Puddle-Jump a Little Higher

Hello, All. I’m Mamie. I’m an Indiana transplant living in Georgia where I hate the heat but never tire of looking out on the grove of pecan trees that is full of gorgeous. I love wine and snark and reading and twinkle lights. Just like the Mary Oliver poem, I believe in kindness. And mischief. I’m looking forward to seeing where this year takes me and hoping to read mostly from my own shelves. And my daughter Birdy’s.

“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards, our dwellings shape us.” - Winston Churchill

Isn’t this so true? Whether we are talking about a brick and mortar building or books or music or memories, where we chose to dwell shapes who we are. Here’s where I’ll be hanging out this year:

Nero Wolfe’s brownstone - Books from Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series
Howl’s Moving Castle - The Manga Project - Manga from Birdy’s library
Howard’s End - The 1001 Books List
Bag End - Translations
Slough House - Audiobooks
Monk’s House - Virginia Woolf
Rowan House - William Faulkner
Barnhill - My Orwell Obsession
Corgi Cottage - Gardens
HMS Terror - Baby, It’s Cold Outside - cold reads
Pemberley - Everything Else
Rosebud Hotel - TV Land - my streaming life

Nero Wolfe’s Brownstone - Books from Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series

I am devastated by our recent loss of Julia (rosalita). Although I had never met her in person, she was a good friend of mine here - she was funny and irreverent and so incredibly quick and clever. And kind. I first got to know her on the May Murder and Mayhem thread hosted by Mark in 2012 over in the 75ers group. When someone posted that they were reading a Nero Wolfe mystery, Julia responded, “Oh, it does my mystery-loving heart good to see another reader get caught up in the Nero Wolfe series! These are the books I have re-read more than any others, and this is the world I would choose to be transported to if I could choose any fictional setting to live in.” In memory of Julia, and to celebrate her love for Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, I plan on starting at the beginning and making my way through the complete series. It’s a big series, so I will not complete the project this year.

1. Fer-de-Lance - Kindle, mine
2. The League of Frightened Men - Kindle, mine
3. The Rubber Band by Rex Stout - Kindle, mine


Up next: The Red Box

Studio Ghibli

Howl’s Moving Castle - I love both the movie and the book, and so do all of my kids, so this is a fitting place to house The Manga Project

The Manga Project (will also include GNs and anime) - I started this last year with my youngest daughter Birdy (she’s 25), and we had so much fun that we decided to continue it this year. When I came up with the idea what I wanted to know was what in particular she loved about manga. So, she chose a favorite manga each month to share with me and, after I had read it, we would share our thoughts and discuss why it was a favorite. For many of them, I ended up continuing on in the series, and if there was an anime available for it we would watch it together. A very fun project, and my other daughters ended up chiming in with their thoughts and whether or not they liked it and why.

1. The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 1 by Natsu Hyuuga, art by Nekokurage, translation by Julie Goniwich - I have currently read the first four volumes and plan on continuing
2. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 1 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell
3. Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 1 by Yuumikan, Jirou Oimoto (Artist), Koin (Artist), translated by Andrew Cunningham
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Howard's End

1001 Books List - I love me a list, and I just started actively chipping away at this one a few years ago. Last year I managed to get to 13 of these, but that was a bit of a fluke as some of what I read just happened to also be on this list. Looking forward to seeing what I get up to this year.

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway - hardback, gift from Birdy
2. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, narrated by Frank Müller, translated by H. T. Willetts - audiobook, borrowed

Possibilities:
Moby Dick - my daughter Abby wants to read this one, and I want to reread it, so we are going to read this together hopefully in either January or February. Last year we watched In the Heart of the Sea, which is the true story that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick, and we both loved it.

For Whom the Bell Tolls - I’m currently reading this one which was gifted to me by Birdy for Christmas.

Where Angels Fear to Tread - got this for Christmas from Abby

The Woman in White - been wanting to get to this one for ages

Bag End - home to a certain famous hobbit. This is the perfect home for my reads in translation as Tolkien’s books have been translated into so many different languages and even contain a language of their very own.

Translations:

1.- 4. The Apothecary Diaries, Volumes 1-4 by Natsu Hyuuga, art by Nekokurage, translation by Julie Goniwich
5. - 6. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku Omnibus Volumes 5-6 by Fujita, translation by Sawa Matsueda Savage
7. Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason, translated by Bernard Scudder, narrated by George Guidall - audiobook, mine
8. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 1 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's
9. A Man and His Cat 01 by Umi Sakurai, translated by Square Enix Co. Ltd - paperback, mine
10. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, narrated by Frank Müller, translated by H. T. Willetts
11. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 2 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's
12. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 3 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's

Slough House - I absolutely love the Slow Horses books on audio, narrated by the talented Gerard Doyle, who is one of my very favorite narrators. I can also recommend the tv series that is available on Apple TV - love Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb!

Audiobooks:

1. The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 1) - reread
2. The Signalman by Charles Dickens, narrated by Sam Mendes
3. I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 2) - reread
4. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie, narrated by Hugh Fraser
5. In the Morning, I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinley, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 3) - reread
6. Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason, translated by Bernard Scudder, narrated by George Guidall
7. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, narrated by Frank Müller, translated by H. T. Willetts
8. Gun Street Girl by Adrain McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 4) - reread
9. Julia: A Novel by Sandra Newman, narrated by Louise Brealey (this is a telling of Nineteen Eighty-Four from Julia'a perspective)

... ..

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Indira Varma, Peter Serafinowicz, and Bill Nighy
Rain Dogs by Adrain McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle - on deck

The garden entrance to Virginia Woolf's bedroom at Monk's House, East Sussex Copyright: ©National Trust Images/Caroline Arber

Last year I read several books by and about Virginia Woolf, and I would like to continue that journey. A long range project is reading through her diaries and letters. I would also like to continue making my way through her novels - I’m currently reading The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway, which was a birthday gift from Birdy - it’s GORGEOUS. I have read Mrs. Dalloway before, but the annotations are making it such a lovely way to revisit it. This category will also include books about Virginia Woolf and/or the Bloomsbury Group.

Virginia Woolf:

1. The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway by Merve Emre - 5 stars, hardback, mine
2. The Bloomsbury Group by Frances Spalding

...

The Diary of Virginia Woolf, Vol. 1: 1915-1919 by Virginia Woolf - currently reading

Rowan Oak, home of William Faulkner in Oxford, Mississippi - Atlas Obscura

For the past two years, I have been slowly making my way through Faulkner’s canon. I read him many years ago and really hated As I Lay Dying and later read Light in August, which I could appreciate but did not love. Two years ago I decided to try one more time and fell in love with Absalom, Absalom, which I listened to on audio (narrated by Grover Gardner) while following along in print. This was the perfect combination for me, and I then read The Sound and the Fury (also narrated by Gardner) and The Hamlet (narrated by Joe Barrett). Last year I listened to The Town and The Mansion (both again narrated by Barrett), finishing up the Snopes Trilogy. This year I hope to get to Go Down, Moses and Selected Short Stories. I will also include books about Faulkner in this category.

William Faulkner:

1. The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War by Michael Gorra

...

Flags in the Dust by William Faulkner - currently reading

Barnhill House, on the Scottish Isle of Jura, photograph by Ronnie Leask.

This is where Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four. I have a slight Orwell Obsession *blinks* Okay, maybe more than slight. This is where all things Orwell will go. I am currently reading George Orwell and Russia by Masha Karp.

My Orwell Obsession:
1. George Orwell and Russia by Masha Karp - 5 stars, Kindle, mine
2. Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder - 4 stars, Kindle, mine
3. Julia: A Novel by Sandra Newman, narrated by Louise Brealey (this is a telling of Nineteen Eighty-Four from Julia'a perspective)

Corgi Cottage - home of children’s book author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. Photo by Richard Brown

Although I do not garden myself, I have a fascination with other people’s gardens which began back in elementary school when I read The Secret Garden for the very first time. The illustrations in the edition that I read were done by Tasha Tudor. I fell in love with the book and with the idea of a garden secreted away - lovingly created and cherished, then shut away and neglected, and then slowly reborn. Gardens reflect their owners, and their different personalities and uses are like a kind of magic. This category is for books where the garden takes center stage.

Gardens:

1. Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell - hardback, gift from my daughter Abby
2. Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin, photographs by Richard W. Brown - hardback, mine

The HMS Terror. Screengrab/AMC

I have a thing for Cold Reads - anything set in a very cold climate will do, but I have a penchant for failed arctic exploration. I know, I know…I blame it on Georgia - I am an Indiana transplant and after more than ten years, I still have not adjusted to the lack of snow. Or winter. Or cold weather the lasts for more than two weeks. This category is for my cold reading.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside:

1. Ice by Anna Kavan - hardback, mine

...

The Frozen Ship: The Histories and Tales of Polar Exploration by Sarah Moss - currently reading

Pemberley aka Chatsworth House - Photo by Live for the Hills Tours Ltd.

Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favorite book, and I return to it over and over again in any format. I love the audiobook narrated by Juliette Stevenson, but the one narrated by Rosamund Pike is my new favorite and simply divine. On film, I love the BBC production featuring the swoon-worthy Colin Firth, but my personal favorite is the 2005 version feating Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. To house my overflowing treasure, what could be better than Pemberley?

Everything Else:

1. The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-U - Kindle, mine
2. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson - Kindle, mine
3. ExtraOrdinary by V. E. Schwab - Hardback, Abby's
4. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 2 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's

The Rosebud Hotel from Schitt's Creek (LOVE this show!!) - This is where all the tv shows, movies, and documentaries that entertain me this year will stay. I love to think of Vera staying next door to Wednesday Addams.

My Streaming Life:

1. Revealing Mr. Maugham (2012) directed by Michael House - documentary on the life and work of W. Somerset Maugham (Amazon Prime)
2. A Stitch in Time (2018) 6 episodes - “Fashion historian Amber Butchart fuses biography, art and the history of fashion as she explores the lives of historical figures by examining the clothes that they wore.” (Acorn TV)
3. New Tricks, Season 1-2 (2004-2005) - police procedural recommended by Carrie (Brit Box)
4. The Brokenwood Mysteries, Seasons 1-9 (2015-2023) - police procedural (Acorn TV)
5. Wednesday, Season 1 (2022) - comedy horror (Netflix)
6. Vera, Seasons 1-12 (2011-2023) - police procedural (Brit Box)
7. Northern Exposure, Season 1 (1990) - (Amazon Prime)

January at a Glance:

1. The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-U - Kindle, mine
2. The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 1 by Natsu Hyuuga, art by Nekokurage, translation by Julie Goniwich - paperback, Birdy's
3. The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 2 by Natsu Hyuuga, art by Nekokurage, translation by Julie Goniwich - paperback, Birdy's
4. The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 3 by Natsu Hyuuga, art by Nekokurage, translation by Julie Goniwich - paperback, Birdy's
5. The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 4 by Natsu Hyuuga, art by Nekokurage, translation by Julie Goniwich - paperback, Birdy's
6. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku 5 by Fujita, translation by Sawa Matsueda Savage - paperback, Birdy's
7. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku 6 by Fujita, translation by Sawa Matsueda Savage - paperback, Birdy's
8. The Signalman by Charles Dickens, narrated by Sam Mendes - borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog
9. The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 1) - reread - audiobook, mine
10. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway - hardback, mine
11. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe, book 1) - reread - Kindle, mine
12. Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell - hardback, mine
13. I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 2) - reread - audiobook, mine
14. George Orwell and Russia by Masha Karp - Kindle, mine
15. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie, narrated by Hugh Fraser - audiobook, mine
16. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson - Kindle, mine
17. In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 3) - reread - audiobook, mine
18. Ice by Anna Kavan - hardback, mine
19. Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason, translated by Bernard Scudder, narrated by George Guidall - audiobook, mine
20. The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway by Merve Emre - 5 stars, hardback, mine

February at a Glance:

1. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 1 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's
2. A Man and His Cat Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai, translated by Square Enix Co. Ltd - paperback, mine
3. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, narrated by Frank Müller, translated by H. T. Willetts - audiobook, Audible Plus Catalog
4. Gun Street Girl by Adrain McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 4) - reread - audiobook, mine
5. ExtraOrdinary by V. E. Schwab - hardback, Abby's
6. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 2 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's
7. The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War by Michael Gorra - Kindle, mine
8. Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin, photographs by Richard W. Brown - hardback, mine
9. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 3 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell - paperback, Birdy's
10. The Bloomsbury Group by Frances Spalding - hardback, mine
11. The Rubber Band by Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe, book 2) - Kindle, mine

March at a Glance:

1. Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., Vol. 1 by Yuumikan, Jirou Oimoto (Artist), Koin (Artist), translated by Andrew Cunningham
2. Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
3. The Rubber Band by Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe, book 3)

April at a Glance:

1. City of Falling Angels by John Brent - nonfiction, Kindle, mine

May at a Glance:

1. Julia: A Novel by Sandra Newman, narrated by Louise Brealey (this is a telling of Nineteen Eighty-Four from Julia'a perspective). -audiobook, mine

Hi Mamie, great to see you here. I, too, miss Julia and remember when I first read Rex Stout and she warned me off of having a book crush on Archie - he was all hers!

I hope you and your family are doing well. I have placed a star and look forward to following along.

Good luck with your 2024 reading. Great photos of literary locations.
>9 Crazymamie: I am currently reading George Orwell for the first time. I read 1984 (which I had read in high school in 1984 as an assignment) in December and enjoyed the re-read more than expected. This month I am reading Animal Farm. I have an omnibus of his novels.

>16 DeltaQueen50: Hello, Judy! I am amazed at how quickly you found me.

I am still trying to wrap my head around Julia being gone. I had been lurking on her newest thread, and I wish so much that I had delurked and told her how much I was loving her sharing the links to articles again. She always found the most interesting stuff. And yes, she warned me off of Archie Goodwin, too. *smile*

So far, so good with 2024. 2023 was truly awful, and I was glad to see the back end of it. Thanks so much for the star - I shall try to be worthy. I have been following your thread but had not delurked to say so - I was trying to decide if I was even going to have a thread this year since I keep falling off of them. Heh.

*edited to fix the post reference

>17 lowelibrary: Hello, April, and welcome. Thank you for your kind words and good wishes. I love that you are reading Orwell! I just revisited Nineteen Eighty-Four in graphic novel format last year, and I thought it was really well done. I recently picked up Julia: A Retelling of George Orwell's 1984, and I am hoping to get to it soonish.

Animal Farm is brilliant. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

Mamie! Lovely to see you. Is this your main thread this year?
Hoping 2024 is bigger, better and more chocolately than 2023.

>20 Helenliz: Hello, Helen! It's lovely to be here. Yes, this is my only thread this year, actually. Thought I would just try to quietly sneak in. I love your good wishes for 2024 - thanks so much for that.

>21 Crazymamie: 'sOK, you sneak in, we haven't seen you. >;-)

>22 Helenliz: You made me laugh!

Mamie!!!! It's fabulous to see you!

I've just seen the news about Julia and I am also very sad. I took part in her Dick Francis year of reading a few years back and she organised it so well and was so kind.

I like your categories, and will be following along.

I love your categories, especially the one dedicated to Julia. I went through her catalogue and picked 12 of her most-highly rated books to read this year, one per month. I love how several of us are finding a way to remember her.

WIshing you only good things for the new year, Mamie!

Hello, Susan, and thank you! I am SO happy you have a thread this year - you have been missed.

I also participated in that Dick Francis read. She was always a font of information with interesting insights to share, and yes, you are right that she was so very kind. I am going to miss her so much; it was just so sudden that it still feels a bit unreal. I knew I could always count on her for shenanigans. And snark.

So glad you like my categories and that you will be following along.

>25 katiekrug: Hello, Katie! I read about the tributes that you and Amber and the ROOTs group are doing, and I wanted to find a way to honor her, too. Since we first got acquainted over Archie Goodwin, it seemed like the perfect fit. I plan to share her reviews along the way as they were full of fabulous.

Thank you so much for those good wishes - means so much to me.

Welcome back to the Category Challenge, Mamie! I'm sorry to hear 2023 was bad, and I wish you a much better 2024.

Welcome back, Mamie. It's good to see you here and I love your theme! All my best wishes that 2024 will be a good year for you.

>28 NinieB: Thank you, Ninie, for your kind words and good wishes.

>29 MissWatson: Thanks, Birgit. So happy you love my theme. The good wishes are much appreciated.

I finished the first book in the Nero Wolfe series this morning, and noticed in my records that I had actually read it before back in 2013 but on audio. I do not recall who narrated the audiobook. Parts of the plot were familiar, but I had forgotten large parts of the story, so it was good to revisit it. I do remember that Julia said not to start with this one. Here is her review from her 2018 reread of it:

"This book is Exhibit A in the argument for not always starting to read a series with the first book. And yes, I usually do start with the first book when I can, and sometimes it's absolutely essential in order to fully appreciate how the characters evolve. But Stout's Nero Wolfe series of mysteries, which were written over a span of time between 1938 and 1975, are most certainly the exception that proves the rule.

That's due in large part to the way Stout structures the books. While the setting of each book reflects the time period in which it was written, the characters themselves — enormously sedentary detecting genius Nero Wolfe; his handsome, wisecracking, athletic assistant Archie Goodwin (swoon); live-in gourmet French chef Fritz; police nemeses Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins; newspaperman Lon Cohen — never change. They remain the same ages and personalities from the first book to the last, with only minor exceptions. Wolfe is forever in his mid 50s, Archie is forever 32-ish, and so on.

It might sound odd to think of characters never aging even as they operate in a New York City and an American culture that changes drastically, but somehow Stout makes it work. And it has the advantage of avoiding the absurdity of Robert B. Parker's detective Spenser, who in the early 1970s is a Korean War vet and ages at a normal pace through the series, yet is still somehow kicking ass and taking names in the 21st century, well past the age he should be worrying bout breaking a hip during one of his inevitable fisticuffs.

While it's true that Stout's characters remain the same age, that's not to say that they sprang fully formed from the beginning, and that brings us around to why you shouldn't start this series with this book, the first. It took maybe 3 or 4 full-length novels before Stout had fully found Archie's and Nero's voices. Having read the later masterpieces like If Death Ever Slept, a discerning reader will find the dialogue a bit stilted in this maiden effort without the characteristic sparkle and sass that would develop in Archie's first-person narration once Stout hit his stride.

The mystery, though, is still first-rate, involving a snake, a golf club, and an airplane — to say more would be to say too much. Just do me and yourself a favor and don't read it until you've already fallen in love with Wolfe's World. Hands off Archie, though; I saw him first."

>31 Crazymamie: - Sigh. I'm so going to miss Julia's wonderful reviews!

Happy Friday, Mamie. I hope there is some Mexican takeout in your future ;-)

>32 katiekrug: Right?! She had a gift with words, and her insights were so interesting and helpful. And funny.

Happy Fridaying to you! Definitely doing the Mexican takeaway today, and I cannot wait. They were closed all last week because they were replacing their flooring, so we didn't get our Friday fix last time. *sob*

Sounds like you should order two lunches to make up for it. *grin*

Good luck with your 2024 reading. Your theme and pics are very interesting!

>34 katiekrug: I like how you think, Katie!

>35 Tess_W: Tess, thanks for that!

Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell

This book was a gift last year from my daughter Abby, and it was simply delightful. The Secret Garden is one of my favorite books from my childhood, and I remember checking it out from the library in elementary school - a lovely hardback with illustrations by Tasha Tudor. It is a story that still speaks to me, and it was wonderful to slip into the world of Frances Hodgson Burnett and read about her own gardening adventures. What a full and colorful life she led! The book includes loads of photographs and illustrations and reprints of a few of her essays, including the very last essay that she wrote on her love of gardening. In the back there is a detailed list of the flowers that she grew in her gardens. Highly recommended if you enjoy this sort of thing.

I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 2) - reread

I love the Sean Duffy books and this year I am revisiting them back to back before listening to the latest offering in the series - The Detective Up Late. Gerard Doyle narrates these perfectly, and I love the wit and the humor and the humanity that this series offers up to its readers. The books just keep getting better and better as the series builds, and I dare you not to fall in love with the flawed but charming and intrepid protagonist. One of my favorite series EVER.

>38 Crazymamie: - Couldn't agree more!

I revisited the first five last year, this time in audio, and then finally got to #6, which I had on my Kindle, but I ended up listening to it because Doyle is So Good. There's a bit of a wait for the audio of #7 at the library, but I should get it in the next couple of months...

>39 katiekrug: I have them in paperback, but I can't NOT listen to them on audio - a perfect combination of story and narrator. And, as a huge Tom Waits fan, I love that the titles all come from his songs.

Hoping that #7 doesn't take too long to come in for you, Katie. I really thought there were only going to be six books, so I was surprised when he continued with the series. The sixth book was perfect, IMO, so I am interested (and slightly nervous) to see where he goes from there.

I agree that #6 was excellent. I think I saw on Twitter that his publisher contracted for 2 or 3 more, after 7... *grin*

I could see a natural end to the series with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

>41 katiekrug: That is very happy-making. And an excellent thought about a natural ending to the series.

>37 Crazymamie: - This sounds like a perfect gift for my sister-in-law for Christmas next year. Maybe I'll buy it now and read it before I give it to her. ha..ha! BB for sure.

>38 Crazymamie: Fine, fine, you got me -- adding The Cold Cold Ground to my TBR list!

>37 Crazymamie: and 38 both sound good, and somehow I haven't come across either of them before. My TBR list grows yet more...

>43 dudes22: That sounds like an excellent plan, Betty! I like how you think.

>44 christina_reads: *happy dance* Hoping you love it when you get to it, Christina.

>45 antqueen: Hooray! I love how LT is constantly expanding our libraries - so fun.

>46 Crazymamie: - I not only bought one for her, I ended up buying one for me too.

>47 dudes22: How wonderful!

George Orwell and Russia by Masha Karp

As I confessed in an earlier post, I have an Orwell obsession, and so I was excited to find this book written from a Russian perspective - Karp is a political journalist who has studied Orwell in depth and developed some of her own theories on his thinking and his evolving political beliefs over the course of his lifetime. I thought this was brilliant and well-researched and very interesting. Going in, I had expected to mostly come across things that I was already familiar with, but she presents a lot of new (to me) information, and she does it in an engaging way. I loved reading about the earliest translations of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four into Russian. Orwell actually helped to finance getting Animal Farm translated and distributed in Russia, and it was not known until long after his death that the original translation had been censored - Moses, the Raven (who represents the Russian Orthodox Church) is mostly missing.

Another thing I loved about this book was its organization. There is a bibliography at the end of each chapter, making it so easy and less overwhelming to read through all of her sources and citations. Karp covers not just Orwell's lifetime but the current state of affairs in Russia right up to the book's publication in 2023, so yes, the situation in Ukraine is in there.

My first 5 star read of the year, so highly recommended.

After the Funeral by Agatha Christie, narrated by Hugh Fraser

My daughter Birdy and I are reading through Agatha Christie's canon together in no particular order except that we started with my personal favorite of her detectives - Hercule Poirot. We began this journey several years ago, and just dip into them as time and mood permits. Originally we were taking turns reading them aloud to each other, but we ended up with a lot of, "Mon dieu, something in French" for Poirot's dialogue so decided to switch to the audiobooks. Heh. We especially love the ones narrated by David Suchet, but we have run out of those, so we have moved onto Hugh Fraser as narrator. This one was fun and different from the previous Poirot books we have read together in that it didn't start from his point of view. He is actually missing for most of the first half. Now we just need to track down the tv version - we always watch any adaptations after we finish the book. Not sure what's up next but we might try one of the Richard Armitage narrations since these are currently available in the Audible Plus catalogue and we can borrow them for free.

Hi, Mamie!

>50 Crazymamie: I've been working on Christie's bibliography for years off and on, and I've pretty much loved every single entry so far.

>51 scaifea: Hello, Amber! Me, too! My oldest sister is a huge fan and she gave me one of the books for Christmas one year when I was young - Mrs. McGinty's Dead, and I loved it and started reading everything I could get my hands on. Sister (who is 15 years older than myself) lived across the street from my parents, and so I used to borrow the books from her. Read most of them, probably, but that was years ago, so now Birdy and I are having fun adventures making our way through them.

>49 Crazymamie: Hooray for a 5-star read so early, Mamie! That one does sound good. There's no sign of it at the library, but I'll keep a lookout for it. And maybe read some more Orwell.

>49 Crazymamie: - That sounds excellent. I still have a lot more Orwell to read...

>54 katiekrug: I just kind of stumbled across it while looking around on Amazon, so you might have heard me squealing rejoicing in a dignified manner as I purchased it. And yes, please, to reading more Orwell.

>50 Crazymamie: After the Funeral is one of my favourite Christie reads even if Poirot isn’t in the first half.
I started reading my mother’s Agatha Christie books when I was about 11 years old so I have been reading and rereading them for more than 50 years.

>49 Crazymamie: I love all things Orwellian, also. Got to get this one!

>56 Zozette: It is a very fun entry - I didn't mind Poirot not being present in the first half; it's very well done.

I was trying to remember what age I was when I read my first one, and I think I must have been about the same age as you. I know it was before I became an auntie, and that was age 12, so...

>57 Tess_W: Tess, I thought it was you who shared a love of Orwell! I remember our conversation from a few years ago, and was going to look it up to see if I was remembering correctly. You have saved me the effort. I will be interested in your thoughts when you get to it.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This was fun. It's definitely YA, so our amateur detective makes some stupid mistakes, but that is to be expected. I loved the lists and text screenshots and charts that she assembles (and the murder board!) as she is trying to solve a cold case for a high school project. This reminded me a bit of Veronica Mars, but our heroine is not nearly as clever or as winsome. Still, it's very twisty and makes you keep turning the pages, and has just one major flaw - there was absolutely no reason to kill the dog. I'm still mad about that. Recommended for what it is and be ready to roll your eyes in a few places, but it's a fun ride nonetheless.

In the Morning I'll be Gone by Adrian McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 3) - reread

The third entry in the Sean Duffy series, and I am really enjoying devouring these back to back on my rereading journey. These books always make me go down a rabbit hole with all of the music mentioned and talked about. This time, two key pieces of music were Led Zeppelin's No Quarter from the album Houses of the Holy and Leonard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel # 2 from the album New Skin for the Old Ceremony. Here's a youtube link to that second song: Chelsea Hotel # 2

And here is the puzzle we are currently working on while listening to audiobooks:


Not my photo

Mischief, Mayhem, and Mercy birdwatching

It's gross here today - 95% humidity and going to 72F (22C). At least it's overcast and kind of gloomy looking outside, which I love. Nothing much on the agenda today - laundry, vacuuming, some light cleaning...Mexican takeaway for lunch, so YUM.

Yesterday I finished up two books, so I started The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War on Kindle and I am ready for the fourth Sean Duffy on audio - Gun Street Girl. Heres what I currently have on the go:

...

In my streaming life, Abby and I are rewatching our way through Wednesday on Netflix, Birdy and I are rewatching The Broken wood Mysteries, and Rae and I are rewatching Vera, so...a lot of revisiting old friends. Comfort food.

>59 Crazymamie: Ope, I've had that one on my To Read list for a while now, but I'm striking it now because of your spoiler. Just, NOPE. So thanks so much for that, and I'm *so* glad my curiosity won out and I clicked the tag!

Glad to see you back this year! Fabulous categories and images! George Orwell, Slough House, Adrian McKinty are all at the top of my favourites list. I always claim to have read and re-read all Agatha Christie's books but now and then I come across a short story collection that is unfamiliar.

>62 scaifea: Amber, totally get that. The dog is not intentionally murdered, but dies as a direct result of the killer's actions. Offstage, but still it was just senseless to me, and I am still angry about it.

>63 VivienneR: Thank you, Vivienne! We share some great favorites. I think I have read and reread most of the Agatha Christie books, but not all of them. And it's been so long ago that I have forgotten more than I have remembered for the ones I have read, except for a few favorites that I have visited again in the intervening years. It's been really fun rediscovering them with my youngest daughter Birdy (who is 25).

>60 Crazymamie:

Lovely puzzle. I also do puzzles while I listen to audiobooks but I only do up to 1000 piece puzzles.

>65 Zozette: Thanks. We usually stick to 1,000 piece ones, too, but we have recently purchased a few puzzles that we really wanted to do but that only came in 2,000 piece versions.

>61 Crazymamie: The cats are very intent on those birds.

I like to revisit an Agatha Christie book from time to time.

>67 hailelib: Indeed, Tricia - they can sit for hours and watch those birds.

There is something so enduring about Christie, isn't there?

Ice by Anna Kavan

Last year when Book Depository was ending (sob!), I purchased several of these Little Clothbound Penguins. The covers are full of gorgeous, and I love that Coralie Bickford-Smith, who designs the covers, reads each one before creating the cover. I collect the original Clothbound Classics and was delighted when they came out with these smaller versions that package shorter novels and novellas and short stories in the sumptuous covers usually reserved for the bigger classics. These are a feast for the eyes and a delight to hold.

I didn't know anything about Ice before opening its cover and diving it. It is surreal - like an arctic fever dream and yet also has a sort of spy story feel to it. The writing style reminded me of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. The storyline seems to weave back upon itself, and the same scenario keeps repeating but with differing evolutions. The world is a dystopian one where ice is slowly encasing the planet, and I did love the numerous different ways that Kavan describes the all encompassing cold. But the cold also permeates her characters - I didn't like anyone in this novel, and didn't much enjoy the story, but I kept reading because I wanted to know where it was going. And just when I got to the final pages, and I thought I knew where she was going with it all, and I thought it was brilliant...she didn't go there. So disappointing. And slightly maddening.

"Instead of my world, there would soon be only ice, snow, stillness, death; no more violence, no war, no victims; nothing but frozen silence, absence of life. The ultimate achievement of mankind would be, not just self-destruction, but the destruction of all life; the transformation of the living world into a dead planet."

Originally published in 1967, Kavan's vision of climate change will speak to present day readers.

Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason, translated by Bernard Scudder, narrated by George Guidall

This police procedural series is set in Iceland, and I was really hoping that I would be able to count it as a cold read, but, alas, no. Setting does not come into the story at all - this could be set anywhere. This is the third book in the series, but the first two have not been translated into English. I thought it was okay and will definitely read the next in the series to see if it improves. This deals with rape, and there are some icky bits that I could have done without but nothing graphic. It's kind of angsty, which surprised me. Also, the writing felt awkward and clunky - not sure if this is the fault of the author or if it is a translation thing. A note about the narration - while I normally love Guidall as a narrator, here the way he did the voices of the adult children was annoying - he made them short and demanding and rapid fire, which got on my nerves, and I could see one character acting that way but not multiple characters. I will go with the print version next time.

>70 Crazymamie: Bummer about the setting! I like foreign settings with a lot of culture. I have this author's Silence of the Grave that I hope to get to this year.

I love Arnaldur Indridason. I have read all his books but Jar City is far from his best.
if you are looking for a book set in winter in Iceland I would suggest The Prey by Yrsa Sigurdardottir though it a mystery with supernatural themes.

Ooh, so many great things, Mamie! And I love the puzzle! I did it last Christmas and it's fabulous. I don't think the picture on the box does it justice because you can't see all the detail, but it's amazing when it's finished. A definite favourite I won't be passing on.

I'm delighted you're enjoying The Brokenwood Mysteries - it's like the NZ version of Midsomer Murders with the often wacky deaths, and I like the team dynamics with the police officers too (although not the bit in series 8 (I think) where they turn Gina into an idiot mooning for Mike).

I didn't click the spoiler for A Good Girl's Guide to Murder so I think I'll give it a try. It's very popular on BookTube, and I do like to be, er, down with the kids. I've got A Court of Thorns and Roses arriving at the elibrary soon, so then I'll *really* be fashionable (albeit a bit late to the party).

>71 Tess_W: Me, too, Tess. Silence of the Grave is the next one up in the series, so I will probably be reading that soonish.

>72 Zozette: Good to know, Zozette. And thank you so much for that recommendation! Adding it to The List - I love supernatural themes.

>73 susanj67: Hello, Susan! We just finished the puzzle yesterday, and you are so right. It's really gorgeous, and the detail is amazing. Birdy has always loved the Cinderella story, and she is thinking about framing it if she can figure out where to hang it.

This is our third time through The Brokenwood Mysteries - we love this series! Agree with all of your comments - Gina is one of our favorite characters.

I think you will be fine with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and I want you to be down with the kids. *grin* I have not read Maas, but Abby is a fan - she read the Throne of Glass books and loved those several years ago.

Finished another puzzle this morning! This one is titled The Secret Garden - art by Demelsa Haughton.

>76 Crazymamie: - Gorgeous!

>77 katiekrug: It was really fun to put together, Katie.

Thank you for your visit to my thread. I've got you starred now! :)

>76 Crazymamie: I found you!! Welcome back. I hope this year is a better year. : ) Love your categories up top and the fun puzzles. Happy reading!!

>79 Jackie_K: You're welcome, Jackie - thanks for stopping in and dropping a star.

>80 Berly: Hello there, Kim! And thank you. I'm hoping this is a better year for both of us. I don't usually do well with planning my reading, but these types of looser categories work for me and allow me to not lose sight of the projects I'm wanting to focus on. The puzzles are a most excellent companion to the audiobooks.

May your reading also be full of happy, my friend!

January Stats:

Total books read: 20 (Mine - 13, Birdy's - 6, Audible Plus Catalog - 1)
Newly acquired/From the stacks: 3/10

Non-fiction/Fiction: 3/17
Female/Male author: 12/8
Dead/Alive author: 5/15
Rereads: 4
Books from a Series: 13

Medium:
Audiobook: 6
Hardback: 4
Paperback: 6
Kindle: 4

Translations: 7 (Japanese - 7, Icelandic - 1)

Author Country of Origin or Chosen Country:
America - 3
Burma/America - 1
England - 5
Iceland - 1
Ireland - 3
Japan - 6
Russia - 1

Genre:
Crime Fiction - 7
Dystopian - 1
Horror - 1
Literary Fiction - 2
Manga/GN - 6 (romantic comedy - 2, historical mystery - 4)

I had two books that got a 5 star rating - George Orwell and Russia and The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway.

My favorite book of the month was George Orwell and Russia, but I also LOVED re-listening to the first three Sean Duffy books.

My least favorite book of the month was Ice.

The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway by Merve Emre - 5 stars

This book was a gift from my daughter Birdy last year, and it is full of gorgeous. Everything about it feels luxurious - the paper, the lovely blue annotations, the artwork and photographs, the maps...This was obviously a labor of love for Merve Emre. I have read Mrs. Dalloway before. And listened to it. I am always amazed by Woolf's use of stream of consciousness and by how she makes the reader aware of the time passing and by how she weaves so many different narratives into a single day. What Emre has done is to give us that alongside so much beautifully choreographed history and diary entries and images that this volume immerses you in Virginia Woolf's London. It is a feast from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

Hello Mamie! Happy February, and happy birthday to Abby. I hope the day is good to her and there is cake. Mind you, there should always be cake...

You've had a good reading month with the two five star reads. The Annotated Mrs Dalloway does look gorgeous. And so does the puzzle! I have that one in the stacks and may move it up (it is literally at the bottom - I bought a few from Amazon and then discovered eBay and OMG). She has a fun Hallowe'en one that's also 1,000 pieces.

I'll be reading Mrs. Dalloway for the first time this year (maybe this month). I wanted to re-read The Hours and thought it made sense to be familiar with the "source," as it were. That annotated edition looks lovely.

Happy birthday, Abby.
Husband's birthday tomorrow. He's Abby times 2.

>84 susanj67: Hello, Susan! Thanks so much for those good wishes. No worries - there will be cake, and it's chocolate ganache one that is a favorite of hers.

I was very pleased with my January results. The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway is simply stunning. And that puzzle was very fun to do - how lovely that you have the same one in your stacks. I think we might have the Halloween one you are talking about - is it this one?



I am trying to make myself save it until October.

>85 katiekrug: Katie, I really loved The Hours when I read it and was planning a reread of it now that I have revisited Mrs. Dalloway. The Hours was the original working title of Mrs. Dalloway, so in her diaries that is how Woolf always refers to it. The annotated version is da Bomb - Birdy is a most excellent gift-giver.

>86 Helenliz: Helen, thank you for those good wishes for Abby. I am also Abbyx2. At least until June. Hoping that the husband has a birthday full of happy. And cake.

Sending Abby the best of wishes on her birthday. I hope she enjoys her special day - and the cake!

>87 Crazymamie: Mamie, excellent news about the cake :-) And that is the jigsaw I meant - I did it in October and it was harder than it looked. Still fun, though. I hope your weekend is full of fabulous, as all weekends should be.

>89 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy! We are making a weekend celebration of it, so today Craig is making buttermilk biscuits and all the fixings for breakfast sammies, and then later Birdy is making seven layer bars.

>90 susanj67: That cake is always most YUM, Susan. One of Abby's favorite things.

I'm hoping I can save it for October. Our next one up is gonna be Ravenburger's Most Everyone is Mad which I was gifted last year. We're hoping to start it later today.

Thank you for those good wishes - hoping your weekend is also full of fabulous!

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 1 by Milcha, art by Whale, translated by David Odell

This was Birdy's February pick for The Manga Project. It's South Korean, so it's Manwha (according to Wikipedia, "Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print-cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to South Korean comics. Manhwa is directly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its reach to many other countries."). The format is that of a graphic novel, so it reads front to back, but the art is in the manga style.

This was great fun! The main character, Eunha Park, is murdered and finds herself reincarnated as a character in a novel that she has read. The problem? She is a side character who gets murdered and whose death is investigated and solved by the heroine of the story. Knowing what she does about the book's plot, Euhna (now Raeliana) must somehow outsmart the book's villains and change the storyline if she wants to live.

I'm definitely going to keep reading to see what happens. The first three books of this make up season one of an anime that The Girls assure me is very well done, so I will also need to get to that after I read the first three.

Happy birthday, birthday weekend!!

>92 Crazymamie: That one sounds like so much fun and thanks for all the great background info on the genre.

>93 Berly: Thanks, Kim!

I have been really enjoying doing the manga project with Birdy - I'm so glad we continued it into this year. I thought this latest one was such a great premise.

Morning, Mamie!

Charlie has gotten me into manga (and anime) in the last few years, too, and I'm loving it! We're currently watching through Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia, and I'm reading the manga for MHA, plus Black Butler, which is all very excellent so far.

>95 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I love MHA, and I need to get back to it - I have not watched any of the anime for it yet. I also want to try Black Butler, but I have not read any of the other two you mention. I'll have to ask The Girls if they have read those. The Manga Project has been a very fun journey, and I am so happy that I asked Birdy to share her favorites with me. The Girls have ones that they all love equally, like Fruits Basket, and then they have ones that only one of them reads. It's really interesting to compare notes and to find out what calls to each of them in a manga. And they have huge libraries since they have been collecting them for more than a decade, so I should never run out of material. Heh.

>96 Crazymamie: I've heard a lot of great things about Fruit Baskets and it's definitely on my list! Charlie and I also really loved Given, both the manga and the anime. If you and The Girls haven't already, I highly recommend it.

Morning, All! Sunday morning and we have just finished Big Breakfast. Craig, Daniel, Abby and Birdy are having a D&D session, so Rae and I can each snag some quiet time to work on our own stuff. And it's raining, so major happiness. It's cool enough here to have the bedroom window open, and the rain is coming straight down, so I get to listen to it as well as well as soak up the cold fresh air. Bliss.

Yesterday I read two books - A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and they paired well since one was light and sweet, and the other one was heavier and sad. We did not get our puzzle started, so maybe today. What we did get accomplished was a bunch of food prep, so we will be in good shape for the week ahead.

In my streaming life, Rae and I are still making our way through a re-watch of Vera, and separately I am watching Northern Exposure - Prime has recently added this, and I was thrilled because I loved watching it back when it was on tv, so early 1990s.

>97 scaifea: I think you would love Fruits Basket - both the books and the newer anime are really great. And thanks so much for the recommendation - we will check that out!

>98 Crazymamie: - Sounds like a lovely Sunday morning, Mamie. Enjoy!

>100 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie! It feels indulgent and very relaxing. Hoping your Sunday is kind to you.

Hi Mamie, your weather sounds like it's a good day for puddle-jumpers! We actually are having a day of rather water-y sunshine which is nice after a week of dull, grey, rainy days. Enjoy the rest of your day!

>102 DeltaQueen50: So true, Judy! I could live on dull, gray, rainy days, but that is just my own personal weirdness. It is still raining but the both the wind and the rain have picked up, so we had to close the window and batten down the hatches. It's been a most excellent day - a tiny nap and a lot of reading. For dinner we are having baked potato bar, but we did all the work yesterday, so we just have to bake off the potatoes.

Hoping your day was full of lazy.

Morning, Mamie!

Oh gosh, there's not much that's better than a gentle, straight-down rain as background noise to read to. *happy sigh just thinking about it*

>104 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Completely agree.

Sunny with reasonable humidity and only going to 62F today, so actually things are looking very good outside in the Deep South. No big plans for today except for some laundry, cleaning, and hopefully snagging a chunk of time for reading. Yesterday Birdy and I finally got that puzzle started - we are working on a 1,000 piece Ravensburger - Most Everyone is Mad, which has an Alice in Wonderland theme.

On the reading front, I finished my reread of the fourth Sean Duffy book Gun Street Girl, so now I am ready to reread the fifth entry in the series Rain Dogs. While puzzling, Birdy and I listened to some more of Equal Rites - our first Discworld book!!! We are loving this. We have been wanting to try these books, but were not sure where to start, so took the advise of someone over on the Weird One's thread who gave us two different points of entry into the series, and we chose this one. Yesterday I also started reading Bonjour Tristesse, which I have in newly arrived Penguin Clothbound Little - I got to page 42 and then the next page seemed to not belong, and in checking the page numbers, I realized that the book goes from page 42 to page 91. In further investigation, the pages run correctly until you get to page 122 which pairs with page 75. So essentially, I am missing pages 43-74, and have duplicates of pages 91-122. SO weird. I am wondering how many copies of the book have this issue. So sad because I think I would have gotten it read yesterday, but now I will have to wait for my new copy to arrive and hope that all the pages are present and accounted for. In the wee small hours, I am still working on The Saddest Words: William Faulkner's Civil War, which is really good.

In my streaming life, still working through a re-watch of both Vera and Northern Exposure. The Girls and I have recently acquired Over the Garden Wall and are wanting to watch that soon, too - none of us have seen it before, so we are excited about finally getting to this one that seems to be a favorite of so many.

A Man and His Cat Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai, translated by Square Enix Co. Ltd - paperback, mine

This is every bit as sweet as April said it was. I ordered my own copy after reading her review because it sounded like one The Girls and I would all like. Birdy has already read it twice. This originally began with the author serializing it on Twitter where it gained a huge following, and it was eventually published. And this makes sense because it feels like separate vignettes and would be perfect for dipping in and out of, but of course, I read it all in one go. Light and sweet and will speak to anyone who loves cats and especially to those who have rescued one.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, narrated by Frank Müller, translated by H. T. Willetts - audiobook, Audible Plus Catalog

The narration of this one is very well done, and I listened to it all in one go because I wanted to get the feel for the day. What a long, excruciating day. Told from the point of view of the title character, it's exactly what it says it is - one day in the life of a prisoner at a forced labor camp in Stalin's Soviet Union. It's a bit of a slog, which I think is intentional - after all, it would be a very long day every single day. Brilliantly done.

Gun Street Girl by Adrain McKinty, narrated by Gerard Doyle (Sean Duffy, book 4) - reread - audiobook, mine

Another excellent entry in the Sean Duffy series. I cannot say enough that this is the perfect marriage of story and narrator. This one is bittersweet.

>107 Crazymamie: I read that as a library loan and quickly ordered a copy as well as A Man and His Cat 02. Both copies arrived today.

Welcome to the Discworld! I've read them all and adored them.

Hi Mamie! I saw this puzzle and thought of you :)

Happy Friday, Mamie! I hope it's still cool, maybe even rainy with a little breeze from time to time :-) It's raining here, but that's not news.

>106 Crazymamie: How annoying about the missing pages. I inherited (from an aunt, when I was a child) various children's books, including three in the Heidi series. Two of them had chunks of entirely blank pages, so I had to go to the library and try and read the missing bits. I never thought to wonder why they'd been kept for so long...

I've just broken my puzzling no-buy and bought this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ravensburger-Piece-Jigsaw-Puzzles-Adults/dp/B0CPM9KWY2/... But, in my defence, look how pretty!

Your thread is dangerous! I always find several titles to add to my wishlist.

The puzzles are gorgeous!

Hope you are still enjoying the rain and cool air.

>108 Crazymamie: Just got it from Amazon. Thanks!! Happy Friday. Hope you find it puzzling. (LOL -- get it?)

>108 Crazymamie: I know that the title is "telling", but....I assigned this book to my college freshman in Western Civ, and not ONE of them connected the title to the fact the story took place all in one day!

I love seeing the puzzles in your thread. I'm a big fan of Ravensburger puzzles myself. My daughters gave me one of their "Escape" puzzles for Christmas, that I've just started. This will be a new experience for me!

There's a YouTuber I just came across who posts about puzzles and has just had one of her designs published (?) by Ravensburger. I don't follow her regularly but check it out every once in a while. And there's a 2,000 piece puzzle of quilt blocks that I've been considering if I can figure out where to do it. Might have my husband make me a board.

>118 dudes22: Her YouTube name is Karen Puzzles. She is a very cheerful person. I have one of her puzzles (I think she has designed two so far) but I have not done it yet.

Hi Mamie.