Meditations on 366 Best-Loved Hymns by Robert J. Morgan

Date Completed: 31 December 2021

Category: Sparrow (Religion & Spirituality)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: I always love hymn stories, but this one is less about the hymn stories and more about the hymn writer. I wish the author had used better known hymns. I think the subtitle word "best-loved" may reflect his own position on the hymns rather than that of Christendom in general. Sometimes he used hymns that likely were not sung often even back in my grandmother's days. Many certainly did not appear in hymn books of the last 60 years. I own copies of hymnals prior to this era and did not check them, but I've pretty much memorized the contents of several hymnals dating back 50 to 65 years and never heard those. Fortunately he often told you well-known hymn tunes to which the hymns could be sung. It's still a useful book to use in daily devotional thoughts.

I will finish at least one more, but I think I can finish a total of three more for 190 by the end of the day! I need to run a few errands (such as groceries) before I resume reading, but I'm on a mission to get to 190!

Good luck with your reading, Lori. Happy New Year's!

>122 DeltaQueen50: Thanks. Just back from the grocery store. Now I need to eat a sandwich. I have one thing I couldn't find, but I doubt I'm going to find it anywhere--cream cheese. I wanted to make chess cake (not cheesecake) which I've been craving since I saw some at the store in Mississippi. I may take a reading break in a bit and try to hit some other places. I can handle it not being Philadelphia for the chess cake so if I can find just one package somewhere, I'll be fine. I've decided to delay my cheese cake until Philadelphia cream cheese is back in stock. My recipe calls for 5, and store brands seem to have a higher water content than Philadelphia does so it really does turn out better to use the real one.

>123 thornton37814: I've heard of chess pie, but never chess cake. That one's new to me. Have a happy New Year's Eve, Lori and I look forward to seeing what you read next year.

>123 thornton37814: - I had heard there was a cream cheese shortage but all our stores seemed to have plenty.

Up here we recently had thieves making off with two truckloads of butter! They must have wanted to do some baking.

>124 RidgewayGirl: Chess cake has been around a long time. It uses a yellow cake mix, butter or margarine, and egg for one layer and cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and egg for the other. You bake in a 9 x 13 pan.

>125 dudes22: I actually bought a couple of store-brand ones in Mississippi that may have been left over. I should have brought those with me. I'm not sure my SIL will use them. I did find some at Aldi. I expected them to be out too, but I thought I'd check. I'm a snob on cream cheese when it comes to my cheese cake, but I'm willing to put one of these bricks into the chess cake!

>126 rabbitprincess: I usually keep some extra butter on hand. There was no shortage today. In fact, I had to wait for a lady to get hers before I got mine.

Book 188. Trouble Is Brewing by Ellie Alexander

Date Completed: 31 December 2021

Category: Bald Eagle (Mysteries with U.S. setting)

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: This short story serves as a prequel to the author's Sloan Krause series and as a mini-story to her bakeshop mystery series. Unfortunately the only mystery is to discover what happened to a missing keg of beer. The solution is too obvious. Much of it is a "getting to know you" between the amateur sleuths in the two series. It mainly serves as a filler, but not a very satisfying one. Still it was nice to revisit Sloan, but I missed Leavenworth since this one was set in Ashland.

Book 189. Blood Underground by Dan Waddell

Date Completed: 31 December 2021

Category: Puffin (Mysteries set in British Isles)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: DCI Grant Foster is suspicious about the second walled-up victim found in an abandoned London underground station. He asks for Nigel Barnes' assistance in finding a link between the two victims. His investigation leads to a couple stories of old underground crashes and a story one of the men investigated. Barnes meets another person investigating the crash and joins him for an exploration of the abandoned station. Will the men make it out alive? Except for an archives trip, this one was disappointing in regards to record utilization. Still it was an interesting little short story with some tense moments.

Book 190. Circle of Friends Cookbook: Dips and Spreads by Gooseberry Patch

Date Completed: 31 December 2021

Category: Hummingbird (Domestic Arts)

Rating: 3 stars

Review: An average collection of mostly dips with a few fondues thrown in. A couple of the dips probably lend themselves better to crostini or another small bread, but they are very much dip-like in texture. Some are savory; some are sweet. My recipe box already includes most of the ones I'd be likely to use.

I'm excited because I got a counter top oven for Christmas that will bake, roast, slow cook, rotisserie and broil. I baked an apple pie in it and it was very pretty coming out but a little slower than the oven. Today I bought a chicken to see how it does on rotisserie. Mostly its a new toy!

Meme time:

Describe yourself: The Woman in the Mirror
Describe how you feel: Bowled Over
Describe where you currently live: Orley Farm
Your favorite time of day: The Nine
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Where the Heart Takes You
Your favorite form of transportation: The Tombigbee River Steamboats
Your best friend is: The Bookstore Cat
You and your friends are: Brabbling Women
Describe your job: The Family Tree
What are you eating: Murphy's Slaw
What's the weather like: The Mist
You fear: The Devil's Cave
What is the best advice you have to give: Magnify His Name
Thought for the day: If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name
How you would like to die: Sleeping Murder
Your soul's present condition: Anchored in Jesus: Holding on to Truth in a Drifting World
What is life for you: The Sweet Flypaper of Life
What do you want from 2022? Rediscovering God in America

Runners-up:
Describe yourself: A Real Southern Cook or The Only Woman in the Room
Describe how you feel: Bathed in Prayer
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: A Dance in Donegal
Your favorite form of transportation: The Happy Camper
You and your friends are: Fishing for Trouble
Describe your job: Lila Lou's Little Library
What's the weather like: Snow
What is the best advice you have to give: Read It and Weep
Thought for the day: All the Devils Are Here
How you would like to die: Unnatural Causes
Your soul's present condition: Near to the Heart of God
What do you want from 2022? All that's Good

This is another meme someone introduced a few years ago.

Did you have guests during the holidays? Answer the questions with titles of books you read in 2021.

What would you call the event? A Plain & Simple Christmas
How did they find their way? Kitten and the Night Watchman
How did they know they'd arrived? Curiosity Thrilled the Cat
Any special activities? Bruno and the Carol Singers
Did your guests stay over? Darned If You Do
Were there servants to help? The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill
Was there turn down service? The Quilt
How were the guests greeted? The Robin's Greeting
Was dinner held for late comers? Pies and Prejudice
And dinner was? The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor
Afterward? Journeys Home

My 2022 thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337265

>119 thornton37814: good for you!

I did not read through my Bible in 2021, but am planning on doing so this year.

>135 fuzzi: That's great. I began a plan by a church in Colorado that's chronological. I'm using King James this year--just to savor the beauty of the language.

>136 thornton37814: I love the King James, it reads so easily.

When we got home from our vacation in August I could not find my reference Bible which I always take with me on trips. I cried. I'd had that Bible for years, full of notes, highlighting. All gone.

As I'd stashed a few 20s in a zippered pocket I don't expect anyone to return it. I hope someone eventually uses it.

I bought a softcover reading Bible from Church Bible Publishers and a softcover Ruckman Reference Bible for study. I went with softcover bindings as I just can't afford another leather cover Bible. I chose the Super Giant font and am enjoying not needing glasses to read it.

>137 fuzzi: I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your marked-up Bible. I know how much those notes can aid in your future studies.

>138 thornton37814: well, I know that if it's important that I'll get an inner prompting, but I had dates of prayers answered written in the front, stuff like that.

It's okay, it's all grass.

>139 fuzzi: A good attitude to take. Perhaps God will use your Bible to show someone else the way!

>140 thornton37814: that did occur to me, that someone needed it more than I did.

>141 fuzzi: Yes.