Anne (AMQS) Reads in 2021

Welcome to my 2021 thread! Normally I wait a bit before starting a new year's thread, but I am pretty anxious to leave 2020 behind.

My name is Anne. I turned 50 in 2020. I am an elementary school teacher librarian in a little Colorado mountain school. My husband Stelios and I have two grown daughters. We were supposed to be empty nesters last year but Marina's school was remote in the fall. Between COVID and my deteriorating hip our world has become smaller. We love to read, and when things are better we hope to resume hiking and travel. I read a lot of children's literature, and love audiobooks.

This is my 12th year in this wonderful group, and your love and support truly sustained me last year. I say this every year, but I REALLY want to be here more! I am so thankful for my friends here and I will always welcome new friends.

I'm staying closer to home with my thread topper. We live on the north side of Green Mountain in the foothills of Denver, Colorado. These are photos my husband took in 2020 while mountain biking on Green Mountain.

Now reading:


Audio:

2020 was difficult in many ways, but it turned out to be a good reading year.

By the numbers:
Total books read: 102
Audio: 28
Books from my school's library: 39
Books I own: 29 (not so hot but more than double my 2019 number)
Fiction: 87
Nonfiction: 15
Books written by authors of color: 31

Best of 2020:
(and ALL of the Murderbot books!)

Best children’s books:

2021 Reading (1):

January, 2021
1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
2. The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
3. Walking on Eggshells by Jane Isay
4. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
5. The Switch by Beth O'Leary
6. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson

February, 2021
7. The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
8. Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
9. It’s a long story but there was a book #9.
10. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
11. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
12. The Librarian by Salley Vickers

March, 2021
13. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
14. The Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay
15. When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson
16. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
17. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
18. Please, Mr. Postman: a Memoir by Alan Johnson
19. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
20. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

2021 Reading (2):

Dropping a star, Anne, and looking forward to following you in 2021. Your topper photos are stunning.

Hello Anne, and a happy 2021's reading. You're sure starting out right, with Valente's "Girl Who" books.

>8 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie - it's very nice to see you here! We often don't "see" Green Mountain because, well, it's just there, and fairly unimpressive compared to the "real" mountains - the Rockies, which are pretty much in our backyard. So I'm glad my husband took the time to really see it!

>9 richardderus: Thank you, Richard! It's about time - those books have been favorites of my girls for years. Marina recently reread this one and when I asked her which book I should read next she produced this one:). So glad you're here!

Hi Anne, nice to see you here in the new threads :) Sorry to hear about your hip (arthritis?), I hope you can get out for small walks at least? Walking in the outdoors is so sanity-inducing, I find.

>11 LovingLit: Hi Megan! Nice to see you here also. No thread yet?

Yes, arthritis. I'm bone on bone and it's extremely painful. I've got a cane and everything. No walks outside, though I agree with you completely. We took lots of walks and gentle hikes this summer, and I got a few more in after I had a cortisone shot in September. Now I'm just in need of a replacement, which hopefully won't be too long. Hospitals weren't scheduling last I checked because of COVID rates, but things are getting better in CO and hopefully will continue to. Then it's back to the woods!

Lovely to see you back again for 2021, Anne. xx

Welcome back, Anne!

Hope you have a lovely year of reading!

Happy new year, Anne. I hope 2021 is a better one for you.

Nice to see you back Anne!

Happy New Year Anne! What beautiful photos you have in your topper! I hope 2021 is kinder to you and yours and I'm looking forward to following along with your reading this year!

Hi Anne! Happy new year!

>12 AMQS: yikes. That is no good. I had a hip replacement (and reconstruction, and leg lengthening procedure) done a hundred years ago when I was 29! I remember the daily pain I had before that. It is not cool. You will be a new woman with your new hip, I hope you can get surgery soon.

>13 PaulCranswick: I'm happy to be here, Paul. And very happy you're here.

>14 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>15 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori. I have so many books sitting around unread - hoping to make a serious dent!

>16 katiekrug: Katie, thank you. We're trying to be positive. I'm going to miss Marina so very much, but I'm so glad she will get to go to school - even if only for awhile.

>17 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian!

>18 Miss_Moneypenny: Thank you, Caity! Glad to have you along for the ride.

>19 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie! It's so nice to see you here. I hope you have a great reading year.

>20 LovingLit: Wow, at 29??? Yikes! How is it doing? I was told that I might need to do it again in 20-ish years. I need some reconstruction also, and I think it will also lengthen a few millimeters. I only know one person whose life hasn't been completely transformed by the surgery. Once New Year is over I'm going to call and see if it's possible to schedule.

^ Wow, at 29??? Yikes! How is it doing?
It is 100% pain free, which is the main thing. But I always had and will always have mobility issues in the joint, and a slightly shorter leg on that side. It is basically a hot mess around the joint with all sorts of bits welded, screwed and tacked on, but becoming pain-free really did feel like a weight off my shoulders (I literally recall feeling like the sky was higher after I had had surgery!).
I was told I would need further surgery in ten years...which had me getting a little anxious a few years ago as the anniversary approached, but when I raised it with the surgeon, he dismissed that idea as having never been on the table (srsly medical people, be clear with patients what to expect, it can impact on your life!). So, it looks like I will be good for a few years yet :)

>22 LovingLit: Wow, that's a lot! Was this a problem you were born with? My mom said I had hip problems as a baby and as a young child I wore a brace that went down the back of my legs and pointed my feet out. I barely remember it but I do remember my mom making me practice running out of the house with it on in case of a fire. I'm glad yours is still doing well and cheers to pain-free!

Here's my stab at the meme with books read in 2020:

Describe yourself: The Girl in the Tower

Describe how you feel: Corpse in a Gilded Cage

Describe where you currently live: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Island of Sea Women

Your favorite form of transportation is: Last Bus to Wisdom

Your favorite food is: Dragons in a Bag

Your favorite time of day is: Toy Dance Party

Your best friend is: Dear Sweet Pea (note: my dorm suite in college was a group of 12 girls who somehow magically all became life-long friends. We've recently started whole-group Zoom get togethers which are wonderful. We called ourselves the Suite Peas and still do.)

You and your friends are: A Good Kind of Trouble

What’s the weather like: The Winter of the Witch

You fear: Lions & Liars

What is the best advice you have to give: Look Both Ways

Thought for the day: This is the Place

What is life for you: All Systems Red

How you would like to die: Saving Winslow (Winslow (Win) is the name of our new kitty.)

Your soul’s present condition: Stargazing

What was 2020 like for you? My Life and Hard Times

What do you want from 2021? Patience and Fortitude

Here's another one - this one I borrowed from Richard's thread because like Richard, I like the prompts (and I kept his modifications). All books from 2020 reads except the first two and #10, I think.

1. Name any book you read at any time that was published in the year you turned 18:
Matilda by Roald Dahl
2. Name a book you have on in your TBR pile that is over 500 pages long:
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart
3. What is the last book you read with a mostly blue cover?
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
4. What is the last book you didn’t finish (and why didn’t you finish it?)
Dyed Red Hair by Kostas Mourselas - not the right book at the time I attempted it.
5. What is the last book that scared the bejeebers out of you?
Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
6. Name the book that read either this year or last year that takes place geographically closest to where you live? Art in America - set in Creedemore, CO as a thinly disguised Creede, CO, which is about 160 miles away.
7.What were the topics of the last two nonfiction books you read?
Listening, and a memoir about growing up in London.
8. Name a recent book you read which could be considered a popular book?
So You Want to Talk About Race was a widely recommended book following the BLM protests this summer (and before). It was really good.
9. What was the last book you gave a rating of 5-stars to?
I don’t typically star. But my favorite books recently were the Murderbot books and The Planter of Modern Life.
10. Name a book you read that led you to specifically to read another book (and what was the other book, and what was the connection)
I read Just Kids after reading Dear Fahrenheit 451.
11. Name the author you have most recently become infatuated with.
Jason Reynolds
12. What is the setting of the first novel you read this year?
Washington, DC and London (with some Texas thrown in).
13. What is the last book you read, fiction or nonfiction, that featured a war in some way (and what war was it)?
The Planter of Modern Life - WWII
14. What was the last book you acquired or borrowed based on an LTer’s review or casual recommendation? And who was the LTer, if you care to say.
Network Effect - Murderbot was recommended by so many LTers!
15. What the last book you read that involved the future in some way?
Remarkables by Margaret Peterson Haddix
16. Name the last book you read that featured a body of water, river, marsh, or significant rainfall?
Show Me A Sign - the book is set on Martha’s Vineyard and some action takes place in/on the Atlantic ocean
17. What is last book you read by an author from the Southern Hemisphere?
Sabriel by Garth Nix
18. What is the last book you read that you thought had a terrible cover?
Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult - terrific book, not so wild about the cover.
19. Who was the most recent dead author you read? And what year did they die?
Ivan Doig, who died in 2015 and is much missed.
20. What was the last children’s book (not YA) you read?
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte. I’m an elementary school librarian so I read children’s books all the time!
21. What was the name of the detective or crime-solver in the most recent crime novel you read?
Erica Coleman and Jeremy Gorecki from The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
22. What was the shortest book of any kind you’ve read so far this year?
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo - 128 pages
23. Name the last book that you struggled with (and what do you think was behind the struggle?)
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. Can’t really say why… I think I was out of spirits.
24. What is the most recent book you added to your library here on LT?
The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
25. Name a book you read this year that had a visual component (i.e. illustrations, photos, art, comics)
White Bird by R.J. Palacio
26. What is the title and year of the oldest book you have reviewed on LT in 2020?
Not counting Jane Austen rereads: Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim, 1898

>24 AMQS: I love your meme answers!

Best wishes for a better 2021!

>24 AMQS: "The Suite Peas" - I love it!! And how cool that you're all still close. I love that, too.

Hope 2021 is kind to you!

Hi Anne! I haven't followed your thread before but had to stop by when I read that you have a greyhound in your introductions post. We have three -- one who raced, and two two-year-olds who never saw the track. And surprise, you also have great taste in books :) Looking forward to keeping up with you in 2021!

Hi Anne!! New Year's Eve and we're all more than ready for 2021 I think. I hope you have a good year with a new hip, Marina happily at school, Stellos with less pain from his accident and a better relationship with Celia. Stay safe, stay well and be happy.

Hi Anne, I can't say it any better than Reba did. Best wishes to you and your family for 2021. I look forward to chatting about books and reading with you.

>26 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie! Some categories are hard to fill but I discovered there were many aptly named books in 2020...

>27 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana - it's nice to see you!

>28 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. We definitely treasure it. Our whole-group Zooms have been wonderful! We're planning to keep them going quarterly.

>29 ChelleBearss: Me too, Chelle. 2020 was rough. Best wishes to your lovely family in 2021!

>30 curioussquared: Hi Natalie! Thanks for stopping by! Three greyhounds! They're awesome, aren't they? Our Whistler is getting older and lives a pretty quiet life these days. I looked for your thread but didn't see one yet. I'll stop by when you have it set up.

>31 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, thank you. I'm a little nervous pinning so many hopes on 2021, but I have to think things will start looking up! I hope you love your new life in WA and the closeness to family it will bring. I definitely have bookshelf envy from the picture Roni shared.

>32 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura! Chatting about books and reading with friends is something to be treasured, isn't it?

Happy reading in 2021, Anne!

>24 AMQS: I had two answers the same :-)

Thanks, Anita! Which answers are the same? I didn’t see the meme on your thread.

Happy new thread, Anne. Wishing you a year full of good reads and a short wait for hip surgery.

>23 AMQS: yes, born with it. Hip dysplasia not picked up til I was a late and not proficient crawler :) Too late then to do other interventions, and even the surgery I had as an 18-month old didn't 'stick'.

>25 AMQS: 10. Name a book you read that led you to specifically to read another book (and what was the other book, and what was the connection)
I read Just Kids after reading Dear Fahrenheit 451.

What did Dear Fahrenheit 451 have to do with Patti Smith? Sidenote- Patti Smith was meant to tour here last April, she is scheduled to return this April, but we will see how that pans out. I still have my tickets though!

I often go on a reading conga line of books....I had a glut of mountaineering (mainly Everest) books this last year. Reading on themes is one thing, but I love it when a book directly leads to another.

And keep up with my friends here, Anne. Have a great 2021.

>35 AMQS: The two by Katherine Arden, Anne.
The meme is on my last 2020 thread link to the meme.

Happy New Thread, Anne. Happy New Year! Glad we are turning the page on that one. I love your toppers and I sure hope we can see more of you in 2021.

Happy New Year, Anne. I love your word cloud! I hope 2021 brings you a new hip. As always, I will follow your suggestions and add to Scout's to-read list. She is reading now! In both Spanish and English. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She is also writing books, which are hilarious. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be reading her books.

Happy new year! I am hoping for your new hip! Mine made such a difference last year. I was using a walker by the end and found it easier on my whole body.

>37 LovingLit: My hip displasia was treated early. I spent my first 18 months in a cast. Maybe that helped me get to 57 before my hip fell apart. They were able to lengthen the leg in surgery. It is almost perfect.

>36 MickyFine: Thank you, Micky! I'm planning to call on Monday to see if hospitals are even scheduling. Until recently I had been thinking to "save" the surgery for a school break so I don't have to miss so much school (and take so much leave) but I really don't think I can wait until summer.

>37 LovingLit: Ooh, surgery at 18 months old... that makes me so sad! I guess the important thing is that you're comfortable now, even if it was a long road to get there.
What did Dear Fahrenheit 451 have to do with Patti Smith? Oops - forgot that part. Dear Fahrenheit 451 is written by a librarian as a love letter to various books she's read and loved (and in some cases didn't love) over the course of her life, so this answer was probably cheating, being a book about books. Just Kids was recommended a few times in the book, and I hadn't heard of it before. I did know who Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe were, but I didn't know their story and it was just as wonderful as the book said it would be and was a top read for me the year I read it. I listened to it, actually, read by Patti Smith. It was outstanding. As she quotes someone in the book talking about her: you talk like a trucker but you write like an angel.

I hope she reschedules and that you can go!

>38 PaulCranswick: I hope so, Paul, thank you.

>39 FAMeulstee: So we did, Anita! I like your list. I also read Little Fires Everywhere last year and thought about using it as an answer in there somewhere. 2020 felt exactly like that. I am also reading The Trouble with Goats and Sheep now as it is an upcoming book club selection. Did you like it?

>40 msf59: Thank you, Mark, me too!

>41 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! Oh my goodness, Scout is growing up so fast! I am envious that she is growing up bilingual also. I would not be a bit surprised if we are reading her books someday.

>42 witchyrichy: Oh, Karen! The cane has made a difference but it is frustrating how much less I can do, carry, etc while using it. I hope it doesn't come to needing a walker, though I understand it may help. Were you the one who warned me off cortisone shots? I did get one in September. My practice had been pushing for one and I had never wanted to but desperate times, etc. It was amazing for almost 3 weeks. When I consulted a hip replacement surgeon he said I should not get another one since each successive one wears off faster than the previous ones. Ugh.

Love those good dogs!

Happy New Year, Anne! I seem to be following you around the threads today. It's been a while since I've been posting at all and I hope to change that this year.
Best wishes for 2021!

Happy New Year!! Good luck with the whole hip thing--what a pain, literally. Love your meme answers, especially: Describe where you currently live: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and What do you want from 2021? Patience and Fortitude. Here's wishing you lots of great books, happiness and health.

>44 AMQS: The Trouble with Goats and Sheep was a good read, Anne, but not a memorable read. Maybe it works better for you, most on LT liked it better than I did.

Happy New Year, Anne! and fingers crossed that you can get that new hip soon. I know it has made a world of difference for many friends of mine.

>45 AnneDC: Hi Anne, and Happy New Year! I have not been as frequent a visitor as I would have liked over the past few years - and every year I try to do better. I'm glad you're here! Happy reading.

>46 Berly: Kim, thank you! Some years the titles align really well for the meme! I'm so glad you came by.

>47 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita, for your insights. I listened to Joanna Cannon's Three Things About Elsie last year. I think we chose Goats and Sheep because we were trying to come up with lighter but not fluffier fare for our season's reads - real life being heavy enough!

>48 ffortsa: Thank you, Judy! I hear that a lot (along with "what did I wait for?") so I am hopeful. I think in my case the timing was bad, as with people wanting to get married, graduate from high school, and a million other things people have had to miss. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

Beautiful topper photos

>23 AMQS: >37 LovingLit: I had never heard of hip dysplasia in humans until my 17 year-old granddaughter was diagnosed a couple of months ago. She was scheduled for a major surgery to correct it all in one hip on Dec. 14 and then Covid got bad in San Diego and they cancelled all elective surgeries so now she's on hold. She will also have to go through the whole thing again within the next three years on the other side. I do know several people who have had hip replacements and those did wonders and were relatively quickly restored. Here's trusting you're having a replacement that will give you as much relief as easily as my knee replacements did for me.

Dropping off my and wishing you the best of new years in 2021!

>50 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! Happy New Year and thanks for stopping by!

>51 RebaRelishesReading: Oh Reba, your poor granddaughter! I hope that she can get rescheduled soon. I think it would be hard to have to go back and do the second one. My left hip is just fine - it's only my right that's giving me problems. I have heard from my mom that I had hip problems as a baby and I remember wearing the brace (to correct pigeon-toe) but by the time we moved to Colorado when I was 6 I didn't wear it anymore and I didn't have any problems until maybe about 5 years ago. The hip has progressively gotten worse, and there's even a chunk of bone broken off and in the mix there. Two years ago I had hernia surgery in the same neighborhood and thought Hooray! This is probably it! But no. It's the hip and now it's bad (arthritis). I'm planning to call next week and see if hospitals are scheduling. COVID rates have been declining a bit in CO.

>52 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, Happy New Year and thanks for the fancy star! It will be a year of new beginnings for you and I'll be thinking about you every step of the way.

>53 AMQS: Just one more reason to hope Covid rates go down. "Bone broken off" sounds totally awful (shudder). Thinking of you!

1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

This book is a favorite of both of my girls that I have been meaning to read for a long, long time (you know how that goes). Marina recently reread it and when I asked her to help me pick out my next book she chose this one and I am very glad. What a clever, touching, magical story whose language positively sings. Valente pulls in elements of Narnia, Oz, Persephone, Grimm, and more while telling of September's quest in Fairyland. Very enjoyable.

For my LT friends who have read these: are the sequels as good?

>54 RebaRelishesReading: Well, my hip definitely started hurting more once I knew about that! It's funny what your brain does, and I can see why they say that ignorance is bliss. The first time I consulted an orthopedist about my hip was about a year and a half ago and he found that wayward chunk in an x-ray along with arthritic degeneration. We went to Germany shortly after that and I did surprisingly well with all of the walking. But the orthopedist told me I'd need a new hip in 1-4 years and he was right.

Sorry to read about all the pain, I do hope the operation provides the solution you are looking for.

I'll be following along in 2021, and thank you for all the amazing children's recommendations to date, I really value them.

Happy New Year, Anne!

>55 AMQS: Ooof, I keep meaning to read that one and then forgetting about it again! I'm glad to see that you liked it.

>55 AMQS: It's been a few years since I read the series but as I recall, while the first book is definitely the best, the whole series is thoroughly enjoyable.

>57 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte. From all accounts it should, so fingers crossed. I read tons of children's literature and I'm so happy I can help! One of the perks of being a children's librarian. Happy New Year!

>58 norabelle414: Thank you, Nora, and to you as well!

>59 scaifea: I enjoyed it a lot, Amber. I may look for the other books at the library. I think Marina would get a kick out of reading them. As much as she loved the book, I don't think she's read any of the others.

>60 MickyFine: Good to know, Micky, thanks!

Oh Anne, it’s painful just reading about your hip issues. I’m so sorry you’re going through that and I hope you can get something scheduled soon. At least our health care workers have started getting vaccinated. I’m happy Marina will get to experience campus life for a little while anyway. Fingers all crossed for the fall semester.

>4 AMQS: When All is Said, Becoming, This is the Place, and Last Bus to Wisdom were all so good. I need to check out Clap When You Land. I loved The Poet X.

And I loved your Suite Peas Story!

>55 AMQS: One of my colleague's daughter loves these books. I'll have to give at least the first one a try.

>55 AMQS: It has been some time, but I think I read the first two books in the series and have been meaning to read the rest. I remember liking the first book better than the second.

>62 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! Thanks for your well wishes. I've heard a few times that teachers are supposed to be in the next wave, but I'm also hearing that the first wave isn't proceeding as quickly as it should. We'll see.

After loving Clap When You Land I've been wanting to read The Poet X.

>63 BLBera: Hi Beth, I think you'll like it! Definitely worth a read, and I wonder if you'll see some of Scout in September.

>64 jayde1599: Thanks, Jess! That's often how it is, right? I looked for the series on audio through my library system but no luck. I'm sure I'll cross paths with the other books at some point. Thanks for stopping by!

I am back to school tomorrow (Monday) and I am not at all ready. I know I shouldn't complain as most adults do not get school breaks, but this one is shorter than most years and of all years I definitely need longer. We'll start January with remote-only learning, which I think is smart - let everyone come back from wherever they were and get sick (or hopefully not) before we put kids back together in schools. The plan is for students to return to in-person learning on January 19 if COVID rates allow it. Colorado has been doing pretty well lately (which makes me hopeful for a hip replacement). My mom is supposed to fly back to Germany, where she lives and works, on Wednesday but is nervous. Many European countries are restricting UK travelers because of the new, more contagious variant of the virus, which has also appeared in Colorado. She's hoping she can get back before Germany bars Americans also. I mean, they pretty much are anyway, but she does reside and work there and should be able to get home. Fingers crossed.

After I get caught up on LT I'm going to click the PURCHASE button on a $1,100 book order for my school. My budget has taken a hit this year, but I wasn't able to spend all of my budget last year after schools went remote in March and so I need to spend AND I get to order $1,100 worth of books! That just doesn't happen in my personal life, but is definitely a perk of my professional life!

Here's a photo of "the boys:" The greyhound is Whistler and the kitty is our newest family member Win (short for Winslow, though Winnipeg seems to be the name we use most often). Win has the cutest stripy tail - you can sort of see it at the bottom of the picture. Normally Whistler is not great about sharing, but he and Win are pals (I'm not sure Whistler has ever noticed that we also have another cat, and have for 7 years :)

Couldn't resist a couple more: Win "playing" Bananagrams, and Win and Maya sharing a windowsill (sharing is rare).

Happy New Year, Anne!

As a veteran of two hip replacements, I can tell you they're a godsend. You won't believe what a difference it makes. Just be sure to do everything they say, before and after. There are strengthening exercises you can do before, and the rehab afterward is critical. The ones who have problems later are the coach potatoes who don't do what they were supposed to.

>55 AMQS: The sequels are not *quite* as good, no, but mostly because the joke's been told...we know what we're dealing with. They are satisfying reads and you won't be sorry you've read them.

But maybe this summer for #2.

>66 AMQS: *vibrates with Day-Glo orange jealousy and loathing*

>68 AMQS: I laughed out loud when I saw the image of the cat playing a game!

All good wishes to you for a wonderful 2021.

I am sorry to learn about your hip. I suffer from severe degenerate disk disease...

I imagine, you, like me try to make the best of living in pain.

>69 jnwelch: Good to know, Joe! Yes, my mother-in-law is a case of replacement problems. In her case she had both knees done, but she does not like to move and does like to sit on the couch and watch TV all day and effectively cannot walk. My surgeon said he often won't prescribe PT after this surgery but I was adamant that I wanted it (I'm sure I don't even know how to walk normally anymore) so he said he's all for it if I am.

>70 richardderus: LOL Richard, I assume for my large book order? Yes, it is definitely a perk! I remember placing my first order when I was a baby librarian and feeling sick to be spending so much money. I've gotten over it. I am so incredibly fortunate to have such a generous community because I am 100% self-funded (no budget from the school/principal). Even with my budget taking a bit hit I can still afford to do this (and will order again in spring). My school is also very small, so I am fortunate indeed.

>71 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Well just after that picture was taken he batted the tile clean off the table and it got stuck in a heating vent cover. Fortunately it did not go all the way down into the ductwork, but we needed a screwdriver to retrieve it, and it was a U, which any Bananagrams player can tell you is a letter you can't afford to lose!

I'm really sorry about your disk disease - yikes! Yes, I am learning to live with pain, but mine *should* only need to be endured until I can have surgery. Is there any kind of remedy for yours? Is there anything you have found that relieves your pain?

Love the pet photos! And they say greyhounds and cats shouldn't mix ... pshaw.

>68 AMQS: Smart kitty! And I'm glad your reading year got off to such a good start!

>68 AMQS: My cats enjoy playing Yahtzee.

>67 AMQS: Whistler is gorgeous! And so good with his kitty siblings :) a cat would... not last long in our house. All of our boys have notations on their paperwork for not just not being cat-safe, but intensely not cat-safe. But Tim is allergic anyway, so no loss. Now if only I could get them to stop trying to chase squirrels on walks...

Anne, sorry you have to go back to work tomorrow. Whoa to the book purchase - that is awesome.

I love the photos of Win, Maya, and Whistler. What a handsome group you've got there.

My husband Craig had a hip replacement years ago, and I could not believe the difference it made right from the start. Even with the surgery and the rehab, he felt such relief to have the other constant pain gone. He was a new person. Hoping you can get scheduled for it soon.

>67 AMQS: >68 AMQS: There can never be too many pictures of Whistler, Anne! He's such a sweetie. And is it my imagination or does Winslow/Winnipeg bear a striking resemblance to Joanne's Boomer? Is there a standard-issue Colorado cat? :-)

>74 lauralkeet: Right? Some greyhounds do have a strong chase instinct. Whistler used to for the many bunnies we see on our walks, and it took months of training to tame it (after fearing he'd tear our arms off). But when we've encountered cats on our walk - especially on leashes, it makes him super mad!

>75 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie!

>76 thornton37814: LOL I'll bet they do, Lori:)

>77 curioussquared: Yeah, it took us a long time to improve the chase behavior on walks. He's always been very good with our cats, and truly I think he isn't aware that Maya exists except that she enjoys smelling his eyeballs when he's on his bed. She gets too close and he'll growl. Maya likes it that way but will occasionally swat at him when he goes by (Whistler doesn't notice). Win on the other hand is fascinated by Whistler and it seems to be mutual. Whistler has been having seizures for the past few months which are awful. After he's stopped the spasms he is extremely anxious and cannot see or hear for some time. Win gets really upset and pets him, hugs him, and turns on the charm by rolling around. It's a sweet diversion in a stressful time.

>78 Crazymamie: Mamie, I got the best surprise!! The district dates were really ambiguous but my principal cleared it up with an email: I go back to work on Tuesday!! It's like Christmas all over.

I'm so glad to hear about your husband's success - that seems to be the case with hips and I'm so glad!

>79 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! And LOL he does look a bit like Boomer, except that Boomer has some white, while Win is all gray except for black rings around his tail like a lemur. According to his adoption records he was born in Texas. Whistler came from Texas, too - that's where he raced. So Maya is the only native Coloradan pet:)

Are you going to have a 75-book challenge thread this year?

>67 AMQS: Aw! Handsome Whistler! And grey cats are the best - welcome Win! Sorry Maya...Siamese are great, too. Skye doesn’t trust Boomer enough to share a bed (Skye warms up the bed for Boomer and leaves when she comes upstairs. We have two large dog beds in the bedroom so they both have a place to sleep. And yes, there’s an empty cat bed, too.).

>79 rosalita: Lol, Julia! I was actually thinking the same thing when Anne mentioned Win’s tail. My Boomer is a grey tuxedo, but she also has a faintly black striped tail. She is a Colorado native, though - bred in Denver, born in Conifer (mom was a Denver stray brought to a foothills shelter).

Good luck with your school restart - Monday really does seem too soon, but at least it’s starting off remote.

>80 AMQS: I won't have a thread in the 75ers group but I've set up shop this year over in the ROOTs (Read Our Own Tomes) group. You can find me here if you'd like to drop by: https://www.librarything.com/topic/327897

Aw, I love the pet photos! Thanks for sharing. And good luck with the back-to-school business; I hope it goes smoothly for you. Also yay for book buying!! When I was volunteering every day in Charlie's grade school library, the librarian would wait for me to come in before unboxing new books so we could do it together. Soooo much fun.

Spend that money wisely, Anne! I always love it when our librarian emails us and tells us to request books because she has to spend what's left in her budget! That is a perk.

Love the pet photos.

Good luck being back in school. Our classes start on Jan. 11, but I have a lot to do to get ready, so I'm off to school today as well.

Hooray for an extra day off, Anne! That is a lovely surprise.

Love your pet photos, Anne. Win looks like an excellent addition to the crew.

Enjoy submitting your book order. Because I work for a large urban library system my budget is... bigger. Let's just say I could buy a car every month with what I spend on print books, never mind all the other formats.

>81 Copperskye: They are the best, aren't they? Win is so much fun, and a wonderful diversion for Marina. They're going to miss each other when Marina goes to school. We have two dog beds for Whistler but have found that cats will sleep where they want:)

My principal sent a clarifying email last night because the district calendar was ambiguous and I have an extra day! So I start tomorrow and students on Wednesday. I'm very glad to have one more day and very glad to be starting remotely.

>82 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! I think I've done the ROOT challenge at least one year, but I usually begin the year with a lot of ambition and then fall behind as school gets going. I'll come visit.

>83 scaifea: Amber, the day those boxes show up is a good one, isn't it?

>84 BLBera: I try, Beth. It takes so long because I pour over School Library Journal and the professional reviews in Titlewave, plus go over the recommendations of our Select Book Committee. I will likely have some extra budget to use up this year so I will go to teachers and get input about replacing some of the aging and decrepit book sets we have, although teachers are not always up on new stuff and would likely request the old stuff from the 70s anyway.

Hope you have a good term, Beth. Are you in-person?

>85 Crazymamie: Mamie, I was so excited!!

>86 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Everyone thinks so except for Maya. Her life has been decidedly less peaceful since he came along.

That's so awesome, Micky, and makes me really appreciate my library system (I just visited today). When we started quarantine I really wanted to listen to Persuasion and they no longer had the digital audiobook I had listened to before. I emailed to ask about getting it and they happily filled my request within a day or so.

I hope you're enjoying your Bonus Day, Anne!

>44 AMQS: I wasn't the one who warned you about cortisone...someone on my thread, I think. I did get a shot but even as he gave it to me, my doctor was scheduling the replacement. It helped a little but was not the miracle I was expecting.

>67 AMQS: >68 AMQS: Great pictures of the pets! Mine are snoozing around me right now in the lull before dinner.

Clap When You Land is on my TBR list.

Hope your first day back wasn't too bad. I think most of our schools here in Virginia are going remote as the surge continues. Stay safe.

Hi Anne. I totally appreciate wanting to leave 2020 behind. Happy New Year to you and your family and best wishes for a happy, healthy and less stressful 2021. Very sorry to read about the arthritis. I have all my body parts crossed for your hip replacement surgery and quick recovery.

>67 AMQS: - What a lovely photo!

>68 AMQS: - .... and that is sooooooo cat behaviour! (Oooohhh... must bat at and flip it around because it could be alive) ;-)

>88 katiekrug: Alas, Katie it was but one day and it went fast.

>89 witchyrichy: I don't know if I can call mine a miracle either, and definitely not when it wore off so fast.

We are also beginning remotely. We're remote until January 19, when elementary students will return to in-person learning if COVID conditions allow it. Then middle and high school students will return (to their hybrid model) in February, I think.

>90 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori! I have had a couple of bad nights, so I'm going to medicate tonight (I hate doing that) and my husband has procured me some CBD/THC bath bombs that I look forward to trying. Probably not tonight, as it is my mom's last night before she returns to Germany, but tomorrow night you can find me blissed out in the bath!

Win attacks everything that moves and plenty that doesn't. One cannot be too careful :)

>91 AMQS: I know the COVID task force met via one of the electronic platforms yesterday on our campus. No idea if they changed what we are doing or not in light of our governor's suggestions. He doesn't ever issue mandates. I guess we'll see.

I will be teaching in person, Anne. I feel very safe with all of the precautions.

Best wishes going back to school, Anne. It's been quite a... well, 10 months, I guess. Still a lot of confusion and trying our best in working with state and local requirements while we all wait for our turn for vaccination.

>92 thornton37814: Hope all goes well, Lori.

>93 BLBera: I'm glad you feel safe, Beth. Things don't feel so safe in elementary. The kids are just young. It's hard to keep them apart, and to keep our distance. Most kids are great about their masks, but we have some who will stuff the whole thing into their mouths, etc. We do a lot of cleaning. Still, I felt pretty good about teaching in person in the fall. As things started to get really bad here I had to quarantine due to a positive student (who was actually sick) and by the time I came out of quarantine we were remote.

>94 bell7: It has been quite a 10 months, hasn't it? Ugh. Stay safe, Mary.

2. The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

I did a hybrid print-audio read of this book (print, mostly; the audiobook was narrated by Paula Wilcox). Two girls investigate the disappearance of a neighbor and the neighborhood slowly gives up its dark secrets. I thought this was a cleverly told mystery but I have a few reservations. For one thing, I suggested it for my book club because we were looking for lighter fare. The book and its blurbs give off "lighter fare" vibes (it's tricky sometimes to find light but not lite), but I found the book to be very melancholy and the secrets of the neighborhood weighed heavily on my spirits. It was an interesting choice to have the book narrated in part by a 10 year-old girl, and I'm not sure she was actually the best one for the job, though children are often in the best place to make somber observations about adults.

I don't typically give stars. I find I need a little distance from the reads to be objective enough to give them. But this is one to which I could unequivocally give 3.5 stars.

Question: how do you feel about the narrative in books shifting between people and time periods?

>96 AMQS: Hi Anne! I have mixed feelings about shifting narratives. I like it when it's done well, but many authors don't do it well. I read a fair number of dual narrative books (one current and one historical timeline), and it seems like it's tricky to get both narrative threads to reach their climax at the same time. If they don't, the book seems uneven.

>96 AMQS: >97 cbl_tn: I also have mixed feelings. I think it is harder when listening to narrated books if the same narrator does both narratives. And it is tricky to keep the timelines together, I think, as well. I'm trying to think of an example that was done well...

>96 AMQS: >97 cbl_tn: I think shifting narratives are very, very hard to do well, and most authors who try it don't totally succeed. I agree with Carrie about the problem of getting two timelines to reach their climax at the same time.

Another problem I encounter a lot that irritates me is when one of the narratives is clearly more interesting and compelling than the other one, so that every time the author shifts away to the lesser narrative the reader just feels annoyed that they are being forced to read something that's less interesting. That problem is exacerbated when the author gives equal weight/space to multiple narratives when one of them just doesn't have enough material to justify taking up that much of the book.

Hi Anne - I think I wouldn't feel safe with elementary kids, either. My daughter frequently mentions the fact that they can't social distance... Anyway, stay safe.

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep sounds interesting. I'm with >99 rosalita: Julia about shifting narratives, but I'd give this one a try.

>97 cbl_tn:, >98 witchyrichy:, >99 rosalita:, >100 BLBera: Hi Carrie, Karen, Julia, and Beth! I think you've all hit the nail on the head. There are so many books with shifting narratives, but sometimes it's hard to get it right. I think what felt off to me with The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is that it alternated between a child telling the story in the first person and third-person narration. And the child-narrator never made a lot of sense to me.

>100 BLBera: I'm back with in-person students tomorrow. I felt okay about it in the fall - a bit worrisome with the newer, more contagious strains going around.

3. Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents by Jane Isay

I've never been one for self-help books, but after 21 years of loving closeness with my daughter, events of last year and the estrangement was a complete, heartbreaking shock to my husband and me. Things are getting better between us, but we do still struggle to process it all and heal. And I'm finding I need all the support I can get. Which this book did not really provide other than this advice: keep your door open and your mouth shut.

The "Navigating" part of the title is kind of misleading, since the book is pretty much all anecdotal stories rather than a navigation guide. I guess it's good to see that we're not the only ones who find the 20s to be the most difficult parenting years, after easy teenage and even toddler years.

>102 AMQS: I empathize with the maddening liminal space between parenting actively and passively.

Most. Definitely.

>103 richardderus: Thank you, Richard. It has been a terrible few months for us, and everything happened completely out of the blue, with us powerless to do anything. Any words of wisdom from someone who has been through it?

>104 AMQS: As little as it sounds like it will help: Believe in your skills.

Everything that is happening, however insanely idiotically destructive it seems right now, will work out because they're running the software that you installed.

It won't look one single thing like you expected it to. But it will work out.

(Mine's about to be 41.)

>105 richardderus: Richard, thank you. Others have told me the same. It is really hard to take the long view when the here and now is so awful. But your words are a comfort and I am grateful.

4. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

Erin Entrada Kelly has become one of my favorite authors for middle grade readers. This latest is just achingly good. Told in turns by three siblings, each of whom separately reach a low place when they wonder what is even the point of anything. I think most adults have felt that way at some point in their lives, but it is so hard to see it in kids, and when teachers see it it is heartbreaking.

The book is set in January, 1986. Cash, the oldest sibling, is in danger of flunking 7th grade again. He struggles in school and lives and breathes basketball but isn't good enough to remain on his middle school team, even if he did have the grades to be eligible. His friendships are shaky as his cohort becomes obsessed with girls and take digs at Cash about how close they are to being done with middle school. Cash feels like he is rubbish at everything and wonders what is even the point of anything.

Fitch and Bird are 12 year-old twins, now in the same grade as their older brother. Fitch is video-arcade obsessed. He reminds me of my brother back then, when quarters were gold and any favor could be bought with one. Fitch has this frustration and rage that burst forth from him, causing him to deeply hurt people around him, and the guilt of that rage is crushing him. He wonders what is even the point of anything. Bird is one of those quirky oddball kids who is super smart and and always on the periphery of the in crowd. She is an engineer at heart, living to take things apart and create detailed schematics of machine insides with explanations of how things work. She thinks of her family as a broken machine, and it really is. Her parents' relationship has deteriorated into a toxic cloud that poisons the atmosphere. Her dad resents her mom for going back to school and putting the family into debt, and since she is now working full time she resents their previously accepted gender roles where she does all of the domestic work. Bird hears her father snark at her mother not to "ruin" Bird with feminism and her mother tells Bird not to eat the sugary cereals her brothers do because she won't be skinny forever. This family's disfunction is so real. But they keep ticking along because unnoticed, Bird is the piece that keeps the machine running.

Until... a special science teacher brings the excitement and pride of the imminent Challenger launch (with the historic addition of a teacher to the crew) to her classroom. Bird is captivated. She has conversations in her head with engineer and astronaut Judith Resnick, dreams of becoming the first female shuttle commander, and wins a spot to watch the launch live by writing an essay. Anyone who lived through this knows what's coming, and when it does, Bird is shattered, and wonders what is even the point of anything. Bird's brothers, who rarely even notice Bird, do notice, and reach out in the sweetest and most touching way.

I highly recommend anything written by Erin Entrada Kelly. This one is really special.

5. The Switch by Beth O'Leary, audiobook narrated by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman

This one is fun, and it was terrific on audio with those outstanding narrators. Hard-charging Leena suffers an anxiety attack during a high-pressure presentation for a client. She is forced to take two months off, which she resists, but truly Leena needs the time off. She pushes herself professionally at a time when she and her mother are estranged and both are desperately grieving the death of Leena's sister Carla. Leena goes to visit her grandmother in a charming Yorkshire village. Leena's grandfather had recently walked out on his wife, though he isn't missed unless a jar needs opening. Eileen is interested in finding love again, but eligible men of the right age are scarce in the village. Leena proposes a swap. She will stay in the village and live the country life, taking care of grandma's projects, and Eileen will stay in Leena's flat in London to have the adventure she dreamed of as a young woman before pregnancy and an unhappy marriage derailed her dreams. Both are complete fish out of water and unhappy for a time, but both find a way and make their mark in their respective new environments. At the book's heart is the championing of connection and community. In London there is too little of it, with people isolated and unhappy. In the village, people tend to be nosy and in each other's business, but when real problems arise, they are loathe to interfere when support might be desperately needed. The book also takes an honest look at grief. I really enjoyed it.

In other news... Marina is moving in to her dorm in central PA today. I had my cry when she and Stelios drove away on Sunday. Stelios is struggling today. It feels wrong to drive away from your child. But her stay will be short - only half of the semester, and she really, really deserves to have at least a taste of the college experience.

I also scheduled my hip replacement surgery at long last! Now that it's scheduled I'm a bit scared. It was easy enough to face when it was a "one day" thing but now it's real. Also real: having to write 5 weeks of sub plans. Ugh. Still, that's definitely a light to look forward to.

>109 AMQS: Of course it is scary when it comes near, Anne. When is it planned?

>110 FAMeulstee: February 23 OMG SOOOOOOOO much to do at school before then!

>111 AMQS: ((((hugs))))

It's so great you finally have a date for your hip replacement, Anne, but I can't imagine having to do sub plans for all that time!

Hugs for Marina. No advice about C. Things will get better; I've gone through patchy times with my daughter as well, and the "Keep the door open and your mouth shut," is good advice, but SO hard to follow.

The Switch sounds like fun. I enjoyed The Flatshare by the same author. I will add Erin Estrada Kelly to my list for Scout.

She recently read Seaside Sanctuary books and has finished the series. The problem with longer books is that she still wants to read the whole thing in one sitting!

I want to get to both of O'Leary's novels because I know I'll love them. Maybe this year as the holds queues may have tapered off by now.

Congrats on having a surgery date. I totally get the relief/anxiety of it all after my own experience last year. Is Stelios allowed in the hospital with you? When I had my surgery last year I had to go through it solo, which made it a little scarier, I'll admit. Hospital staff were amazing though and made me feel as comfortable as possible.

I'm glad your surgery is scheduled, Anne. Best wishes to Marina for her first term on campus. It's tough to set them free like that, but she'll be fine and you and Stelios will adapt. Hugs.

(((Anne))) I'm sure your hips surgery will go well and that you'll be very happy you did it even though the prospect is rather scary when you have a firm date coming up in a couple of weeks. You'll be fine.

I also love Richard's "they're running the soft ware you installed" -- He's right.

Here's another one (((Anne))) because no-one ever has too many hugs :)

YAY for your replacement surgery date!!

It's a lot to process, having a piece of you replaced with a metal part, but it *will* be such a huge relief not to have that particular bed-of-coals pain gone.

Hooray for the surgery date being finalized! Hope all the prep work you have to do leading up to it goes swimmingly.

*hugs*

I don't have any advice to add to the pile, but I'm thinking about you and yours. I get that you're nervous about the surgery, but I'm happy for you that you'll come out the other end on the road to less pain!

Hi Anne, I'm glad you have a surgery date coming up and won't have to wait much longer to have it. I know making sub plans is a lot of work, but when I was subbing I was so thankful for properly done lesson plans. It made all the difference in what kind of day I'd end up having. I'm also looking forward to The Switch when I get to it (soonish?), so nice to see your review and that you enjoyed it.

>112 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!

>113 BLBera: My girls had that problem also - reading books in one sitting. I used to accuse them of eating the books. But they always were (and still are) re-readers so I never had qualms about buying them, and we would bring boxes home from the friends of the library sales when we could get such good deals. Things are getting better with C, in that we are communicating and there has been a bit of a switch in that she is now talking to me more than to her dad, as it used to be. I'm glad for it, but it is still hard - both keeping my mouth shut and engaging "normally" when I have this huge cloud of hurt hanging over me that we can't talk about yet. But still, it's better. Much better.

>114 MickyFine: Micky, I think you will love them. And the good thing about books is that they're always there whenever you're ready! I listened to both on audio and both were terrific on audio.
Not sure if Stelios will be allowed to be with me. My guess is no, but I'll have to wait and find out. We live within walking distance of the hospital (though I have been told NOT to walk there:) so he is very close if I need anything or when I am ready to be discharged.

>115 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. She seems very happy already and has been more than ready for months. It seems that her school is doing everything it can to make the experience a good one even though it is far from "normal."

>116 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba. I have heard from pretty much everyone who has had a hip replaced that I will be so glad I did it. I had pretty minor hernia surgery just over 2 years ago, and the whole prep part was scary and I vowed to Stelios that I would never have surgery again. So much for that vow. I know I will be in good hands, but I can't help feeling nervous.

It does help to think of installing software. Many people have told me that she IS still the smart, independent girl I raised and she will get through this. It seems impossible now because we're still hurting and still can't understand her decisions (and how she made them) but it is a comfort to hear that from so many people, so thank you. And I can never have enough hugs, that is for sure! I've always been a hugger. One of the perks of working with elementary aged kids, though this year of elbow bumps doesn't feel right.

>117 richardderus: Thanks, Richard, and bed-of-coals is exactly it. Nighttime is the worst. The pain can be so bad I feel crazed. So I am definitely looking forward to having that behind me.

>118 bell7: Thank you, Mary! I'm a little overwhelmed but work in an extremely supportive school with a very supportive community (you should see what I'm having for dinner... a local restaurant with community support is providing a full-gourmet dinner with cake and wine to all staff today) and have a very supportive husband who works from home and owns the business so he will definitely be there to help me.

>119 scaifea: Thank you, Amber - I so appreciate the hugs and support!

>120 aktakukac: Hi Rachel! Yes, sub plans are a pain, but I am so lucky that my library para has her sub license. She knows the kids, knows my instructional style, already has teacher access to Google Classrooms. As big as the writing sub plans job is, it is much easier than writing them for someone who isn't already in my classroom every day! So I guess I should not whine. I subbed for a few years also, and was always beyond grateful for thorough plans and prepared materials.
I really enjoyed The Switch. I think even a little more than The Flatshare which I enjoyed also. I think you'll really like it when you get to it.

Hi Anne! I'm glad you have the surgery date on the docket, though I definitely understand the trepidation. I'm glad you enjoyed The Switch -- I think I liked The Flatshare the teeniest bit more, but really I loved both of them. I read Erin Entrada Kelly's Hello, Universe and wasn't wow'ed -- have you read that one, and did you like this one more?

>122 curioussquared: Hi Natalie! I enjoyed Hello, Universe but like you, wasn't wowed. I think this last one (We Dream of Space) is my favorite of hers. I saw so much of some of my students in the characters, and I think that's because the family/parent problems are portrayed very well. I also loved You Go First and have had two teachers read it every year aloud to their classes. This summer I read Lalani of the Distant Sea which I enjoyed, though not as much as Space and You Go First. I just checked out The Land of Forgotten Girls (you can see I'm on a kick to read all of her work). Her first book, Blackbird Fly was a SLJ starred review but I think I passed on ordering it because it seemed too mature for my school (I have to make a judgment call on books recommended for 5th and up).

>123 AMQS: Awesome, thanks for the rundown! I might have to try We Dream of Space :)

>121 AMQS: And specifically your answer to Beth. Healing takes time and is best achieved in incremental steps. The bonds that tie are too sure than to ever be severed completely. You are such a good mom and she is a thoroughly decent young lady. Just takes time.

Good luck with the surgery. x

((((Anne))))

Hi Anne, I'm so glad to hear that your hip surgery has been scheduled. I'm sure there's plenty of pre-surgery anxiety, but it should be quite a relief when it's all over. Also glad that Marina has been able to go off and enjoy some college life. And nice for you to know she'll be back soon.

{{{Anne}}}

I am so glad you have scheduled your surgery and sending lot of healing and power your way! I was immediately better after mine and hope the same for you. And sorry about the sub plans: how about free choice reading for everyone??

>124 curioussquared: I think it's definitely worth a try, Natalie :) Editing to add that We Dream of Space was just announced as a Newbery Honor book!

>125 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I will trust to time.

>126 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, I sure can use hugs. I think we all can. ((((Roni))))

>127 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. I am living with pre-surgery anxiety (as well as the usual anxiety), but also the pre-surgery tasks. This surgeon uses a web portal that is a little daunting (Dr. Last Name needs you to check in with him today) but has a handy checklist of tasks to accomplish and things to consider, and is a very effective way to get questions answered, I discovered. I am looking forward to being on the other side of it.

>128 DianaNL: Thank you, ((((Diana)))) as I told Roni, I think we all could use the hugs and the care.

>129 witchyrichy: Free-choice reading would be my plans of choice every day if I could swing it, Karen! The way we've done our specials rotation this year is different and I have been able to make Fridays (and now Thursdays, or whichever day is the last of our week) be a "first chapter Friday" where I read aloud the first chapter of a book hoping to "hook" the students, and catch up day - students can use that time to complete assignments not done for me, or sometimes create new ones - I've been doing stop motion animation and they are all keen to do as many of them as they can. I encourage them to bring a book on those days and it is nice to end the week with some quiet reading time.

6. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson. I read this both in print and on audio. Outstanding audio narration by Jane Copland.

I was expecting a somber tale told by a nun in dark and wintry Iceland, and while it definitely was that, it was also an unexpected psychological thriller that I could not put down. Sister Johanna, an aging nun who lives a quiet life tending the rose garden at a convent in France is sent by Cardinal Raffin to Iceland to meet with a man who as a boy was involved in a scandal in a church school there twenty years earlier. Sister Johanna had also been in Iceland at that time, also at the behest of Raffin, investigating the abuse scandal involving the headmaster. Why Sister Johanna, unassuming French nun? Because Sister Johanna, nee Pauline, spoke Icelandic, and had long been an unwilling participant in a chilling, oppressive game of cat-and-mouse with Raffin. The narrative of Sister Johanna's return voyage to Iceland is interspersed with her complex memories of her university days in Paris, and the traumatic experience of the original investigation in Iceland. Also woven throughout is a long-running one-sided conversation with God in which Johanna ultimately looks to herself for meaning and judgment.

This was selected by my book club and I recommend it. After beginning it on audio I requested a print copy from the library. The shifts in time were confusing at first and I wanted the print copy to refer to and go back to clear some things up in my mind. But I ended up reading both - print when at home, audio in the car or when performing household chores.

>131 AMQS: Sold. Great way to tempt me.

Sending lots of good wishes for your op, and for a speedy recovery. I hate hospitals, they make me stressed, so have every sympathy.

>131 AMQS: I was 4.5*s happy with that read. Wow. I pulled some quotes for my review:

The path to truth lies amid the long winding passageways of the soul, where fear and hope do battle with each other.
–and–
It is not difficult to show kindness to those we love, or even to strangers who might be in distress; it is easy to show relative consideration. The real test comes when we must forgive those who have done us harm, show love to our enemy. It is a test of our faith, our strength of mind.
–and–
I regret nothing. Was I talking to her or to myself—or to you, who watch over us without mercy, waiting for us to sin? Was I comforting myself or declaring war on you? Who knows? And nor should you, I said, and walked out.

>131 AMQS: It arrived yesterday, and I read it in one great gulp, wonderful novel that completely distracted me after a very full on day. I see Richard has posted some highlight quotes from it too. Thank you again for recommending it.

>131 AMQS: BB for me.

Sending hugs your way to scare away the pre surgery jitters :)

>132 charl08:, >134 charl08: Wow, Charlotte, that was fast! Glad I got you and glad the book got you, too. I pressed it on my husband and this morning I saw that the bookmark was about 2/3 of the way through:) I will be having my surgery at a hospital that specializes in orthopedic procedures, but is on the campus of a more conventional hospital, so I suppose that is some comfort. It is very close to my house and I've heard from friends and acquaintances that they recommend it highly. That helps, but I'll be glad when it's behind me.

>133 richardderus: Richard, I find when I'm listening that quotes resonate with me, but by the time I am parked and can do anything about it they're no longer in my brain. The book is so fresh that I remember those, however. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.

>135 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita - I can definitely use the hugs. I hope you enjoy The Sacrament whenever it comes your way.

>131 AMQS: I enjoyed that one when I read it.

>96 AMQS: - >100 BLBera: Re: Shifting narratives...the one I just read went chapter by chapter over three characters, one character was speaking in first person, and the others not. I was intrigued and listened for it (it was an audiobook) but it didn't grate like I thought it probably should!

>111 AMQS: That is close! Congratulations...I mean that. Although I was not frightened in the least of my surgery, I get it that some people do fear the event. (I am maybe too trusting- as it turns out I should have feared the after care...I had a replacement and leg lengthening anda joint reconstruction so the post-op plan was v. different.)
I am sure yours will go smoothly and, once you are on the other side walking freely again, you will feel a tonne of relief. Hooray!

Sorry to hear also about strained family relationships :( I hold your family as my ideal parenting blueprint - so can only echo others' words here. It's tough! Hold tight, things will sort themselves out.

Hi Anne - Happy Friday!

The Sacrament sounds like a good one. Onto the WL it goes!

We're in February! You'll have a new hip soon.

Hi, Anne.

What a great review of We Dream of Space. I thumbed it.

I get your trepidation before your upcoming hip surgery. I've had both hips replaced, and I join Megan in what she says in >138 LovingLit:. To me, these replacements are a modern miracle. You'll end up feeling so much better when you're through it. Just do everything they say in rehab, and you'll be great.

Just thinking about you all, Anne. x

Missing you posting, Anne. Hope that all is well.

Well, it's not Feb 23 yet, so you must still be revving up rather than recovering.
I hope you have a smooth lead in to surgery. We are all pulling for you!

Sending all good thoughts out to you, Anne!! Wishing you well!

Hello dear friends, thank you so very much for your good wishes and support. I am so very grateful. I am recovering in the hospital and will likely go home tomorrow. I was so swamped with surgery prep and getting things all set for my leave at school that I haven’t had time to come visit but I promise once I’m settled at home and less foggy then I’ll respond to my visitors (thank you!) and post some reviews. Love to all!
xo

>145 AMQS: Good to hear, Anne! Sleep well, or as best you can.

Wonderful to hear you are on your recovery journey now! I bet you feel battered and bruised.

It sounds like you're recovering nicely, Anne. I'm sure it will be nice to be home again. Take care.

So glad to hear things went well, Anne! Best wishes for continued and speedy recovery.

Thanks for the update, Anne. I am glad everything went smoothly. I hope you are heading home today.

Oh yay! Here's hoping your recovery is swift and smooth, Anne.

Good to hear from you, Anne!

Here's to a speedy recovery, Anne. Do you notice pain relief?

Best wishes for your recovery and return home, Anne. I hope everything goes well.

Glad to hear it is OVER and now all you have to worry about is recovery, Anne!

I hope recovery is smooth sailing, Anne!

Glad to hear the surgery went smoothly, Anne. Hope you have smooth and quick recovery.

Thanks for letting us know you're past the surgery and doing well. Here's hoping for a very speedy recovery!

Glad everything went well.

>145 AMQS: Glad to hear that everything is going well, Anne!

Hope that your recovery goes well Anne, will be thinking of you.

Thank you to Lori, Megan, Beth, Joe, Paul, Joanne, Laura, Julia, Mark, Amber, Katie, Anne, Roni, Natalie, Micky, Reba, Anita, Rhian, and Charlotte for all of your good wishes. I'm just resting at home and focused on recovery, which like many surgeries is up and down, I think. Stelios is taking great care of me. I am walking with a walker when I can, and am able to dress myself and get up and down stairs with help. It's a start, though as Megan suggests, I do feel battered and bruised. The hip feels good, but there is a lot of pain where the incision was. And I am so used to favoring that hip that I have a lot of learn or relearn. I am sleeping a lot, which feels great! And not doing much else, which is just fine. Nice to have a chance to slow down a bit.

I hope all of you are well- thank you for visiting and keeping my thread warm!

A few reviews to catch up on:



7. The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré, audiobook narrated by Adjoa Andoh

This was outstanding on audio - so much so that I can't imagine what it would sound like in my head if I were to read it in print. 14 year-old Adunni narrates her own story of her life in a small Nigerian village. Adunni remembers her childhood as being poor but happy, but life changed when her beloved mother dies. She is removed from school and married off to a man with two wives for her bride price so that her family could eat. As she is becoming accustomed to married life, tragedy strikes and Adunni is sold into a form of slavery in Lagos, Nigeria's capital. While she faces unimaginable hardships and cruelty, Adunni never loses her spirit or lets go of her dream: to be able to finish school. Adunni stumbles upon a Book of Nigeria Facts in her employer's library - facts are sprinkled throughout the book, which are just as educational for the reader as for Adunni. Abi Daré has said that she wanted to give Nigerian girls a voice, and I am so glad she did. While wrenching, Adunni's story is inspiring.

8. Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

This is the third installment of this excellent middle grade fantasy series. This has caught fire at my school as book 1 is a Battle of the Books selection and kids are hooked! This is the perfect series to recommend to Harry Potter fans. The third book is eerily prophetic, featuring a terrifying worldwide pandemic, as well as something like the capitol siege, though it was completed before any of the uncannily similar real-life events. Unputdownable fantasy.

9.


Things have gotten a LOT better. So much so that this title seems really harsh. And yet, there is still a lot of pain we're still processing, and the book was very helpful as we transition into our new reality of parents of grown ups. Parents who NEVER stop loving their kids, but who might need some perspective about whose problems are whose (not sure that last bit was grammatical but while I recover from surgery I am giving myself permission to let go of grammar, among other things, at least temporarily).

On a related note, both girls have been in constant contact with me during this process, and Callia sent me a lovely gift to help me in recovery, so things really are better.

10. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly

I'm on a mission to read everything she's written:) This story is pretty melancholy. Soledad is a wonderfully imperfect character who could use some adult guidance to help steer her the right way in life. Her mother and her sister died back in the Philippines before the family emigrated to the United States. Her father married a woman who really just wanted a chance at life in the States, but is embittered by their poverty and is a cruel stepmother to Soledad and her sister Ming. To get through their rough days, Sol weaves fantastic fairy-tale like stories for Ming so they can escape into their stories and their memories. Ming, perhaps, escapes too far into their fantasy, until love and concern intervene from an unlikely source. I enjoyed the book, but as I said, it is melancholy.

11. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, audiobook narrated by Donada Peters

I needed a comfort listen for the hospital, and this did the trick. I haven't had a hospital stay since each of the girls were born via c-section, so I forgot how NOT restful it is, with people in and out of your room throughout the night. If I couldn't go right back to sleep I would listen for a bit until I got tired. Just the thing:)

I'm glad your recovery is going well, Anne, that you're getting such good care from Stelios and are feeling the love from both daughters. That's wonderful.

>168 lauralkeet: I second all that Laura said! *gentle hugs*

I'm glad your recovery is going well, Anne. Good luck! Take advantage of the time to rest.

And read, of course.

Glad your recovery is going well and that you are getting lots of sleep

Hi Anne -- good to hear you're recovering well. Take care of yourself and enjoy your reading.

I'm so glad to hear that your recovery continues. It sounds like you have just the right attitude of not trying to do too much, and lots of lovely support from Stelios and the girls. Carry on (slowly and carefully)!

So many reviews! That is a good sign :)
Glad the recovery is coming along. And that you are using the time to sleep and heal.

>163 AMQS: I need to settle down and read that soon, Anne. It has been on my reading stand all year but I keep picking up other books.

I hope that you continue to recover and that your absence is just part of taking things easy.

Hi friends - checking in here. It always seems like there's this vast expanse of time stretched out but there's never as much as I would like in actual fact. I am getting stronger every day. It's very limiting to be tethered to a walker, but each day I feel better and stronger and I think I'll be ready to switch back to a cane next week right on schedule. I go back for my 2-week check up next week and get my 2nd COVID vaccine the next day. I am trying to be good about doing my exercises, but it is much more enjoyable to sit and read or nap, and it is extremely difficult to disconnect from work and I find myself still replying to emails, communicating with students, troubleshooting tech for colleagues and more.

I did get a message today that there was another positive exposure at school and for the next 10 days there are 1 1/2 classes of students in quarantine (this may seem weird but it makes sense in Parmalee-Land) but a whopping 11 adults in quarantine, including 3 classroom teachers and our entire administration/office staff. Wow, it's going to be a rough go until the grown ups are back, and if we lose too many more the whole school might have to close. COVID exposure is one thing I don't have to worry about while at home, and by the time I go back I should be fully vaccinated, which will be such a relief. Stelios is not in a priority group for the vaccine, but he rarely goes out, so me being vaccinated will help us feel a bit more at ease.

In good news: Marina petitioned to stay on campus for the whole semester and was approved. Originally, her school was bringing freshmen and sophomores back for the first 7 weeks, then juniors and seniors back for the last 7 weeks, but conditions and expected density allowed more students to stay and Marina is thrilled. I'm so glad she'll get to be there for the beautiful spring, not just the bleak and cold winter (as a Colorado girl she thought she knew about cold but within a week she was asking me to send a warmer coat :), and I think that as the weather gets nicer they can restart many of the social programs and activities and host them outside. I'm so happy for her. She deserves this. The cats are not happy, though.

>168 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. I am still getting great care. We have stairs all over our house, which is inconvenient for recovery, but we found a set up that works and lets me be as independent as possible, but even so, Stelios will bring his laptop up and keep me company while working.

>169 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! I'll take all the hugs I can get.

>170 BLBera: Resting and reading is pretty much all I'm doing, Beth, and I am thoroughly enjoying it!

>171 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. For the first week after surgery I slept surprisingly well. Less so this second week. I haven't taken anything stronger than Tylenol for one thing, but I am waking up wanting to change positions and I can't, which is annoying me. Still, I can sleep during the day if I need to, so I can't complain!

>172 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! I have been doing some good reading - reviews to follow.

>173 rosalita: Hi Julia, yes, I have great recovery conditions. I get frustrated sometimes at how little I can do, but I know it's temporary and just having the time is a gift.

>174 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan! I am getting used to the new Franken-Scar I have and really treasuring the reading time. I am distracted by my phone, the NYT crossword archives and more, but at least there's no TV in the room where I'm sort of stationed.

>175 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, I am continuing to recover and I am definitely enjoying my reading time. I am anxious to hear what you think about The Girl with the Louding Voice. I hope to glance through a print copy at some point because the writing is very distinctive and I'm curious to see what it looks like. Probably just like it sounds, but I'm still curious. I hope you enjoy it whenever it comes your way!

Reviews!



12. The Librarian by Salley Vickers

This was an okay read that took me a long time to get through. In 1950s England, Sylvia Blackwell takes the position of Children's Librarian in East Mole, but as a young newcomer in town, finds it hard to make any headway in even getting visits to the children's section, and finds resistance to her ideas at every turn. Eventually she befriends her young neighbors, but things get complicated when she begins an affair with the local GP. The book reads as a sort of love letter to classic children's literature... but not enough to really captivate me. For some reason I really have a hard time giving stars to my reads except for 5-star standouts and solid 3-stars. This one gets 3 stars from me.

13. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai

This was a fun read with a fun title destined to be used in the meme next year. The book was published in 1998 but feels very relevant in this era of influencers, YouTubers, Kardashians, and famous for being famous. When Sampath Chawla was born a crippling drought broke all of a sudden and the village was the beneficiary of an accidental international relief food drop. An auspicious birth, with the infant predicted to do great things. 18 years later and Sampath is an odd, lazy, work-averse postal clerk who excels at doing nothing and wants nothing but to be left alone. He runs away from home after a disastrous visit to a wedding and climbs to the top of a guava tree in a remote field. People come to visit and question him and he responds with inane nonsense statements that are taken as proverbs (or are eerily correct due to Sampath's habit of reading everyone's mail) and soon he is seen as the holy man in the tree. His fame spreads - engineered by his father who spots a business opportunity, and when the monkeys who terrorize local cinema-goers, stealing their food and ripping their clothes catch a whiff of the windfall that awaits them with throngs of visitors in the guava orchard, he becomes known as The Monkey Baba. Things spin hilariously out of control in what feels like a commentary on fame. A diverting read.

14. The Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay

I haven't read Hilary McKay before, but am curious to read more after this odd little book about a blended family and a very unusual house. Abi moves in with new stepbrothers Max and Louis when her father marries their mother. They are cramped together in a tiny little place where the kids fight and harbor resentments, and Abi can only take comfort in the letters she receives from her Granny Grace. But the lease ends and the owners want to sell and the family must move and after an endless search, they find an odd ivy-covered house with a Narnia lamp outside and an odd vibe of the house being alive. Abi discovers books in her bedroom that she can literally fall into, and Louis, hearing noises outside and hopeful to meet a nowl, instead discovers an entirely different creature. But it's not certain that the magic that seemingly comes from the house is entirely benign, and the three new siblings must stick together and support one another.

I didn't love this one as much as I had hoped to, but I did love the believable way that antagonistic, unwilling step-siblings gradually become a family. It is an odd book - I wonder if it will resonate with my students. It also borders on being a bit mature for my population, but not so much so that I feel I need to pass it on to a middle school or anything.

15. When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

No reservations about this outstanding graphic novel that recently won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award and was a National Book Award finalist. The book tells the true story of the author's years in the giant Kenyan refugee camp Dadaab. Omar and his non-verbal brother Hassan fled their Somali village with neighbors as violence engulfed it. Omar witnessed his father being murdered, but never stops looking for his mother. Life in the camp is hard and tedious. Omar and Hassan sleep on a mat in a tiny hut, and though they have an elderly neighbor who looks after them and serves as a kind of guardian, they are mostly on their own. Omar's friends are in school, but Omar must care for his brother who has a disability and cannot look after himself. Refugees eat for a few weeks when supplies show up and are distributed, and don't eat when supplies run out. Boys play soccer using a ball made of plastic bags. Families are desperate to get on "the list" which means an interview with U.N. officials and a chance to be relocated. Omar is a bright boy who has to trust in Hassan and others when he is finally persuaded to go to school.

This book is so moving and so important, and I wish everyone would read it. I have a bit of money that I am going to use to upgrade "the book room" - the sets of (mostly ancient, outdated, and falling apart) books that teachers use for book groups and literature circles. Many teachers scoff at graphic novels and wish their students would switch from them to "real" books, but this is one with the power to change perceptions of graphic novels, and I am buying a set for sure. Stelios is not a GN reader but I'm making him. It's outstanding. It's unmissable. It is so important for our time, As is often repeated in the book: no one chooses to be a refugee. Despite all of his neighbors hoping for a shot at life in America or Canada or Sweden, Omar wishes more than anything to return to Somalia to farm, until the realization that the never-ending warfare makes that dream impossible, and instead he dreams of becoming a social worker and helping refugees like himself. Don't miss this one.

16. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

This is a terrific middle grade debut novel that seems light (a book blurb describes it as a delightful confection) but has emotional resonance and social justice heft. The book begins as Zoe turns 12, celebrating her birthday at a bakery (Zoe is an avid baker and dreams of competing on a Food Network kids bake-off show) with two of her best friends, but NOT with Trevor, her neighbor and ex-best friend. As she comes home from the party, she notices a letter addressed to her from the state penitentiary - her first letter from her father, serving prison time for murder.

At first Zoe is tentative - not wanting to hear from this awful person, but he seems so nice and so loving, and his letter suggests he writes often and will continue to, whether Zoe responds or not. Zoe hesitantly writes him back, and the two begin a sweet, moving correspondence. However, Zoe's mother is completely opposed to having anything to do with him, so Zoe must carry on in secret, with the help of her grandmother who monitors everything to make sure Zoe is safe and gives Zoe a deadline by which she must be honest with her mother. Zoe doesn't know if she can believe her father when he says he is innocent, but that his public defender wasn't too invested in him and could never locate his alibi. This seems unlikely, but Zoe finds a book in the library about wrongly convicted people being helped by The Innocence Project. Zoe slowly reconciles with Trevor, and enlists his help researching her father's case. The book gently weaves in Black issues - profiling, presumption of guilt, extreme care needed when dealing with police and other authorities - with Zoe's baking ambitions and her quest to bake a new flavor of cupcake and learn all she can from a summer internship at a bakery, AND tackle awkward friend issues. It IS a delightful confection that kept me turning the pages and weeping. Recommended.

>176 AMQS: Thanks for the update! Glad you are getting stronger. Congrats on getting the first dose of the vaccine.

>178 AMQS: I haven't heard of that one, it sounds intriguing!

Glad to hear you are still recovering, and that you have settled into a routine. Good things take time, right?

Lovely to see you posting and.......reading.

Great to see that Marina is settled and hopefully now warm enough.

Hi Anne - thanks for the update. I'm so happy your recovery is going as scheduled. And, you get to do some reading. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard has been on my shelves for years. It sounds like I should just read it.

Sounds like things are going well for you and glad to hear you're getting a lot of reading done. I must, however, nag a bit --- do your PT!!! All of it, or even some extra. It's a pain now but it pays off. (I speak from experience...not with hips but with knees. The PT hurt like h*** but I had some graphic descriptions of what would happen if I didn't do it so I did and, as a result, have two tpainfree, flexible knees that I have to stop and think to remember they aren't original equipment) So keep it up!! :)

Happy to hear that things are going well, Anne!

>182 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

>183 LovingLit: Good things do take time, you are absolutely right, Megan. Hullabaloo isn't life changing or anything. I am really bad at stars but if I had to stab at it I'd say maybe 3.5-3.75? But it was funny and interesting given that it was written before the explosion of insta-celebrity culture... at least on the internet.

>184 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Marina is happy to be on campus, and happy that the days - some days anyway -- are getting warmer:) Colorado definitely has cold, but we have so much sunshine and our air is extremely dry. So we think we know what cold is but we really don't.

>185 BLBera: Beth, I had Hullabaloo on my shelf for years also. Finally brushed it off when we were selecting our book club books because many members expressed an interest in reading lighter (or not so heavy) books in this year when we are living through as much bad news as we ever have. It's a short and funny read which is why I proposed it. As I told Megan, it's not life changing or anything, but it is diverting. It is a terrific portrait of Indian village life also, although in absurd circumstances.

>186 RebaRelishesReading: OK Reba, I spent a lot of time on Google Classroom this morning as it is a new week and there's some housekeeping to do as all students are moving to a new special. I share Classrooms with my specials colleagues (art, music, PE) but I sort of manage our 14 classrooms - move the new subject up to the top, move my just-completed assignments from the Library topic to the Library - Past Assignments topic, etc. My para is subbing for me and doing all of my grading, but there is still housekeeping that no one else is picking up. When I finished I thought ah, some time to relax with LT! And then I read your message and immediately was abashed. I do my exercises but not as you are correctly directing! So I went to do them and to grab my phone so I can listen to my book as I do and at the very same time Whistler had another seizure - his 3rd in 12 hours. So life comes to a halt and right now I am pretty powerless to do anything to help. My poor husband has not had a chance to do any work between caring for me and caring for Whistler :( So I was derailed. Then I got a message from my surgeon in response to my question about what I can do to help or hasten the recovery from nerve damage that is causing a large patch of numbness in my leg. Answer: movement and exercise. So once the dog was "back' and settled down we went outside and I walked a LOT, and then did my exercises! It is a good reminder because exercise is not my normal state but I want to be fitter and want to be able to walk normally, etc. My mother in law in Cyprus had both of her knees replaced but never bothered with exercises and guess what? Can't walk. I don't want to go backwards ever, so I appreciate your nagging!

>187 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne! Hope you are well also.

Oh no, poor Whistler! Seizures are scary to witness.

PT, ugh, but so important! Beautiful day today to walk. I just got back from one myself.

>189 Copperskye: Whistler is old, and extra old for a former racing greyhound. He had that scary time some years ago when he was attacked by another dog, and problems with sores in his legs (paper-thin skin and pretty much zero flesh) but he has been remarkably healthy until the last few months. And his decline has been fast - poor appetite, confusion, unsteadiness, kidney issues, neck issues, and now seizures. It is scary and messy and sometimes it takes hours until he is "back." We're going to have a chat with the vet tomorrow to see if we can help him, but at this age, he won't be getting drastically better or anything. He's such a good dog - it's so hard to live through this part :(

>190 AMQS: Poor Whistler! I hope he feels as better as he can at his age. I'm glad to hear that your recovery is going well!

>190 AMQS: Old dogs will break your heart, I know. Especially as they just get sweeter as they age. Hugs to you

Hi Anne! It looks like you've been getting in some good reading during your recovery. I hope the recovery continues right on track.

I'm sorry that Whistler is having such a rough time. I hope the vet is able to provide some relief.

Thank you, Natalie, Joanne, and Carrie. Whistler update: he had a total of 4 seizures yesterday, so Stelios ended up taking him to the veterinary ER where he went through a series of tests and was given anti-seizure meds. He was deemed OK enough to send home after a couple of hours of observation, but he is still really out of it. This is really hard. He is too big and too fragile to do the drunken dog thing - he's walking into things and falling down and Stelios is having a really rough day and I can't help much. The meds are starting to wear off, so we’re hoping for more peace for Whistler today. Hoping to follow up with our vet today to see what next steps are. Obviously we're not going to do anything heroic but we do want to do right by Whistler.

>190 AMQS: Sorry about Whistler, Anne, give him a hug from me.
And good luck to you, keeping up with your post sugery excersises

>188 AMQS: I'll be happy to be your designated nag. Keep your mother in law in mind and my voice in your ear :)

So, so sorry to hear about Whistler. Pets are such an important part of our lives and it's so hard that they don't live as long as humans do.

>194 AMQS: Oh gosh, poor sweet Whistler! I know how hard it is to watch a beloved doggo decline. Please give him a snuggle from me. I'm sending all my brightest thoughts to you and Stelios as you try to decide what's best for all of you.

>195 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! I will give Whistler a hug. I've been pretty good about exercises since Reba's scolding :)

>196 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I took two longish walks today (long meaning surgery-recovery long, not like I might normally take) and did my exercises twice. About 5 or so days ago I started doing 15 of each one at one time instead of 10. I'm probably ready to boost to 20. Whistler has lived longer than we expected him to, going in (we adopted him when he was 4), but the past year has been tough.

>197 rosalita: Julia, thank you. He got progressively better today and has not had any more seizures. He will go to the vet Thursday for bloodwork and an exam and then we can try to make a plan moving forward. The vet said when an older dog develops seizures they usually keep them so we need to manage them. As for a snuggle, I'm going to have to wait my turn. Our new cat Win adores Whistler and has been snuggled up to him all afternoon:

(((((Anne))))) (((((Whistler))))) (((((Stellios)))))

Sending Whistler my snuggles as well, though it looks like Win has it covered :) Otter is happily volunteering for the snuggles in Whistler's place.

>198 AMQS: So sweet! Fingers crossed that the meds will contain the seizures.

>198 AMQS: They're so sweet together, aren't they. I'm so glad your hip recovery is progressing apace (and how is it I've lurked but not spoken in over a week?!), as well.

*smooch*

I'm so sorry to hear about Whistler, Anne, although glad that he seemed a bit better yesterday. I hope you're able to come up with a plan to keep him comfortable and content.

>198 AMQS: Well, isn't that just adorable?

>198 AMQS: Well they are just adorable!

Sorry about Whistlers seizures. Hope they ease soon!

>198 AMQS: I love that photo, Anne. I am so sorry to hear about Whistler's struggles. It is hard to see an old dog struggle. My thoughts are with you.

>198 AMQS: It is meant as encouragement, not scolding. I just remember how hard it was to intentionally cause myself the pain of those exercises and it helped to be reminded how important it was. And good on you for yesterday's effort. Hope today is going as well.

Love the thought (and photo) of win snuggling with Whistler. Animals are so wonderful.

So sorry to hear about Whistler’s problems Anne, but glad the recovery is going well.

Hi, Anne.

I'm glad the hip surgery went well. I'll bet a lot of the pain you had is gone? It takes time to get over the surgery pain, but what a blessing this surgery is.

I enjoyed the good news about Marina being able to stay, and was sorry to hear about Whistler and the seizures. That photo of Win with Whistler is so cute. I hope you can work out a good plan for Whistler.

Isn't When Stars Are Scattered a good one? I find myself wanting to collar people and convince them to read it, much as I felt with Good Talk the year before. My wife loved both of them, too.

I felt like you about The Time of Green Magic - good, but I was hoping for a little more - but I wondered whether my age was a factor. I thought I'd probably have liked it more at a young age. Did you indicated you're going to try it with your students? I'd love to know what kind of reactions you get.

I didn't know about From the Desk of Zoe Washington, but it sounds like one I'd like. I'll add it to the WL.

>199 ronincats: (((((Roni))))) Thank you, It's been a rough week.

>200 curioussquared: Aww, thanks, Natalie. Otter and your other hounds are the cutest! Win has been very attentive.

>201 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne. There are small improvements, but he's not quite normal yet. Not sure if he will be. Getting better, though.

>202 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I got good marks at my 2-week check up yesterday. I have gone back to the cane and feeling stronger every day.

>203 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. He spent the day at the vet yesterday and while we don't know the whole picture, we know more than we did.

>204 rosalita: They're pretty cute, aren't they?

>205 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. Not quite out of the woods, but better.

>206 BLBera: It is so hard, isn't it, Beth? And he's so big and awkward, it's really hard to help him.

>207 RebaRelishesReading: You are so sweet, and so encouraging, but I admit I need a scolding every now and then. I did get good news at my 2-week check up, plus some PT appointments. Apparently I have dysplasia and arthritis on the other side also and will need to replace that hip, but the surgeon says it is years away. I want to become as fit and as strong as I can (and to lose some weight), but exercise is not my thing and I have to make myself do it. I need all the encouragement - and occasional scolding - that I can get!

>208 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian.

>209 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Yes, I've heard about the pain just magically being gone, but it actually just feels like it's in a different place. Still, every day is better and better. Marina is very happy and spent a lot of time outside this week which feels even better. She's really enjoying herself and I'm so glad she can stay for the whole semester.

When Stars Are Scattered is SO good - I keep thinking about it. I hadn't heard of Good Talk but it looks wonderful and has been added to my list. Thank you! New books can be tricky with my students - sometimes they like the tried and true. Then there are funding complications. I am 100% self funded and earn my budget from book fair and a birthday book club. I will miss at least three book fairs from the pandemic, which is a huge hit to my budget. The birthday book club is a fundraiser where parents pay $16 and their student gets to choose a brand new book to donate to the library in honor of their birthday. A picture of the student goes inside the book, and they get to be the first one to check it out. But that means that new books generally need to be reserved for the birthday book cart, so I always have a good supply for students to choose from. So when I am back in school The Time of Green Magic book will go on that cart and will hopefully be chosen soon. Then I get to promote it - book talk it, display it, book blurb it, etc. It's not a perfect system, but without the birthday book club I would have no budget and no new books, so we make it work.

I can recommend Zoe Washington. It is definitely a gentle and moving introduction to Black issues for white students. I really loved it.

Update: my surgeon is pleased with my progress. I got cleared for more PT and will start next week. Unfortunately my other hip will need to be done some years in the future. I have switched back to the cane. It's funny - I was so frustrated when I first started using the cane. It made a huge difference in my pain and fatigue when I started using it but it was hard to effectively lose an arm for carrying stuff, etc. Now that I've been using a walker and have switched back to the cane I feel so efficient! I can use one arm!

I got my second vaccine today and feel pretty good. My arm is not as sore as it was at this point last time. We'll see what tomorrow brings but I am optimistic and so relieved.

Whistler is doing better but still not great. He has tremors and is whining, which could be from either pain or from anxiety. He spent the day yesterday at the vet so they could do an examination and two rounds of blood work. An MRI is recommended, but they’re prohibitively expensive so we started the blood work to rule out or in any internal or organ problems. It all looks good, but that probably indicates brain issues like a stroke or tumor. It does mean he can tolerate his meds - he’s on anti seizure meds and a steroid. Wow, the seizure meds are expensive! We were advised to go to Costco, but we were running a little behind today so we asked about the cost at the grocery store when I was getting my vaccine. $160 for a 28 day supply!! So Stelios dropped me off (the shot takes awhile) and went to Costco where he paid $37. That’s crazy. Whatever. Hopefully it helps Whistler. It’s been a very rough week for Stelios.

Love to all of you. Thank you SO much for your support. XXOO

>211 AMQS: Sorry to see that your procedure hasn't fully settled everything, hip wise.

The difference between $160 and $37 is just plain greed! Best wishes to Whistler and plenty of pats on the back to Stelios who is clearly a trooper.

I love the idea of the birthday book cart. I would have been beside myself with enthusiasm for that idea as a kid. I recently picked up a copy of Books make good pets which I am looking forward to gifting. Beautiful illustrations.

>198 AMQS: is so lovely. I have been watching the news this morning re guide dogs - they are trying to link genetics to training suitability. But in the process they showed adorable puppies and very serious working dogs.

Hope the hip exercises continue to go well, great to hear you have had positive feedback from your doctors.
You have reminded me I need to get back to my "back friendly" pilates. I am not a fan of things like that for their own sake.

Hi Anne! I am glad to hear that Whistler is holding his own. Praying that the meds will bring him relief.

Happy Saturday, Anne. Thanks for the update and I am glad to hear you and Whistler are doing better. I hope the progress continues. I have had The Girl With the Louding Voice on my TBR. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

*hugs*

I'm sorry for the rough week, Anne, but I'm cheering you on in your recovery and hoping PT goes well! And I'll add some gentle hugs for Whistler, too, the sweet thing. I hope he settles into the meds well.

Wow, Anne, it hardly seems fair that you have to come up with money to buy books with -- for your school library. You are so creative, though. I love the idea of the birthday book cart.

You will love Good Talk.

Great news from the surgeon.

What Beth said about Good Talk.

I'm glad it was a positive meeting with the surgeon. Now that I know another one's in your future, one more hip comment: I had to have my left hip replaced two years after my right was. It was easier all around in terms of the surgery and recovery, probably because I was experienced, and many years later both hips still feel great.

Glad your checkup went well and that Whistler is able to handle his meds.

>212 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. It has settled things for this hip which is the important part! My left hip isn't bothering me... yet. I intend to keep up with PT and am hoping to be more active with my new hip, improved mobility, and empty nest, so hopefully the next replacement will be far off in the future, even if it is a certainty. Poor Stelios, though. I really hate surgery and when I woke up loopy and in pain i tearfully told him that I never wanted to do this again. By then the surgeon had told him - but not me - that the other hip would need to be done, so he said 'Ummmm.." The last thing he wanted to do just then was deliver bad news:)

And yes, the difference in those drug prices is infuriating, and so very typical of the barbarism that is "healthcare" un the US. I'm sure you've heard enough of us rant about it that I don't need to go on, but Stelios pointed out that in Cyprus (and I'm sure in MOST of the developed and even undeveloped world) the price of a drug is the price of a drug. No need to drive across town to see if it's cheaper. Ugh. But they do seem to be helping Whistler, and for that I'm grateful.

>213 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! The birthday book club is very popular and I would be lost without it - especially this year with no other way to make money. I almost abandoned it after my first year. The previous librarian used to print two wallet-sized pictures of the kids holding their books. One went into the book and the other went on this big post in the library. Each year she would move to a different side of the post. I did the same, and kids loved to look at the pictures, but it made some kids sad. They would wonder aloud when they would ever get their picture on the wall, or just plainly state as fact that their parents couldn't or wouldn't pay the $16. That killed me. So I considered scrapping it until I added up how much money it generated. Instead I scrapped the pictures on the post. They all came down and now one wallet-sized photo goes in the book and one goes on a thank you that goes home.

>214 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie! He is much better. Still unsteady (falls over a lot) and a little anxious, but so much better, which is so much easier for us in so many ways.

>215 msf59: Thanks, Mark! It is a relief that Whistler and I are both better, as we got about 30 inches of snow, and Stelios had to shovel it all, so at least some of his burdens eased! Hope you enjoy The Girl With the Louding Voice when you get to it. It is outstanding on audio.

>216 scaifea: Thank you, Amber, Whistler does seem to be doing better. It's a huge relief. We know he doesn't have much time left, but his time is not up yet!

>217 BLBera: Thanks, Beth, but I can't take credit for the idea, and if you read my response to Charlotte above, you'll see that I nearly scrapped it but quickly realized I can't afford not to do it! Libraries are funded so unequally, and of course, schools are chronically underfunded. The year I was a librarian in two schools I had a nice healthy budget at one school and zero budget at the other, with a principal who said the kids should just be happy to read the (old, falling apart, and junky TV-tie in) books we already had. Ugh. My current school is awesome and I think I am self-funded because I can be. Our school is very small and our district uses the SBB model, which is Student-based budgeting. On the one hand it gives schools flexibility but it basically assigns a dollar amount that each student is "worth" and that's how our budgets are determined. So schools fight each other over students, have to market themselves, and small schools are disproportionately affected. Small schools still have to have basic school infrastructure, like a principal, office staff, clinic aide, cafeteria workers, facilities managers and night custodians, but have far fewer students to pay for all of that. I am way more expensive to my school than a library para is - a person who checks in and out books, shelves, etc but who doesn't teach or do collection development or integrate tech or collaborate with teachers, etc - and if schools don't see the value in their librarian, they will often replace them with part time paras just for book check out. I also know a librarian in our mountain area who has to earn her para's salary!! I am extremely lucky to have a part time para AND the support of my school and community to keep me. Our school is small enough that my position is supposed to be half-time, which is what I was for my first two years, but my school values me enough to buy up my other half.

>218 jnwelch: That's good to know, Joe. It also helps to know that it is some ways off. And I am very lucky to have both a surgeon and an orthopedic hospital I really like.

>219 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! Yes, after a very rough week, things are looking up:) Having said that, I am keeping your voice in my ear about keeping up with PT... read on.

Update: thanks to all for your well-wishes. Whistler is much better. We're buying time for now, but of course want to do the best we can for him without doing anything heroic. He's a very good dog. We capped off our rough week with my second COVID vaccine dose AND a major snowstorm. I got my vaccine Friday and on Saturday I felt just awful - fever, chills, body aches, headache. I parked myself on the couch under a mound of blankets and couldn't do anything except listen to my book (and good thing, as it was expiring soon). So (COVER YOUR EYES, REBA) no PT, no exercises, no walking. Most of my restrictions have been lifted except I am not allowed to take a bath and of course, that's all I can think about. Sunday I eased back into it. One set of exercises and no walking outside because of the snow. And wow, did it snow! We ended up with about 30 inches.

Vaccine: By the following day (Sunday) I was mostly back to normal. Colorado is opening vaccination to 50+ on Friday, so we will hopefully be able to get Stelios scheduled soon, and Marina was able to get an appointment for her first vaccine this week on Thursday. She qualifies because she has a condition/takes a medication that places her in a higher risk group, so I'm so glad she's got an appointment. Hopefully her second shot will be kinder to her than mine was to me. She's on spring break this week but won't be when shot 2 rolls around. Not that it matters! Just glad she'll be protected. Callia works for a hospital in Oregon, so she's already had both. Our family is on its way! We have a hero neighbor who made a pass over our sidewalk yesterday with his snow blower and today tackled the worst part: the packed, 4-foot mound the county plow left in front of our driveway when he plowed our street. Stelios was dreading that, and took our neighbor a case of beer to thank him...only to find out our neighbor has COVID! Yikes. That makes him doubly heroic, but Stelios is a bit worried after having pretty much zero exposure and taking zero risks for a year.

My school had already received permission from the district to be both remote and asynchronous today (Monday) because we had too many adults either in quarantine or otherwise absent, but the district declared it to be a district-wide asynchronous remote learning day, a decision which was pretty universally unpopular. Why not give the kids a snow day? What about power outages and loss of internet? How were teachers supposed to teach, monitor the online learning of their own kids AND dig out? But I think the district's decision was based on the fact that we are extremely close to our minimum number of instructional days/minutes as mandated by the state of Colorado, and any snow days we take will have to be made up. I think many families district-wide either called in "snowed in" or otherwise blew off school and I can't say that I blame them. I'm not really teaching now while I'm on leave, but I did have to re-word my Google Classroom assignments, make sure the lesson screencast videos I already make for permanently remote learners were attached, and open them at 8:00 rather than at their normal class time. My para reported that the completion for each of my three classes was 1 student, 1 student, and 5 students. Sigh. Again, can you blame them? And though the sun is out and the weather is beautiful, the district called another asynchronous remote day tomorrow because 40 of our buildings have not been cleared yet, and the two sets of crews (regular and afternoon/evening) worked two 12 hour shifts and are now required to have 8 hours break. That's just at schools - I'm sure many neighborhoods are not dug out either. Oh, and the facilities budget is due to be cut next year, so those poor crews will do the same work with even less. There are many great things about Colorado, but school funding is not one of them.

But here's a picture of Win checking out the snow:

And a book finished!



17. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, audiobook narrated by Shayna Small

This is my book club's June selection, but the holds list is still really long, so when my hold came through, I figured I had better take it. I can see that this book is making the LT rounds now. It starts out recounting the story of twin girls who secretly run away from their tiny Louisiana town for more opportunity and a better life in New Orleans. Mallard, LA is a Black town where residents put a premium on light skin. Everyone is light. But that doesn't make them any less black, as proven by violent, racist crimes still committed by whites against Mallard residents. Stella and Desiree escape to low-paying jobs in New Orleans but when Stella loses her job, she is able to get a better one as a white employee at a fashionable department store. One day she decides to pass for good and vanishes, leaving Desiree to wonder about her for the rest of her life. When Desiree finally returns to Mallard after escaping an abusive husband, she shocks the town by bringing her daughter - the darkest person any of them had ever seen. Jude has a lonely and miserable childhood in Mallard, before escaping on a track scholarship to UCLA. In California, her life unexpectedly intersects with that of Stella's daughter. The book reads like a reflection on identity - how much of it you can control, and how much of it you can invent, and how the choices you make ripple with lifelong repercussions.

>222 AMQS: great review, Anne. It should be an excellent choice for book club discussion. I found it really thought-provoking.

And such good news on the family vaccination front! Yay.

Great news on the vaccine front, it seems! That one does sound like an interesting read.

Oh, that second-vaccine bad day is *epic* isn't it. I'm glad it was just the one!

My ear-schmoozles to good boy Whistler as he starts toward the Rainbow Bridge. Never fun, is it.

I'm glad you found so much to reflect on in Brit Bennett's book. It sounds like one you could usefully revisit.

Better days ahead!

Hi Anne - School funding should be more generous.

My book club just discussed The Vanishing Half, and it is a good discussion book.

30 inches! I've been whining about the 9 inches we got. It's supposed to warm up by the end of the week, so it will be gone in a few days.

I'm glad you got your second shot and very sorry you had a nasty reaction. I did not, however, close my eyes...hear me whispering?

>223 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura - I thought it was very thought provoking, and indeed I have been thinking about it a lot since I finished it. I also read this article which I also found fascinating. It was a good, hard look at identity, and I look forward to our discussion.

>224 drneutron: Thanks, Jim, we're getting there. How about you?

>225 richardderus: Oh, it was bad, wasn't it, Richard? Whistler is doing much better now that he's on seizure meds, and we waited for more results before putting him on steroids, which made a huge improvement. He does seem to be more anxious though. This part of a dog's life is so very hard, and I know he'll appreciate your schmoozles.

>226 BLBera: Beth, I know you agree with me on school funding! Our weather has been nice, but it's going to take some time for it all to melt - it's still in gigantic piles everywhere! We're supposed to be near 70 degrees Saturday then have more snow Sunday. Not sure yet how much. Pretty typical for Colorado:)

>227 RebaRelishesReading: I do, indeed, Reba! I went back for more PT today and got a good report, so apparently what i'm doing is working! I'll keep at it. Now that I have a real regimen - the easy post-hospital stuff plus some harder exercises I can put on my audiobook and go. The trick will be finding time when I'm back at school. I was able to make most of my PT appointments when I'm back at school at 6:45 am, which means I should be able to do them and still get up to school on time. I am not a morning person, but I think it might be good if I can make myself get up at the same time every day - either to go to the appointments or to do the exercises at home. I predict that I won't have much left in me when I'll be coming home those first few weeks.

18. Please, Mr. Postman by Alan Johnson

If you Google Alan Johnson, or even reviews of his award-winning memoirs, there are lots of comments evenly divided between people who love him and people who hate him, which I suppose is what you get when you're a politician. Since I know very little about British politics, I can't offer an opinion on anything but his memoirs. I loved the first volume - This Boy - which describes his brutally poor London childhood and leaves him at about 17 or so, having left school at 15, stocking shelves at Tesco, and planning to marry. If I loved this volume a teeny bit less, it's because it can bog down a bit in union/labor/regulations/procedures minutiae, which, while relevant to the story, are not very comprehensible to me. But his personal story is fascinating, and his voice and style are utterly charming. He writes with warmth, feeling, humor, self-deprecation, and most of all he writes with generosity. In this volume, he is stocking groceries and preparing to marry a woman 4 years his senior with a 2 year old child. He leaves the grocery for a post office career sorting and delivering mail. I was utterly rapt at reading about the inner workings of the post office and mail delivery when he begins in 1968 - the camaraderie, the quirks of the residents of the routes, the crazy hours worked to have the first post delivered to all by 9:30 am. He becomes mildly interested, then increasingly involved with the local union. Over the course of his post office career the British Post and all communications revolutionize exponentially, and through it all he engages with the union more and more, moving higher and higher through the ranks and traveling the country helping to resolve disputes (I'm simplifying, but trust me, it's the best I can do).

Whenever I can, I'll be reading the third volume, The Long and Winding Road and the fourth: In My Life: A Music Memoir - the books aren't available in the US. I just love his voice, his generosity, and his humor, and if you're wondering how someone who grew up in abject poverty, was pretty well raised by his heroic sister, only two years his senior, left school at 15 and never went back (but was an avid reader and autodidact) became a member of Parliament, the Home Secretary, a cabinet member for two governments, and the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, you'll want to read these.

Wasn’t that a wonderful snowstorm? And none of that fluffy December snow, this stuff was full of water. Very heavy water. Our old snow blower was really struggling. And the road plows are a blessing and a curse. I don’t really mind that they so rarely do the side streets (>16 katiekrug:” in Littleton). It’s nice to have the street cleared but oh, that driveway apron. I shoveled the top of the plowed snow for clearance just in case I needed to get out and left the rest to melt.

And wasn’t that second vaccine a joy? Your side effects sounds very similar to the ones I had. But what a relief to finally feel protected and have your family all protected soon, too!

Sending belly rubs to Whistler and glad he’s feeling better.

>221wow, that is some snow! I can't even imagine how Gabby (our tabby) would react to snow, it would be hilarious for sure.

I've been lurking, Anne, and don't think I've commented since you've been home from surgery. Bad Katie! I'm glad to hear your PT is going well - positive reports are a good thing. When I dislocated my shoulder, I had to do 8 weeks of PT (2x/week) and it got boring, but I was determined to do it ALL. Good for you for your dedication.

>229 AMQS: I’ve read the first two of Alan Johnson’s memoirs as well, Anne and found the first one in particular fascinating. It was eye opening about the level of poverty and poor housing conditions in the 1950s. I must get on to the next one at some stage. At one stage Alan Johnson was put forward as a potential Labour party leader - he never stood for that position, but I can’t help thinking that he might have been more successful than those that did.

>228 AMQS: Glad to hear your rehab is going well! Good job!!

I am so glad you are doing well! I'm more than a year out and feeling young and frisky again.

Happy spring!

>229 AMQS: I am the same as you two ladies - read the first two but haven't had chance to get the others yet.
I agree with you about Johnson as a potential leader of my party. I would certainly have voted for him. He always ruled it out firmly on the basis that he didn't want so much intrusion into his private life. Such a shame because unlike Corbyn, he did have a clear vision on a number of issues and he would have been more electable.

>230 Copperskye: So much water! And we've had pretty much continuous snow all week, though not the accumulation. Oh yes, vaccine joy. Im glad to be on this side of it. Whistler is doing better! I'll give him some scritches. Thanks, Joanne!

>231 LovingLit: Win is undeterred - if we would let him he'd be off exploring in it. Maya not so much:)

>232 katiekrug: I'm glad you stuck with your PT, Katie. When I feel like I'm comfortable or getting the hang of it they make it harder... That's the point, I suppose. I'm pretty proud of my progress! Trying to do everything I can to keep the other hip strong, too.

>233 SandDune: Rhian, there's a Guardian article that kind of laments that he never went farther in politics. I think sometimes the "good ones" don't have the stomach to do what it takes. I certainly never plan to be in politics!

>234 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! You inspire and encourage me:)

>235 witchyrichy: Karen, that's awesome! I can't quite say I'm frisky yet. I did go back to school today - took the "chicken" approach and went back on a non-student contact day the day before spring break started, but it was nice to test myself in an easy, no-stress way.

>236 PaulCranswick: Paul, he does seem like one of the good ones. His life's trajectory is just remarkable.

19. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, audiobook narrated by Arina Ii.

Hmmmmm. Still thinking about this one but not sure I liked it. This book was adapted from a play, and I'll bet it was better as a play. The premise is that there is a tiny, timeless cafe in Tokyo where you can travel back in time - but with a very particular set of rules, one of which is that you have to drink all of your coffee and return before your coffee gets cold. There were very sweet moments, and the book was reviewed as a wistful and bittersweet reflection about which moments people would choose to return to, but honestly there wasn't that much choice. The characters spent so much time being petulant, obtuse, and making unaccountably odd choices when time was of the essence and for me it definitely detracted from the story. I can't tell if it is me, or the writing or the translation, but it felt off, like it was written by a robot trying to pretend to be a human.

>238 AMQS: I’ve got that one waiting on the hold shelf at the library. It sounded intriguing in a quirky sort of way but that sort of thing doesn’t always land right. I may or may not get to it.

I’m glad you’re recovering well and that Whistler is feeling better!

>239 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! Well, the book is short, so that is something, and might click along better in print. I'll watch your thread and check if you decide to read it. I wanted a short-ish audio to listen to while doing my PT exercises. I chose it because it did sound intriguing and quirky and also sweet. It was all of those things but the characters bugged me.

>240 AMQS: Lol, when it’s good that there are less pages. Maybe it will be better in print.

>238 AMQS: I was drawn to this one when someone else reviewed it here on LT, I can't remember who now! The cover is sweet, it's a shame its contents didn't impress.

>238 AMQS: Huh. I was just talking with someone this past week who read this with their book club and they all loved it. So maybe better in print...

>241 Copperskye:, >242 LovingLit:, >243 MickyFine: Oh dear. You should probably assume it's just me, then:) I thought the story had good bones, so to speak, but couldn't like most of the characters. It does have a sweet cover - that and the synopsis and the (mostly) glowing reviews led me to choose it (well, and the length - I don't have a chance to listen while I'm at home like I do when I'm working and commuting and had to return at least one audiobook before I was ready because my time had run out and someone else was waiting for it). Plus there's a cat on the cover... but not in the book :(

Happy Sunday, Anne. I hope you are doing well and recovering quickly. I am also a fan of The Vanishing Half but I was not crazy about her debut. Go figure!

>238 AMQS: I disliked it *intensely* and haven't yet found a way not to review it by the light of its own flames.

Tawdry, brummagem gauds trying to pass themselves off as unpolished gems.

>245 msf59: Thank you, Mark! Not every book is for every reader. Authors get stronger and stronger, I think, which is amazing. If I had a magnificent story to tell I would write it, and then what? I guess that's why I'm not a writer:)

>246 richardderus: LOLOL Richard - I'm so glad it's not just me! And glad I borrowed an audio from the library. I'd have a lot of explaining to do if I set my phone on fire. And thank you for teaching me a new word - I had to look up brummagem and now I need to figure out how to work it in to conversation.

Catching up on your thread, Anne, I'm glad to see you're recovering well from surgery, have been reading some excellent books, and you've got your vaccinations. I'm going to have to add When stars are scattered to the ever-growing TBR list. after your and Richard's panning of it, I'll be taking When the coffee gets cold OFF said list, however.

I'm sorry Whistler is declining. It's never easy, but I'm sure you and Stelios will make the best decision you can about when it's time to say goodbye.

Hi Mary! I think you'll love When Stars Are Scattered. An amazing story, and it's such a perfect format to tell it. I think you may be safe skipping Before the Coffee Gets Cold though some people love it.

Whistler is hanging in there. Sweet dog.