Berly Browses Books - 5

I'm ready for summer!! And books! (Picture I took at Oregon coast.)

Hi. I'm Kim and I've been on LT since 2008. Happily married for over 30 years, I'm a mom of 3, one of them married, and we all live in Oregon. I have an eclectic work history: nerve regeneration research at Boston Children's Hospital; advertising account exec; editor and writer (Milkweed Editions and Portland Parent Magazine); MN Timberwolves Community Relation Mgr and 501C3 Account Exec; accounting, client acquisition and website development for Clarus (a water cleaning company my Husband started here in Portland); Business and HR Mgr for a Montessori school and I am now a Dyslexia Tutor! Also, I am a third degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. And I am on two Advisory Councils for Literary Arts here in Portland. I read almost everything, although I lean towards Fiction.

So many choices!! What should I read?
Reading Now
L The End of Mr Y (K 511 pages) Scarlett Thomas
@ The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (B 385 pages/🎧 12.5 hours) by James McBride
@ Overcoming Dyslexia (B 596 pages) by Sally Shaywitz, MD

Ideas/Next...
@ The Friend Zone (🎧 9.5 hours) by Abby Jimenez
@ Night Watching (B 351 pages) by Tracy Sierra
@ The Library of Borrowed Hearts (B 347 pages) by Lucy Gilmore
L Everyone on the Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (DNF--Need to recheck out)
Lore Olympus (GN 384 pages) by Rachel Smythe
@ How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (B 239 pages) by Charles Yu
✔ The Body (B 452 pages) by Bill Bryson

Source
✔ = Off the shelf (not acquired this year)
L = Library
↩ = Reread
@ = Acquired this year
✗ = DNF
? = Need to get
IR = Indiespensable Readers
ER = LibraryThing Early Reviewer

Media
B = Printed Book
🎧 = Audio
K = Kindle
GN = Graphic Novel

Read in May ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
2024 Total ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
45. @ Just for the Summer (🎧 12 hours) by Abby Jiminez 5.0
44. @ Yours Truly (🎧 11.5 hours) by Abby Jimenez 4.0
43. @ Part of Your World (🎧 10 hours) by Abby Jimenez 4.5
42. @ Fugitive Telemetry (🎧 4.5 hours) by Martha Wells
41. @ Moranifesto ( 🎧 10.5 hours) by Caitlin Moran
40. @ My Favorite Terrible Thing (K 285 pages) by Madeleine Henry
39. @ The Wolves at the Door (B 252 pages) by Judith Pearson 4/6/24 RL Bookclub

Read in April ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
2024 Total ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
38. ✔ The Inmate (K 388 pages) by Freida McFadden 3.0
37. @ A Murder to Remember (🎧 10 hours) by Brynn Kelly 3.5
❤️ ✔ No Time To Spare (B 215 page) by Ursala K. LeGuin 4.5
❤️ L Inferno (🎧 17.25 hours) by Dan Brown 4.0
34. @ A Wizard of Earthsea (B 299 pages) by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.5
33. @ Hypnotized by Love (K 295 pages) by Sariah Wilson 3.0
32. @ Lovers at the Museum (K 25 pages) short story by Isabel Allende 3.0
31. @ The Murder House (🎧 11.5 hours) by James Patterson 3.5

Ratings
❤️ Favorite(s) of the month
Loved it! 5.0
Really Good 4.0
Good 3.0
Hmmmm 2.0
Don't Bother 1.0

Source
IR = Indiespensable Readers
LT = LibraryThing Early Reviewer
✔ = Off the shelf (not acquired this year)
L = Library
↩ = Reread
@ = Acquired this year
✗ = DNF
? = Need to get

Media
B = Printed Book
🎧 = Audio
K = Kindle
GN = Graphic Novel

Read in March ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
2024 Total ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
❤️ @ Just for the Summer (🎧 11.75 hours) by Abby Jimenez 5.0
30. @ The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz 4.0
29. L Another Man's Moccasins (🎧 9 hours) by Craig Johnson 3.0
❤️ L Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma (K 285 pages) by Claire Dederer 4.5
27. L Ghosts (🎧 10.25 hours) by Dolly Alderton 3.0
26. ✔ The Lost Journals of Sacajewea (B 249 pages) Debra Magpie Earling 2.75
25. @ The Promise You Made (🎧 7.5 hours) by AJ McDine 3.5
24. @ The Running Grave (🎧 34.25 hours) by Robert Gailbraith 3.5
23. L The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (B 298 pages) by Karina Yan Glaser 4.0

Read in February ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
2024 Total ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
22. @ Black Cake (B 401 pages) by Charmaine Wilkerson 3.75
21. ✔ One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (🎧 4.25 hours) by Alexander Solzhenitsyn 4.0
20. @ Dr. Anderson's Nanny (B 227 pages) by Amy Hahn 2.75
19. ✔ The Heart's Invisible Furies (B 580 pages) by John Boyne 3.8
❤️ ✔ Anne Frank:The Diary of a Young Girl (🎧 11 hours, Selma Blair) by Anne Frank 5.0
17. @ Moriarty: The silent Order (🎧 5 hours) by Charles Kindinger 4.0
16. ✔ Moriarty: The Devil's Game by Charles Kindinger 4.5
15. Last Night (K 319 pages) by Luanne Rice 3.5
14. @ Shutter (B 300 pages) by Ramona Emerson 3.5
❤️ @ The Measure (🎧 11 hours) by Nikki Erlick 4.5
❤️ @ Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting (K 352 pages) by Clare Pooley 4.5
11. @ The Bee Sting (K 658 pages) by Paul Murray 2.75
10. @ Stay Close (🎧 11 hours) by Harlan Coben 3.5

Read in January ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
2024 Total ?? pages / ?? 🎧 hours
9. L Chenneville (B 307 pages) by Juliette Jiles 4.0
❤️ @ Deaf Utopia (🎧 11 hours) by Nyle DiMarco 4.25
7. @ Cormoran Strike Series #6 The Ink Black Heart (🎧 33 hours) by Robert Galbraith 3.5
❤️ ✔ What To Say Next (B 293 pages) by Julie Buxbaum 5.0
5. @ Exit Strategy Murderbot #4 (🎧 4 hours) by Martha Wells - 4.0
4. ✔ Fight Night (B 100/251 pages) by Miriam Toews - DNF
❤️ @ Yellowface (🎧 8.5 hours) by R.F. Kuang 4.5
2. ✔ Tom Lake by (🎧 11.5 hours) Ann Patchett, read by Meryl Streep 4.0
1. ✔ Twelve Slays of Christmas (🎧 8.25 hours) by Jacqueline Frost 3.5

To motivate me to read off my shelves

For those interested, I found the Bingo Card here!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/354729, >100
1- Food or Cooking
✔ - Ugly Cover - Fight Night
3 - Only Title and Author On Cover - Here I Am - reading
4 - Featuring Twins
5 - Topic with Specific Knowledge
6 - Publication Year Ending in 23 (Trying for ROOT)
✔ 7 - Epistolary or Diary - Anne Frank
8 - "Big" or "Little" in Title
9 - LT Similar Library
✔ 10 - About Friendship - What to Say Next
11 - Three-Word Title
✔ 12 - Paper Based Item in Plot - Yellowface
13 - Read a CAT
14 - Short Story Collection - Everything Inside
15 - Person's Name in Title - Amy & Isabelle
16 - Set in a City
17 - Less Than 100 Copies on LT
18 - POC Author
✔ 19 - Author 65 or Older - No Time To Spare LeGuin
✔ 20 - Featuring Water - Tom Lake
21 - Warriors or Mercenaries - ?? The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull
22 - Reread a Favorite Book
✔ 23 - Written in Another Cultural Tradition - The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
✔ 24 - Set in Multiple Countries The Heart's Invisible Furies
✔ 25 - Current or Recent Bestseller - The Inmate

Berly's Best of 2023
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (Children's Book)
Demon Copperhead Barbara Kingsolver
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
Roadkill by Dennis E. Taylor
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
A Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris

I can't resist buying books!!
I seem to manage to read around 50% of my newbies, except in 2019 where I (ahem) added a few more books to my collection than normal. But I killed it in 2020 when I read almost 75% of my newbies and in 2022 I read 70%!!

2017 47/85
2018 45/88
2019 45/128
2020 78/103
2021 50/105
2022 54/77
2023 56/88

Let's see how I do this year...

2024 25/37 Read
✅ The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
✅ Yellowface by R.F. Huang
✅ Last Night by Luanne Rice *
✅ The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz *
✅ Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (From Hil) *
✅ Exit Strategy by Martha Wells *
✅ Cormoran Strike Series #6 The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
✅ Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco *
✅ Stay Close by Harlan Coben *
10. Not That Bad by Roxanne Gay (From BLBera) *
✅ Dr. Anderson's Nanny by Amy Hahn (From BLBera) *
✅ Wizard of Earthsea by Ursala LeGuin
✅ The Measure by Nikki Erlick
✅ Shutter by Ramona Emerson *
✅ Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley
✅ Hypnotized by Love by Sariah Wilson *
17. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth *
✅ Moriarty: The Devil's Game by Charles Kindinger *
✅ Moriarty: The Silent Order by Charles Kindinger *
20. World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil *
21. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu *
22. Heading North by Holly M. Wendt * (Thank you Stasia)
23. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (Thank you Rhonda) *
24. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
✅ Lovers at the Museum short story by Isabel Allende *
26. The Lies Among Us by Sarah Beth Durst *
✅ The Promise You Made by AJ McDine
✅ Cormoran Strike Series #7 The Running Grave by Robert Gailbraith
29. The Wolves at the Door by Judith L Pearson
30. The Devil's Element by Dan Egan *
31. Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, MD
✅ A Murder to Remember by Brynn Kelly *
✅ The Inmate by Freida McFadden *
✅ Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran *
✅ My Favorite Terrible Thing by Madeleine Henry *
36. Night Watching by Tracy Sierra *
✅ Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez *

✅ Read
* Free or gift

LT Reads
✅ Jan - The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff with Beth and Ellen
✅ Feb - Chenneville by Paulette Jiles with Beth and Ellen
✅ Feb - The Bee Sting by Paul Murray with Mark and Others
✅ Feb - The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne with Stasia
✅ March - The Lost Journals of Sacajewea Debra Magpie Earling with Beth and Ellen
March - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (Watch movie)
✅ April - Monster: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer with Ellen and Beth
June - The End of Mr Y Scarlett Thomas with Ellen and Beth
June - The Known World by Edward P Jones with Ellen, Bill (WeirdO), Judy, Katie, Jim (MagiciansNephew), Judy (ffortsa)
July - House on Endless Waters by Emunah Elon with Ellen and Beth
July - How Music Works by David Byrne with Stasia
August - Let Us Descend by Jasmyn Ward with Beth and Ellen

Literary Arts 23/24
January 25, 2024 -- David Grann Killers of the Flower Moon, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder
February 29, 2024 -- Charles Yu Interior Chinatown, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
April 18, 2024 -- Aimee Nezhukamatathil World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments and book of poetry Oceanic

RL Book Club #1 2024
✅ February Rules for Commuting by Iona Iverson
April The Wolves at the Door by Judith Pearson
June The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
August Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
October The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt

New RL Book Club #2 2024
June The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
July Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
August
September
October
November
December

And Honorable Mentions
The Physics of Everyday Things James Kakalios
No Two Persons Erica Bauermeister
Crying in H-Mart Michelle Zauner
Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Evil Eye Etaf Rum
James Percival Everett
Hello Beautiful Ann Napolitano
Spare Prince Harry
Go As A River Shelley Read
✅ Everything Inside Edwidge Danticat
✅ Tom Lake Ann Patchett

I am going to try and keep track of series I am currently enjoying here:

Series/Author/Next Book
A Royal Spyness Mystery // Rhys Bowen // #2 A Royal Pain
Bobiverse / Dennis E. Taylor / #5 not yet published
Bridgerton / Julia Quinn / #3 An Offer From A Gentleman
Commisario Brunetti by Donna Leon / read 1,2,4,8 next #3 The Anonymous Venetian
Cormoran Strike Series / Robert Galbraith / #8 ??
Elizabeth Cage / Jodi Taylor #4 ???
Finley O'Sullivan / Debra Webb #3 All the Little Truths
In Death Series / JD Robb / Naked in Death #1 (I have been reading out of order)
Kinsey Millhone Mystery Series / Sue Grafton / Read ABCDEFGQX / Next H
Kopp Series / Amy Stewart / #2 Lady Cop Makes Trouble
Mickey Bolitar / Harlen Coben / #4 not yet published
Murderbot Diaries / Martha Wells / #5 Fugitive Telemetry
Quantum Earth / Dennis E. Taylor / #3 ??
Sandham Murders / Viveca Sten / #11 not yet published
Sunshine Vicram / Darynda Jones / #4 ??
Sweep Series / Ilona Andrews / #6 not yet published
The Åre Murders / Viveca Sten / #2 Hidden in Shadows Dec '23
The Chronicles of St Mary's / Jodi Taylor / #7
The Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries / Jacqueline Frost / #2
The Time Police / Jodi Taylor #5 ???, Santa Grit 4.5
The Thursday Murder Club / Richard Osman / #3 The Bullet That Missed
Walt Longmire / Craig Johnson / Junkyard Dogs

Hubby signed me up for this (Thank you!!). Over the years I have received over 90 installments (some with two or three books), and I haven't read all the books yet. Not even close!

2024 Indispensable Reader Challenge
1. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne -- February with Stasia
2.

Possibilities??
Silas Marner by George Eliot (a classic with a new afterward)
Running the Rift by Naomi Benson (Stasia really liked it)
The Listeners by Leni Zumas
How Music Works by David Byrne
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
The New & Improved Romie Futch by Julia Elliott
A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

The complete list can be found here --

https://www.librarything.com/topic/336987#n7662792

You know, in case I need more ideas for books to read!

Total Read - 47
✅ 2023 - Demon Copperhead
2023 - Trust (Diaz)
2022 - The Netanyahus
* 2021 - The Night Watchman
✅ 2020 - The Nickel Boys
✅ 2019 - The Overstory
✅ 2018 - Less
✅ 2017 - Underground Railroad
* 2016 - The Sympathizer
✅ 2015 - All the Light We Cannot See
✅ 2014 - The Goldfinch
✅ 2013 - The Orphan Master's Son
✅ 2012 - NO AWARD - Swamplandia - Nominee
✅ 2011 - A Visit from the Goon Squad
✅ 2010 - Tinkers
✅ 2009 - Olive Kitterridge
✅ 2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
✅ 2007 - The Road
2006 - March
✅ 2005 - Gilead
2004 - The Known World
✅ 2003 - Middlesex
✅ 2002 - Empire Falls
✅ 2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
✅ 2000 - The Interpreter of Maladies
✅ 1999 - The Hours
1998 - American Pastoral
✅ 1997 - Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer
1996 - Independence Day
✅ 1995 - The Stone Diaries
✅ 1994 - The Shipping News
1993 - A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
✅ 1992 - A Thousand Acres
1991 - Rabbit at Rest
1990 - The Mambo Kings
✅ 1989 - Breathing Lessons
✅ 1988 - Beloved
✅ 1987 - A Summons to Memphis
✅ 1986 - Lonesome Dove
1985 - Foreign Affairs
1984 - Ironweed
✅ 1983 - The Color Purple
1982 - Rabbit is Rich
✅ 1981 - A Confederacy of Dunces
✅ 1980 - The Executioner's Song
1979 - The Stories of John Cheever
1978 - Elbow Room
✅ 1977 - NO AWARD
✅ 1976 - Humboldt's Gift
1975 - The Killer Angels
✅ 1974 - NO AWARD
1973 - The Optimist's Daughter
✅ 1972 - Angle of Repose
✅ 1971 - NO AWARD
1970 - The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford
1969 - House Made of Dawn
* 1968 - The Confessions of Nat Turner
1967 - The Fixer
1966 - The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter
1965 - The Keepers of the House
✅ 1964 - NO AWARD
1963 - The Reivers
1962 - The Edge of Sadness
✅ 1961 - To Kill a Mockingbird
1960 - Advise and Consent
1959 - The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
1958 - A Death in the Family
✅ 1957 - NO AWARD
1956 - Andersonville
1955 - A Fable
✅ 1954 - NO AWARD
✅ 1953 - The Old Man and the Sea
✅ 1952 - The Caine Mutiny
1951 - The Town
1950 - The Way West
1949 - Guard of Honor
✅ 1948 - Tales of the South Pacific
✅ 1947 - All the King's Men
✅ 1946 - NO AWARD
1945 - A Bell
1944 - Journey in the Dark
1943 - Dragon's Teeth
1942 - In This Our Life
✅ 1941 - NO AWARD
✅ 1940 - The Grapes of Wrath
1928 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey

* Have on hand
✅ Read

Please join us if you are interested in Reusing and Recycling. People are sharing brand and book suggestions and also keeping track of their efforts. Check it out!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339326

Below is my personal list of what I am doing and want to be doing. I plan to keep updating this as I make improvements in my lifestyle this year. Brands listed are my choices and more suggestions are listed in the above thread.

Things I was already doing
*Carry reusable shopping bags
*Reuse packaging and don't overwrap (I have a whole closet of boxes and packing material I recycle)
*Use recyclable paper and cardboard instead of styrofoam packing material
*Buy my veggies in cardboard crates instead of plastic containers whenever possible
*Use a home soda maker with reusable bottle
*Dishwasher detergent -- Planet
*Silicone and beeswax dish toppers/wraps
*Garbage Bags -- Seventh Generation
*Compost Collector under sink that goes into city Compost Bin
*Cloth Napkins
*Wider comfort range for heating and cooling house
*Motion detectors on lights to keep them off when not in use
*Keeping a reusable water bottle and cup in the car
*And a reusable utensil kit in my glove compartment
*And a reusable metal straw
*Phone Case -- Switched to compostable case by Pela
*Toilet Paper -- Who Gives A Crap (recycled) Grove (bamboo)
*Laundry Detergent sheets -- TruEarth
*Cloth "Paper" Towels -- Marley's Monsters
*Recycled Paper Towels -- Who Gives A Crap
*Sponges compostable -- If You Care
*Scrub Cloths cotton and cellulose -- Down to Earth Basics
*Blueland Toilet Bowl Cleaner--works great!! https://www.blueland.com/products/toilet-cleaner-starter-set

Next steps
*Transitioning from liquid soap, shower gels and shampoo to solid versions not packaged in plastic. This one may be a bit harder for me with my skin allergies, but I am going to try. I am using up what I have left and then I will try to make the switch.
*Toothpaste
*Composter -- outside
*Ridwell for recycling things

450 years for a plastic bottle to break down in the ocean
114* years since first plastic was invented
90 percent of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs
80 percent of plastic in the ocean originates on land
59* years since the first plastic bag was created
1 rubbish truck of plastics enters the ocean every minute
We typically use a plastic bag for less than 15 minutes
Most tampons have plastic in them
*(+5 years since publication)

How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum. Awesome book!! Read it!

So, on the job front, I have a new one!! I am now a part-time dyslexia tutor using the Barton Method. As some of you may know, my middle daughter Sarah has dyslexia, and seeing her enjoy reading now I am so excited to get the chance to help other children (and adults) learn how to read and write better.

I had my first student last week and I was super nervous but I think it went pretty well. He's 7 and super cute and smart. He is ADHD as well as dyslexic, so I have to throw in a few games to keep him going. Short-term memory issues and some sound confusion, but we made it through 6 lessons and 4 games last week! No letters yet, just sounds. I am calling it a win! : )

Also bought a cool timer (because he keeps asking how much time is left in our session) and I will see if he likes it next week. I can turn off the digital timer aspect.

Hey TwinK! Love the photo at the top. Happy new one. How are you doing?

Happy new thread Kim!

Happy new thread, Kim!!

Happiness is a new book.

Happy new thread, Kimmers and congratulations on the new job.

Happy new thread, Kim!

Happy new thread, Kim!

>13 Berly: I'm imagining the face changing expressions over the course of the hour. Going from alert to dull, going from drowsy to excited, whatever!

>10 Berly: Let me know when you decided to read How Music Works if you would like a shared read of that one. My local library has a copy.

>13 Berly: Congratulations on the new job! It sounds like one you will love - and I am sure your students will love you too.

Happy new thread!

Can't wait to catch up this week!

Happy new thread!

>14 BLBera: Glad you like my topper. It was from my weekend getaway with girlfriends last summer -- This year I think we are aiming for September. : )

>15 quondame: >16 curioussquared: Thank you and, as always, lovely to see you here!

>17 weird_O: And the latest new book is Night Watching by Tracy Sierra. My son bought it for me for Mother's Day!! Happiness. I must say it is off to a creepy start from page one. One of the blurbs on the back suggests this could be a thriller written by Stephen King and Dean Koontz...which kinda sets the tone. LOL

>18 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I have day #3 of tutoring today. And then I will have to record one of my next couple of sessions so that the instructors can watch it and give me pointers. No, that doesn't make me nervous at all!! : 0

>19 jessibud2: >20 atozgrl: Hello and welcome!!

>21 quondame: I think it just stays a smiley face, but those face changes might happen on my student! LOL

>22 alcottacre: I am up for that one. How about July? Is that too far out?

I hope my students will like me! I have a pretty good track record with kids, but you never know and I will be working on something that frustrates them, sooooo...Finger crossed. : )

>23 BLBera: Yes! Looking forward to it.

>24 foggidawn: Hi Foggie! Thanks for dropping in.

Also I spent yesterday planting all the flowers my kids got me for Mother's Day. I lost a lot of plants in the ice storm this winter. Most of the new ones will bloom later in the summer, but a few of my hardier plants that survived were already blooming. Here they are in closeup!! The white is a clematis and the red is a rhododendron.

>27 Berly: Nope, July is not too far out. I already have shared reads in December planned :)

>29 alcottacre: How Music Works is on my calendar!!!

Happy new thread, Kim. Lovely flowers!!

Happy New Thread, Kimmers. Love the flower pics. Wow!

New-thread orisons, smoochling. Read hearty, and keep up the good work with your tutoring. *smooch*

Happy new thread!

>13 Berly: I am glad that your session with your first student went well.

>28 Berly: What wonderful flowers!

Happy new thread :)

>28 Berly: Those would brighten up anyone's day, Kimmers. Thanks for sharing.

>5 Berly: I hadn't realised you were doing book bingo- I have loved that in the past, but usually get put off by random things like 'twins' or what have you.. I guess I am just too picky. OR, maybe I should make my own up??!?!

>13 Berly: cooool! Sounds fun, interesting, and rewarding :) I just resigned my voluntary job on the board of a charity. I was finding that I was resenting what little time I spent on it, and reckoned that 3 years is enough. I need something now (aside from my 2 paid jobs) that is rewarding!

>28 Berly: wow! Speachless!

Happy new thread, Kim!

>11 Berly: Kim, Many thanks for taking time to list the Pulitzer Prize winning books.

>28 Berly: Gorgeous.

>28 Berly: - Flowers sure have a way of delivering joy, don't they? Beautiful!

That thread topper makes me want to go to the beach right now! I will probably make it to the Gulf Coast later this summer when I go to visit my cousin's wife.

Happy new thread, Kim - I love the sea and your topper!
I'm glad you're feeling comfortable in your new job, I like the timer.
Your flower pictures are great!

>31 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! Thank you.

>32 msf59: Hey Mark. Glad you like the flower pics. : )

>33 richardderus: Ricardo! Smooches my friend.

>34 drneutron: Hi Doc!

>35 figsfromthistle: Anita--my first student is a total charmer. He's quite good at math; we just have to get him caught up on reading now. ; )

>36 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul--I am glad the flower pics had the intended effect on you. They certainly brighten my day!

>37 LovingLit: Megan--Yeah, I keep thinking the Bingo Card will help me read off my shelves, but as you can see, I am not making much progress. Some of the topics just don't fit. Maybe we should both make our own!

Definitely not fun to keep volunteering if it is not rewarding, although how you even find time with two paid jobs...! Hope you find the right mix on your next endeavor. You deserve it.

>38 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda!!

>39 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. Thanks. See you in two weeks or so!

>40 Whisper1: Linda--You are welcome for the Pulitzer list. Now I just have to keep chipping away at it. I think I have already read one this year, but that doesn't catch me up. LOL. Gotta read at least two!

>41 BLBera: Thanks, Twin. : )

>42 jessibud2: Shelley--My garden isn't very big, so I can keep up with it and I find it so therapeutic to see my weeding progress, sit outside in the evening with a glass of wine, or cut some flowers and enjoy them inside. And as a photographer, I love taking texture shots and the flowers usually cooperate. ; )

>43 thornton37814: Hi Lori--I certainly hope you get a coastal visit in. I love that the beach is only an hour or so away. Granted, the water here is not exactly wam, but I still love the sounds of the waves and the feel of the sand under my feet. And there is usually a gentle breeze here. Lovely.

>44 SirThomas: Sir Thomas--See? This is why we are friends!! Thanks for the enthusiasim. : )

Happy new thread, Kim!

>28 Berly: Love the white clematis.

>49 Berly: I'm more excited by the sounds of the ocean too. However, I just like to see it too! I'm perfectly okay with visiting beaches in off seasons.

>1 Berly: Ooh, lovely. I'm planning on being in Seattle at the end of August; save some nice weather for me!

Happy new thread Kim! Yay for your first student. It sounds like your new job is off to a good start. (Doesn't your husband miss you at your old (old) job?)

>28 Berly: Lovely flowers.

Dropping off some spare smooches, Berly-boo, to keep in your "people out in the world love me" drawer.

>48 Berly: I love your flower pictures, thanks for sharing! My DH loves to play with his camera, and he likes to play around with taking shots of our flowers as well. They make for a good subject, testing out camera settings and such.

Gorgeous colours with your flowers! I'm glad your new job as a tutor for kids with dyslexia is going so well.

Hi Kim, sorry to read about your mom. Nice to see that you are enjoying time with your first student. Great flowers and happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Kim; I hope you're doing well overall.
>28 Berly: Ahh, so pretty!

Happy new thread!

It sounds like you are doing well, Kim. I'm eager to hear more about your dyslexic tutoring job. It sounds like a great fit, both challenging and rewarding. Win-Win!

>1 Berly: Gorgeous picture!
>2 Berly: Somehow I haven't noted all your coded icons before. Fun! Sadly, I am not capable of that level of detail. I tried one year and got even more bogged down than usual.
>13 Berly: Congrats on the new job! I hope it continues to go well.

Hi Kim! looking forward to seeing you next weekend. Glad that you are enjoying the new job!

As I predicted your new job is something completely different and very Kim! Glad it’s going well. Looking forward to the meetup on Saturday.

Just stopping by to say hello. I hope you continue to enjoy your tutoring!