DFed's 75 Books and Beyond for 2018!

Welcome everyone! This will be my 10th year as part of the 75'er group and I always look forward to starting a new thread. Here's the link to last year's thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/245192#

If you don't know me, my name is Dawn and I live in Lexington, KY with my husband (also a reader) where I work at a non-profit in the horse industry. Naturally, I read horse books and also enjoy biographies, young adult fiction and travel books. And, I have quite an extensive cookbook collection (not well documented here on LT) so you'll see me read a few of those here and there too!

Pictured above are two of our overfilled bookshelves and my reading chair in our office/library. I know everyone here will understand the messy, double-stacked(!) shelves. :)

I've been pretty busy these last few years so my reading's slacked off a bit and I'm not much at posting on people's threads but I definitely enjoy reading them and welcome visitors to my own!

Hope your 2018 is filled with lots of great reads!

Welcome back!

Happy New Year
Happy New Group here
This place is full of friends
I hope it never ends
It brew of erudition and good cheer.

Happy reading in 2018, Dawn!

Ooo, I like the art on the wall! Glad you're back!

Welcome everyone!! I've finally gotten some books read for 2018:



#1 - Mrs. L: Conversations with Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Michael Teague, 203 pages (library). A fascinating account of Alice Roosevelt's life, in her own words. I really enjoyed this book and its many pictures - Alice was quite stunning!



#2 - Going Into Town by Roz Chast, 169 pages (library). Everyone's been reading this on LT and now I know why! I just wish my husband & I had read this prior to going to NYC recently! I'll have to upload some pics now that I know how. And, yes, we visited Powell's!



#3 - Little House by Boston Bay by Melissa Wiley , 195 pages (library). I'm reading this little series backwards, but I am enjoying it!

And, has anyone run into this themselves?? I seem to check older books out of our library (like Mrs. L.) fairly frequently. I'm also a faithful attendee of their bi-annual book sales. Every time I to check out an older book, it seems to bring the library's attentions to it and it's culled. Then, not long after, I always seem to spot that copy at the book sale. What gives? I'm afraid for Mrs. L because it was such a fascinating book, and our library has almost nothing else in their catalog about Alice Roosevelt. How many users will now miss out on this great book? :(

I haven't had that problem myself, but I haven't used the library at all last year (gasp!). I moved and still have yet to spend the day at the DMV to update my license. (They don't offer online services for the enhanced licenses.) Once I finally suck it up, I will stop by my new library, but I am reluctant to - I moved from one of the best libraries in the county to a much smaller one. Side rant: Am I the only one who isn't thrilled with many branches for a local library? If there is a particular book I need, I request it through the state-wide ILL, but my local library is for browsing. It's hard to browse when the selection is split into 2 or 5.

Anyways..... I'm here to lurk for another year!

alsvidur - What?!?! NOT use the library?!? I practically live there, I feel like. I have to say, though Lexington has alot of branches, it seems like they have the resources to have many copies of many books, movies, etc. so you have a fair chance to get something you're interested in when you visit. If not, they have a quick ILL system between the branches too.

And, I've been terribly remiss about my thread! We just finished our annual Convention for my work and, most excitingly, my husband & I are buying our first house! So, now I'm packing our many, many books instead of reading them!



#4 - The Little Colonel's Holidays by Annie Fellows Johnston, 236 pages (own). I just love old children's books. They're so gloriously sappy :) This is the second book in a KY-based series and I'll be keeping an eye out for the others. Funnily enough, my mother-in-law and her sister grew up reading this series!



#5 - Ambition and Desire by Kate Williams, audiobook (library). Boy, did Josephine and Napoleon have a crazy relationship!! I thought I had an idea of their history but this book refers to many letters between the two and I kept wondering what I would have done in her situation.



#6 - Heirs and Graces by Rhys Bowen, 295 pages (library). Another Royal Spyness mystery.



#7 - Aunt Jane McPhipps and Her Baby Blue Chips by Frances Rummell, 210 pages (own). I finally realized why this book caught my eye. The illustrations are by the same artist that did the Mrs. 'Arris books! Though this was written a little heavy-handidly (I guess the author had a hidden agenda?) and despite it being dated, I learned quite a bit about the stock market.

#8 - Growing Up in the 1850's by Agnes Lee, 171 pages (own). This is the journal of Agnes, one of Robert E. Lee's daughters. I thought this would give me more insight into the life and times of a girl of that era but it was a slow read and hard to follow (luckily, there were footnotes). Tragically, Agnes died young.



#9 - Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen, 295 pages (library). Yet another Royal Spyness mystery - except this one seemed a bit cliche.

Finally got a chance to stop by and drop a star! Looks like you're off to a good start to 2018 reading-wise!

aktakukac - welcome!! It's felt like slow going lately, so thanks!



#10 - Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? by Lisa Scottoline, audiobook (library). Another funny book by Scottoline and her daughter, Francesca Serritella. Side note: I reached out to Lisa after "reading" her last book, where she mentioned the non-profit I work for. I got a very nice response back from her!



#11 - Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit by Sean Hepburn Ferrer, 230 pages (own). I'm not one to bash Audrey Hepburn - I love her! And, I appreciated the insight of her life through her son's eyes. However, I think this book was written solely to push the causes of UNICEF.



#12 - Sweet Valley High: Spring Fever by Francine Pascal, 240 pages (own). Remember these?!?! I found this in a local Little Free Library and thought I'd give Sweet Valley High a shot again. I'm not sure they've held up well at all.

Okay, so I was just googling about the Sweet Valley High books and found this hilarious review. I pretty much agree with all of it: https://snarkvalley.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/super-edition-6-spring-fever/

Looks like you've had quite a variety of reads lately!

thornton37814 - I have, haven't I?? Mostly because I'm trying to finish up some outstanding books so I can get rid of them before I move!



#13 - Malice At the Palace by Rhys Bowen, 292 pages (library). Surprise ending on this one!



#14 - A Country Music Christmas by Edie Hand, 176 pages (own). I bought this at a used bookstore, hoping it would have some down-home country cooking gems in it. It did not - apparently country stars are way into cake mixes and jello??? At any rate, I've now passed this on to a country music-loving friend.



#15 - Pride of the Green Mountains by Carin Greenberg Baker, 128 pages (own). A well-written tale about the Morgan horse.

#16 - Have A Nice Guilt Trip by Lisa Scottoline, audiobook (library). I'm just loving Scottoline's books lately!



#17 - I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool by Lisa Scottoline, audiobook (library).



#18 - Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen, 307 pages (library). Another wonderful Royal Spyness mystery.



#19 - Words In a French Life by Kristin Espinasse, 284 pages (library). Espinasse breaks down her French life into mini essays containing French phrases throughout. In the end, she summarizes with definitions and pronunciations. My takeaway? What little French I know, I can read much better than speak it!

Checking in to at least say hi! I remember. Seeing that "Sweet Valley High" book reminded me of a church library which received a donation of many of those from the pastor who was the church library supervisor back in the early 1990s. Most of us on the library committee thought they were inappropriate for a church library, but we couldn't really do anything about them. They'd been read by his daughter.

#20 - Nurse Matilda: The Collected Tales by Christianna Brand, 382 pages (own). The very strange tales of Nurse Matilda. Not sure I liked this book too much, but I'd be willing to watch the Nanny McPhee movie.



#21 - On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service by Rhys Bowen, 290 pages (library). The latest Royal Spyness mystery - now what am I going to read??



#22 - The Secrets of Happy Families by Bruce Feiler, audiobook (library). My "family" consists of myself and my husband, but even I found some great ideas in this book! I've already bought a copy to send to my sister.

You guys...I've moved! We recently bought our first home (in this market, no mean feat). My life is chaos and my books definitely are (sigh). I'll try and post a picture of the new "library" when its semi-presentable.

So, without further ado, some books I've read awhile back :) :



#23 - Perfume From Provence by Winifred Fortescue, 273 pages (own). An absolutely lovely book from the 30's about a British couple that move to Provence.



#24 - Young Men in Spats by P.G. Wodehouse, audiobook (library). A series of short stories, you may recognize some of characters from the Jeeves' novels here.



#25 - The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, 202 pages (library). This book was mentioned in The Secrets of Happy Families

Congratulations!!! Photos ASAP! If you wait until it's 'decent' looking it'll be at least a year or so. (We moved last March and half my books are still in boxes on the floor of the den.) How exciting! Are there any interesting stories about house hunting or any neat things about your house?

>18 DFED: The Five Love Languages received so much attention that the author did more focused books on certain groups. None of those (at least the ones I read) were as good as the original.

Unpacking and organizing a library is tiring, but I'm sure the results will be worth it!

We took a day off on Monday in order to have some extra time organizing the new house - which included unpacking some books! I swear, though daunting, it's a bit like Christmas since those were the first items we packed up when we knew we were closing :)

alsvidur - you're totally right - pics soon I swear! The most interesting thing about the house hunt (which, all told, took us a couple of years) is that our realtor had the foresight to stipulate in our offer that the sellers could have an extra couple of days to move out after closing, which they had asked for in some small print somewhere. That's pretty much the only reason they accepted our offer. There were five full-price offers on the table at the time!!

thornton37814 - good to know! I did see some more specific books featured on the back page of my copy. It was an intriguing theory and I got my husband to complete the language quiz so we could tell who spoke what language! He'll get around to reading the rest of the book in the near future I hope :)

aktakukac - thanks for the encouragement! What we're now facing is a possible loss of bookshelves. Valuable real estate, no where to put them at the moment!

#26 - Brooklyn In Love by Amy Thomas, 263 pages (library). I'd read Thomas' Paris, My Sweet in the past and this is the continuation of her story after she returns to NYC.



#27 - Flaming Star by Nicky Millard, pages (own). A quick read pulled out of one of the boxes!!



#28 - Hungry Heart by Jennifer Weiner, audiobook (library). A brutally honest book, in the best possible way.

#29 - Emily's Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary, 221 pages (own). Can you tell I've opened up my box of children's books?? :) There's a backstory to this one. I swear I tried several times to read this as a child, including a disastrous checking out of an audiobook (a tape!) that DIDN'T read the whole story to you!! Why did I go through this? Because there was a horse on the cover, of course! So, I finally gave it another shot as an adult, enjoyed the story immensely and wish that Cleary had written a sequel.



#30 - It's All Relative by A.J. Jacobs, 336 pages (library). Jacobs researches human genealogy thoroughly while simultaneously planning the world's largest family reunion.

>24 DFED: Hope you liked that book by Jacobs better than I did.

#31 - The Little Colonel by Annie Fellows Johnston, 165 pages (library). The first book in this series where we're introduced to the Little Colonel, and so is her grandfather.



#32 - Victoria and Albert - A Royal Love Affair by Sara Sheridan, 303 pages (library). Oh, how I love the PBS series Victoria! This not only had historical fact about the royal couple but lots of stills from the series!



#33 - Inferno by Dan Brown, audiobook (library). I'm a little late to the game on this one and I probably shouldn't have watched the movie first but it was a great way to pass my commute time!



#34 - The Wellness Project by Phoebe Lapine, 369 pages (library). You know how some books come into your life at just the right time? Well, this is one of those and it's given me a lot to think about!



#35 - Meet Me At Emotional Baggage Claim by Lisa Scottoline, 262 pages (library). Another Scottoline/Serriatella combo book. This was the first one I read instead of listened too and I didn't realize there'd be so many pictures.



#36 - Born to Run: A Racehorse Grows Up by Neil Johnson, pages (own). A children's book about the life of a Thoroughbred that was my husband's as a kid :)

#37 - Our Homestead Story by Stephen Castleberry, 201 pages (own). The Castleberry family buys a homestead in MN and attempts to live off the land with mixed results. A cute book and I'd gladly read any more they've written.



#38 - Of Diamonds and Diplomats by Letitia Baldridge, 337 pages (own). What a lucky find at my library's recent used book sale! Baldridge becomes social secretary for two embassies, the Kennedy's when they were in the White House, is the first female executive at Tiffany's and eventually starts her own business in Chicago. So interesting! And, I've since found out she'd written many etiquette books too.



#39 - What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey, audiobook (library). This. Book. Amazing insight from someone who has a lot of advice to give!

#40 - It Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time by Moira Hodgson, 334 pages (library). Some people just seem to have the most interesting and varied lives! Hodgson is one of those.



#41 - Step Right Up by Donna Janell Bowman, pages (library). Some of you may have heard of the performing horse Beautiful Jim Key. What I had no idea of was the extent of his fame and the good works he did for animal welfare!

#s 42-48 - various Saddle Club books by Bonnie Bryant, various pages (own). I told you I was going through my old kids books!! I've recently made the hard decision to let go of a portion of my Saddle Club book collection - but not without reading them again first (some I haven't even read yet)! Below are the covers of the ones I've gone through so far:

I applaud your ability to let them go. I am trying to build them back up after my cat urinated on the box holding all of my Saddle Clubs right after we moved. I'm still missing 10 of them. I haven't been able to find them easily nearby and I balk at buying them online: I bought them when they first came out, gave them away, bought them again, then when destroyed, I have to buy them again at list price?!?

Anyways, how are you handling reading so many in a row? I find that sometimes I can't read more than a few at a time. Did they start to wear on you or no?

I would have enjoyed all those Saddle Club books when I was around 4th grade!

thornton37814 - I used to go through them like candy! I'd get out as many as I could from the library and read them all over a weekend. Apparently, nothing much has changed :)

alsvidur - sorry to hear about the ruined books :( I AM keeping about the first five books which were a gift from my grandmother (little did she know what a habit she would start!) But, after the move, my husband and I have realized how little room there is for stuff that isn't super sentimental or actively being used so...let me know if you need any of the ones I've read. Since I'm getting rid of them, I'd be glad for them to have a good home!

As for reading them all in a row, I definitely have to be in the right mood but the last few in the batch below were hardly believable at best!

And, have either of you read the Pine Hollow series? There was a blurb in one of the books about the first in that series and it kinda traumatized me. I'm not sure if I should try to track down those books or not!

#49 - 54 - more Saddle Club books by Bonnie Bryant, various pages (own).

I've read Pine Hollow! It's been awhile though; they were a bit more adult than Saddle Club (yet still retained the unbelievable quality). They do talk more about dating, driving, and parties than SC. They weren't terrible, but they were slightly traumatic. I don't want to spoil it, but dang. In my mind, I pretend I never read them.

5, 6, 11, 12, 56, 70, 94, 96 and Supers 4, 6, 7 are the ones I'm still looking for. If you have those available, just let me know what the postage is, and I will paypal/mail you the postage fees plus some. Same with any other pony books you might want to get rid of - let me know what you are disposing of, and if I don't have a copy, I'll give it a good home. Not only will it go to someone who loves pony books and collects them, my books are also lent out to 2 little girls who loves horses (and reading!)

alsvidur - I've actually got a few of those Special Editions. But...I haven't read them yet. I'll let you know when I do!



#55 - Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance, 307 pages (library). I forget who here read this recently, but it sounded intriguing and I enjoyed it. I already have the second book on hold!



#56 - Capital Gaines by Chip Gaines, audiobook (library). You'll know Gaines from the show Fixer Upper. His gives a history of his businesses, especially Magnolia, and shares some life lessons he's learned the hard way.



#57 - Origin by Dan Brown, audiobook (library). Though this book really made me think, it was quite as exciting as what I expected. And, Brown seems to have a habit of slowly spooling out unimportant information. It's especially noticeable in the audiobooks.



#58 - Hannah's Winter of Hope by Jean Van Leeuwen, pages (library). I randomly came across this book (and author). Unfortunately, it's the only one in the series that my library has.



#59 - A Fortunate Grandchild by Miss Read, 108 pages (own). This is exactly the sort of book I love to read! An accounting of the author's childhood and family from the turn of the century.



#60 - Space: A Memoir by Jesse Lee Kercheval, 336 pages (own). A recounting of the author's childhood in FL in the shadow of Kennedy Space Center. As a native Floridian, I could definitely relate and I still remember seeing shuttle launches growing up.



#61 - Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack by Charles Osgood, 139 pages (own). The long-time host of CBS Sunday Morning recounts his ninth year in Baltimore in the midst of WWII.



#62-64 - a variety of children's books: Little Black Goes to the Circus! Going West Papa and the Pioneer Quilt

>33 DFED: My library owns several of Jean Van Leeuwen's books but none in the Hannah series. Knox County owns the 1st and 3rd (the one you read), but not the second. If I make it there later this summer, and they are available, I may check them out. I've read Bound for Oregon, but I think that's the only one I remember reading. I think I'd like Papa and the Pioneer Quilt. My library does own a copy of that one.

thornton37814 - I've read Bound for Oregon too and I think you might enjoy Papa and the Pioneer Quilt - the other one was kind of forgettable and I'm not sure I'll pursue the Hannah series.



#65 - Great Tastes: Cooking (and Eating) From Morning to Midnight by Danielle Kosann, 223 pages (library). I randomly got on The New Potato's email list and I'm still not sure I understand the concept. But, cookbooks I can understand! And this one is promising and if I ever see a cheapish copy, I'll probably buy it.



#66 - Horseback Riding (Women In Sports) by Flora Golden, 70 pages (own). Boy, this book is incredibly hard to find on the internet!! Part of a series highlighting women in sports, it was written in the 70's. I did learn about quite a few equestriennes that I'd never heard of (Sue Sally Jones - what persistence!). Unfortunately, several of them have since died.



#67 - Teetotaled by Maia Chance, 291 pages (library). The second in the series and I've just received notice that third book has "arrived" for me!



#68-69 - Two Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet books: Skunked! and Who Gives a Hoot? by Jacqueline Kelly, 105 pages each (library). I recently looked to see if there was a new Calpurnia book out and came across these offshoots, which were pretty cute (and informative!).

Are the Calpurnia Tate books graphic novels?

alsvidur - no, they're kids books but with great illustrations!



#70 - Lily and The Octopus by Steven Rowley, audiobook (library). If you love dogs, this story will make you cry. Hang in there when reading it, because I had a hard time understanding what, exactly, was going on.



#71 - The Ghost Horse by Joe Layden, 256 pages (own). A co-worker recently read this which spurred me to finish reading my own copy! The story of a woman who might have come back as a racehorse. The story was a bit incomplete and didn't tie together well but I appreciated reading about a hard luck trainer and the horse he loved.



#72 - A Peaceful Retirement by Miss Read, 187 pages (library). I enjoyed my last book by this author so much, I thought I'd give her fiction a try. I'm afraid my library doesn't have many of these books, so I started this series at the end!

#73 - Shelf Discovery: the Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick, 448 pages (own). I'm going to count this book as "read" because I did read the majority, but skipped any explanations of books I hadn't read yet, but had intentions to. I can tell you, this one really added to my TBR pile! I'm really surprised at how many of these I either hadn't heard of or hadn't read yet.



#74 - All-American Girl by Meg Cabot, audiobook (library). A Meg Cabot book I haven't read yet! The tale of Samantha, a girl who accidentally saves the President's life, the audiobook version was very enjoyable.

*drumroll, please* And...I've reached 75 books!!



#75 - The Blind Connemara by C.W. Anderson, 80 pages (own). A lucky find, I just adore CW Anderson's books and illustrations!!



#76 - The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York by Peter Tomasi, 200 pages (library). Awhile back, I found out that a woman was responsible for the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. Then, I came across this well done graphic novel about it.



#77 - Ready Or Not by Meg Cabot, 238 pages (library). The sequel to All American Girl, Samantha's relationship with the President's son moves to another level.



#78 - The Little French Bistro by Nina George, 368 pages (own). This book was just...too much. This sounds awful, but the only reason I kept reading was to see if Marianne would grow a pair :)

Congrats on rolling past the goal!

drneutron - thank you!!

I've got some more today:



#79 - Educated by Tara Westover, 334 pages (library). So glad I finally got my hands on this book after seeing it featured in Vogue! The stress, chaos and disorder that Westover experienced is appalling.



#80 - Gin and Panic by Maia Chance, 278 pages (library). The enjoyable sequel to Teetotaled.

Belated congratulations on reaching 75, Dawn!

Congrats!

Thank you alsvidur and FAMeulstee!!



#81 - The Right Fit Formula by Christine Lusita, 336 pages (library). An interesting personality-based book on weight loss and approaches to health. I'm still in possession of this book because I want to do some of the worksheets, etc.



#82 - Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley, audiobook (library). An absolutely laugh-out-loud collection of essays. The best part? The audiobook was read by the author so the inflection to the stories was great!

#83 - Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller, 367 pages (library). A very well done take on Caroline (aka Ma) of the Little House series.



#84 - Joey: How a Blind Rescue Horse Helped Others to See by Jennifer Marshall Bleakley, 272 pages (library). A bit preachy but I'm not going to lie, I cried.

#85 - Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella, audiobook (library). I adore Kinsella's novels - especially the audiobook versions.



#86 - The Animals In My Life: Stories of a Country Vet by Grant Kendall, 224 pages (own). A lucky local author find at my local ReStore, Kendall has a great sense of humor. Side note: if you read this, be aware that he gave pseudonyms to the people, animals and farms in the book. It took me awhile to figure out why, exactly, I'd never heard of some of these farms!



#87 - The Best Cook In the World by Rick Bragg, 485 pages (library). This. Book. What a fantastic tribute to Bragg's mother and "his people." I'm for sure going to buy a copy for myself and, if you read it, be sure to read the recipes too - Bragg's mother is a hoot!!

#88 - The Man Who Loved Libraries by Andrew Larsen, pages (library).



#89 - Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict, audiobook (library).

How odd that I had two recent reads about Andrew Carnegie!

#90 - Laura's Album by William Anderson, 80 pages (library). I had the fortune to visit Rocky Ridge Farm a few years ago and see many of these items in person (Pa's fiddle!!!).



#91 - The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren, 124 pages (library). I saw this adorable book on Fuzzi's thread. A cute rendering of life in a small Swedish village.

Your thread is dangerous! While I'd already picked up the same book bullet from Fuzzi's thread you mentioned in the previous post, I picked up one each in the two preceding threads.

thornton37814 - glad I could add to your TBR!



#92 - Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren, pages (library). A cute follow-up book to The Children of Noisy Village.



#93 - Up The Garden Path by Norman Thelwell, pages (own). For you horse lovers, perhaps you will be as surprised as I was that Thelwell wrote non-horse books?? I think this will make a good gift, in turn, for my in-laws.



#94 - The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, 400 pages (own). What's with all the Swedish authors lately?? At any rate, this was a perfectly enjoyable book that I plan on passing on to my MIL.



#95 - Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton, 295 pages (own). A highly enjoyable and quick read by one of my favorite authors.

#96 - The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall, 294 pages (library). Bye, bye Penderwicks - we'll miss you!!



#97 - The First Love Story by Bruce Feiler, audiobook (library). I've enjoyed the few Feiler books I read so far and this was an interesting concept. However, I don't recommend the audiobook for longish commutes - I found myself tuning out quite frequently.



#98 - In Pursuit of the Big Horse by Lee Phillip Forman, 197 pages (own). This author kinda pi**ed me off. Brash, moneyed and poking his nose into business he doesn't understand. I appreciate the efforts of trying to educate would-be racehorse owners - and there is some merit to this book for that - but don't tell the jockey what to do in a race when you've had a horse for, like, two seconds...grrr

Ha! I read a book like that! Become a Winner Claiming Thoroughbred Race Horses by Mario Specogna got a half star because there is no way to make something zero stars. It was terribly written and full of terrible suggestions and inaccurate information. He was horribly opinionated for someone whose experience with horses was owning just a few claimers. He also advised potential owners to tell the jockeys how to ride.

alsvidur - I'm "glad" to hear that! I kinda felt guilty about my review after I wrote it, but it seems there are plenty of people out there thinking they understand horses or horse racing and they just...don't.



#99 - The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay, 342 pages (library). Clearly, I need to brush up on my classical reading, and it was slow going at first, but I think most book lovers will really enjoy this.



#100 - Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding by Rhys Bowen, 291 pages (library). The latest Royal Spyness mystery!! And, is there anything worse than getting a book from the library that a heavy smoker had before?? (I don't smoke)



#101 - Malled by Caitlin Kelly, 240 pages (own). A vaguely horrifying look into the retail industry that anyone who's ever worked in retail can completely appreciate. And, anyone who is a "higher up" in a retail business NEEDS to read this!

#102 - Dear Pen Pal by Heather Vogel Frederick, 406 pages (library). I read this many moons ago, but I think it was around the time that I was moving so I forgot to list it!



#103 - Q's Legacy by Helen Hanff, 192 pages (own). A treasure of a book that I took as long as I could finishing because I didn't want it to end.

#104 - Moving Day by Meg Cabot, audiobook (library). I love Cabot and wanted to see what these books are all about.



#105 - Fit in 10 by Jenna Bergen Southerland, 256 pages (own). Some great fitness ideas in here. Unfortunately, our much-loved gym closed this summer so my husband and I have started doing the 10-minute sessions in the mornings and I can already feel a difference.



#106 - When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger, 343 pages (library). The latest in the "Devil Wears Prada novels" (which I didn't even know was a thing?). Miranda makes a few token appearances.

#107 - My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella, audiobook (library). I enjoyed Katie's character - she was pretty relatable.



#108 - Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel Frederick, 378 pages (library). The book club girls are growing up!



#109 - Fashion Climbing by Bill Cunningham, 237 pages (library). I loved this fashion memoir, even if I found some of the concepts hard to understand (wholesale designing, buyers, etc). On a side note, anyone who beats their child for being "different" ought to be beaten themselves...grrr

So, I'm lucky enough that my husband is just as much of a book lover/collector as I am. So, what does that mean? A mini-vacation this weekend to the Half Price Books Clearance Sale in Louisville! Below are my purchases (no books over $2!!), of which I've already read:



#110 - Angels on Horseback by Norman Thelwell, pages (own).

>57 DFED: Norman Thelwell! I love those in my teens :-D

FAMeulstee - I love them now! :)

I read once (I think in Elizabeth Gilbert's latest book) that books come to you for a reason and when you're most interested in them. This holds true, apparently, for my book haul last weekend:



#111 - The 7-Day Back Pain Cure by Jesse Cannone, 212 pages (own). This did give some solid info. on how the back functions and what various doctors do to treat back problems. I, myself, have suffered from lower back pain for years and even my fantastic chiropractor hasn't quite been taking care of it lately. However, Cannone was clearly selling his program all along and when I finally visited his website, it was one of those websites you don't really want to visit in the first place (busy, selling various semi-legit products, etc.) :(



#112 - Birdies Sing and Everything by Perry Lafferty, 199 pages (own). How did I get my hands on so many books that no one else on LT has?? This is a terribly amusing story of the Lafferty family moving from NYC to LA in the 50's and buying their first home. Surprisingly, not much has changed in LA since then - except maybe the traffic's gotten worse?



#113 - Carrots N' Cake by Tina Haupert, 208 pages (own). A pretty forgettable book based on a blog of the same name. I'll probably check out the blog later, but this book did remind to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise - buying the house has really thrown me for a loop!!



#114 - The Singles Game by Lauren Weisenberger, audiobook (library). An enjoyable "read" that, though fictional, I learned a lot about the lives of professional athletes from. I wonder where (or from whom) Weisenberger got her info?

#115 - Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs, 103 pages (library). I saw a touching preview of the movie for this graphic novel. My library didn't have the movie, but it did have the book!



#116 - The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff, 137 pages (library). Oh, Helene, how you make me laugh!! Side note: I gave my copy of Q's Legacy to my MIL, who promised me she'd read 84, Charing Cross Road first - she really enjoyed it!



#117 - Kentucky Curiosities by various authors, 256 pages (own). A fun look at some wacky Kentucky sites and people, this book is definitely a keeper for our next "staycation." In a strange twist, I had recently been reading about a site that my husband & I then accidentally came across on a recent trip to Louisville!! Here's a website: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/heigold-house

>59 DFED: I've seen that carrot/cupcake book mentioned on other threads. I need to check out the blog. I'm not familiar with it. I haven't followed blogs as much in recent years because of the demise of my favorite blog readers. I walked out of my house without my salad this morning. (I have to get to work way too early on Thursdays. I do good to get out the door on time, and with our fall break around the corner, I had other things on my mind.) I guess I'll see if I can get by with the yogurt cup I still have in the fridge, but I may end up visiting the cafe where I'll get far more calories than I need.

thornton37814 - I feel your pain! There's been a few times that I left a perfectly healthy lunch at home. I have checked out the Carrots blog a bit but not too much - my problem is there's never enough time during the day to look at blogs and by the time I'm home, I'm over computers :)



#118 - Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence, audiobook (library). Boy, this one really added to my TBR list! Basically, if you're a member of LibraryThing, you will enjoy this book.



#119 - My American Dream by Lidia Bastianich, audiobook (library). I'm a big fan of Lidia's cooking shows - we even ate at one of her restaurants when we were in NYC! - and I really enjoyed the story of her immigrant life. She's certainly made a success of herself!

>62 DFED: I added that one to my wish list back when it first came out. Maybe it will show up under my tree at Christmas! If not, I'm sure I can find a copy at the library.

Wow, I've been just awful lately updating my thread - work business is picking up!



#120 - Big Money by P.G. Wodehouse, audiobook (library). Another rollicking tale by Wodehouse.

#121 - Mother's Blue Hen by Sam Anderson, ? pages (library). Many thanks to the ILL system at my local library. I saw a blurb for this book on my copy of Birdies Sing and it looked interesting. Published in the 60's, I'm amazed they found a copy! There doesn't seem to be a cover anywhere I can picture and I'm afraid I didn't note the amount of pages...



#122 - Counting Sheep and #123 - A Prickly Problem by Jacqueline Kelly, 104 pages each (library). Some of the other "Girl Vet" stories about Calpurnia Tate.



#124 - How Many Hills to Hillsboro by Fred Bauer, 215 pages (own). Another obscure book. A delightful read about the Bauer family cycling from NYC to the West Coast in the 60's. I wonder what their kids think now about their adventure?



#125 - The Pepperidge Farm Cookbook by Margaret Rudkin, 440 pages (own). The cookbook style I like best, this is filled with great stories as well as intriguing recipes.

>64 DFED: I'd probably enjoy browsing that cookbook.

thornton37814 - it was a pretty fun read!



#126 - Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene, audiobook (library). Have you heard of North Platte, NE? Apparently, the town was instrumental in keeping up soldier moral through WWII. Greene's observations of the town are a little dull, but the reminisces of those who were there are neat.



#127 - Better Than New by Nicole Curtis, 224 pages (own). I've since watched Curtis' show, but hadn't before reading this disjointed book. Though I do appreciate her efforts in preserving the past - people nowadays really don't value old homes.



#128 - Where the Indus Is Young by Dervla Murphy, 272 pages (own). Dervla is one of my heroes. She hikes the Indus, in winter, with her 5-year-old daughter and the assistance of their horse, Hallam. I didn't want this book to end!



#129 - The Most Beautiful Horse In the World by Diane Redmond, 194 pages (own). A story in the style of the Thoroughbred series, Cara is horse-crazy and comes into possession of "the most beautiful horse in the world" :)



#130 - My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding, 320 pages (own). I absolutely devoured this recent purchase. Balding writes of her childhood of ponies, horses and little opportunity for girls.

#131 - The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell, 337 pages (library). Samantha Whipple is an American, home-schooled direct descendant of the Brontes. She finds herself involved in a mystery involving the Brontes while attending Oxford.



#132 - American Story by Bob Dotson, audiobook (library). Dotson is (apparently) known for reporting stories on regular Americans doing extraordinary things. Though I've never seen him report, I did enjoy the variety of stories in this book.



#133 - Three Is a Family by Edna Pettigrew, 253 pages (own). An absolutely wonderful book, exactly as it says: a novel about a happy family.

thornton37814 - Happy New Year and a wish for many wonderful reads to you in the New Year!

I'm just back today from a long jaunt visiting my family in Florida and my in-laws here in KY so I'm finally able to update before the New Year is rung in!



#134 - The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Bachman, audiobook (library). A short story you should read if you really want to freak yourself out!



#135 - Riding the Wild Side of Denali by Miki Collins, 192 pages (own). Authors Miki and Julie Collins (twins) live in the Alaskan wilderness. They live an off-the-land lifestyle (isn't that the dream??) with their dog teams and Icelandic ponies. What a fascinating lifestyle!



#136 - Naughty On Ice by Maia Chance, 274 pages (library). A Christmas-themed continuation of the enjoyable Discreet Retrieval Agency series.

I have to be honest, I'm sooo close to finishing a lot of books, but that probably won't happen this evening :) I had hoped to read a bit more this year but between buying the house, fixing it up, work, etc., etc....

At any rate, I hope you'll join me on my new 2019 thread here!: https://www.librarything.com/topic/301429

I can't believe I left a book off of my 2018 list! And, it was such a good one too!



#137 - My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper, 240 pages (library). You may know Ellie from one of my favorite shows: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt!