klobrien2 Karen O's Book-a-Rama 2021

Welcome to the first page of my 2021 reading thread!

I've been with the 75-bookers for several years now, and I enjoy so much the camaraderie and book talk that happens here. I'm very glad to join with you all again!

The year 2020 has been another terrific year for reading. I find myself reading pretty much as the spirit leads. I participated in the American Author Challenge, and plan to continue with them. A long-term project of mine is to accomplish reads from the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" book, so that may guide my reading a little. Current 1001 Books count: 214.

What directs my reading more are my friends here on LT, so keep those recommendations coming!

This is my twelfth year participating in the 75 Books Challenge. In 2009, I read 94 books; in 2010, I made it to 148!; 153 in 2011; 160 in 2012; 114 in 2013; 92 in 2014; 109 in 2015; 145 in 2016, 210 in 2017, 200 in 2018, 180 in 2019, 225 (3 x 75!) in 2020. I probably won't read as much in 2021, but who knows? I will hope to read at least 150 good books.

In addition to reading books, I've also discovered the world of Great Courses DVD lifelong learning courses. I love them! Below is a list of the courses I've completed, and I will try to always have at least one course going all the time.

I've also begun some serious magazine reading, using my public library as source once again. I keep track of and read some fifteen magazines, on a range of topics: science, quilting, nature, birding, cats, news, etc.

I read three newspapers, one daily (St. Paul Pioneer Press), and two more on Sundays (Minneapolis Star Tribune and New York Times).

Here's a ticker to keep track of my 2021 book reads :




Here's where I'll list the books I read (the number at the end of each line represents the post number where I placed my "review" for the book):

The books I read in January:

1. Away with the Fairies (Phryne Fisher #11) by Kerry Greenwood -- 13
2. The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur Named Sue by Jan Wahl -- 14
3. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon -- 15
4. Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth by Brian Stelter -- 16
5. The Silence by Don Delillo -- 17
6. Stranger Things Vol. 1: The Other Side -- 19
7. Stranger Things Vol. 2: Six -- 19
8. 101 Meatballs: And Other Deliciously Spherical Recipes for Meat, Fish, and Vegetables by Ryland Peters & Small -- 20
9. Melania and Me; The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff -- 21
10. Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood -- 22
11. Slaughterhouse Five, Or the Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut, Graphic adaptation by Ryan North, et al. -- 23
12. The Lake Wobegon Virus by Garrison Keillor -- 28
13. The Symphonies of Beethoven (Great Courses) by Robert Greenberg -- 31

The books I read in February:

14. The Stand: Captain Trips by Roberto Aguirre-Casaca -- 33
15. The Stand: American Nightmares by Roberto Aguirre-Casaca -- 33
16. The Stand: Soul Survivors by Roberto Aguirre-Casaca -- 33
17. The Stand: Hardcases by Roberto Aguirre-Casaca -- 33
18. The Stand: No Man's Land by Roberto Aguirre-Casaca -- 33
19. The Stand: The Night Has Come by Roberto Aguirre-Casaca -- 33
20. A History of European Art (Great Courses) by William Kloss -- 34
21. In the Teeth of the Evidence and Other Stories (Lord Peter Wimsey #14) by Dorothy L Sayers -- 36
22. Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age by John Lithgow -- 37
23. A Promise of Ankles (44 Scotland St #14) by Alexander McCall Smith -- 38
24. Striding Folly (Lord Peter Wimsey #15) by Dorothy L Sayers -- 39
25. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell -- 40
26. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald -- 41
27. Daumier: 120 Great Lithographs, ed. Charles R. Ramus -- 43
28. The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic by The New York Times -- 44
29. The Encyclopedia Lumberjanica: An Illustrated Guide to the Hardcore Lady-types of Lumberjanes by Shannon Watter -- 46
30. Veritas: A Harvard Scholar, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife by Ariel Sabar -- 47
31. Asterix Vol. 38: The Chieftain's Daughter by Artist Didier Conrad -- 48
32. The Range Eternal by Louise Erdrich -- 49
33. The Iliad of Homer, tr. Richmond Lattimore -- 50
34. The Iliad of Homer (Great Courses) by Elizabeth Vandiver -- 51
35. The Wimsey Family: A Fragmentary History Compiled from Correspondence with Dorothy L Sayers by C.W. Scott-Giles -- 53
36. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls -- 54

The books I read in March:

37. Bonkers: My Life in Laughs by Jennifer Saunders -- 55
38. Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache #1) by Louise Penny -- 56
39. New Poets of Native Nations, ed. Heid E. Erdrich -- 57
40. Othello (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes -- 59
41. Othello, adaptation of the Shakespeare play, audio recording, featuring Paul Robeson, Uta Hagen, Jose Ferrer. KPFA broadcast February, 1963. -- 59
42. The Great Gatsby: The Graphic Novel, adapted Fred Fordham, illus. Aya Morton -- 62
43. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson -- 63
44. A Fatal Grace (Inspector Gamache #2) by Louise Penny -- 64
45. The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales (Great Courses) by Patrick N. Allitt -- 65
46. A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, illus. Chris Raschka -- 69
47. See the Cat: Three Stories about Dogs by David LaRochelle -- 69
48. Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (Dog Man #9) by Dav Pilkey -- 69
49. Stranger Things: Into the Fire (graphic novel) by Jody Houser -- 69
50. News of the World by Paulette Jiles -- 71
51. Stranger Things: The Bully (graphic novel) by Greg Pak -- 72
52. The Cruelest Month (Inspector Gamache #3) by Louise Penny -- 73
53. Dog Man: Mothering Heights (Dog Man #10) by Dav Pilkey -- 75
54. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- 76
55. A Rule Against Murder (Inspector Gamache #4) by Louise Penny -- 77
56. The Odyssey of Homer, trans. Emily Wilson -- 78
57. The Odyssey of Homer (Great Courses) by Elizabeth Vandiver -- 79
58. The Hangman (Inspector Gamache Novella #6.5) by Louise Penny -- 80

The books I read in April:

59. Difficult Women by Roxane Gay -- 82
60. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis -- 83
61. The Brutal Telling (Inspector Gamache #5) by Louise Penny -- 84
62. Ex Libris: 100 Books to Read and Reread by Michiko Kakutani -- 85
63. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman -- 86
64. The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson -- 88
65. The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the County by Amanda Gorman -- 89
66. On Market Street by Arnold Lobel -- 90
67. Martha by Gennady Spirin -- 91
68. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illus. Kadir Nelson -- 92
69. Aeneid Book VI: A New Verse Translation, trans. Seamus Heaney -- 93
70. We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe by Merrill Markoe -- 94
71. The Aeneid by Virgil, trans. Robert Fagles -- 95
72. The Aeneid of Virgil by Elizabeth Vandiver (Great Courses) -- 96
73. Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet -- 98
74. The Witcher Omnibus Vol. 1 by Paul Tobin -- 99
75. Your Inner Hedgehog by Alexander McCall Smith -- 100
76. Bury Your Dead (Chief Inspector Gamache #6) by Louise Penny -- 107
77. Asterix Omnibus #7 by Rene Goscinny -- 108
78. Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius by Matthijs Ilsink -- 109
79. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas, 1934-1952 by Dylan Thomas -- 112
80. A Trick of the Light (Chief Inspector Gamache #7) by Louise Penny -- 113

The books I read in May:

81. In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works by John Lennon -- 117
82. Just Kids by Patti Smith -- 118
83. The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Gamache #8) by Louise Penny — 120
84. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig -- 123
85. Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West -- 124
86. How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Gamache #9) by Louise Penny -- 125
87. Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey -- 126
88. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- 127
89. The Persians by Aeschylus -- 129
90. Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus -- 129
91. The Suppliant Maidens by Aeschylus -- 129
92. Oresteia: Agamemnon by Aeschylus -- 130
93. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 131
94. Oresteia: Libation Bearers by Aeschylus -- 132
95. Oresteia: Eumenides by Aeschylus -- 132
96. Ajax Penumbra 1919 by Robin Sloan -- 133
97. The Long Way Home (Chief Inspector Gamache #10) by Louise Penny -- 134
98. Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells -- 136
99. Electra by Sophocles -- 137
100. Electra by Euripedes -- 137
101. Ajax by Sophocles -- 138
102. Antigone by Sophocles -- 139
103. Oedipus the King by Sophocles -- 143
104. The Happiness of a Dog With a Ball in Its Mouth by Bruce Handy -- 144
105. Heracles by Euripedes -- 145
106. The Women of Trachis by Sophocles -- 145

The books I read in June:

107. The Nature of the Beast (Gamache #11) by Louise Penny -- 146
108. Medea by Euripedes -- 147
109. Wombats (Checkerboard Animal Library: Nocturnal Animals) by Kristin Petrie -- 148
110. Lumberjanes Vol. 17: Smitten in the Stars by Kat Leyh -- 149
111. Hippolytus by Euripedes -- 150
112. Hecuba by Euripedes -- 151
113. The Trojan Women by Euripedes -- 151
114. Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripedes -- 153
115. Orestes by Euripedes -- 153.
116. The Bacchae by Euripedes -- 154
117. Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripedes -- 154
118. Ion by Euripedes -- 155
119. Tiny Tales: Stories of Romance, Ambition, Kindness, and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith -- 156
120. Philoctetes by Sophocles -- 157
121. Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles -- 157
122. Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus? -- 158
123. Rhesus by Euripedes? -- 158
124. The Frogs by Aristophanes -- 158
125. Greek Tragedy (Great Courses) by Elizabeth Vandiver -- 159
126. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders -- 163
127. Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith -- 164
128. The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard -- 167
129. Experiencing Hubble: Exploring the Milky Way (Great Courses) by David M. Meyer -- 168
130. While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams -- 169
131. The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah: Hope for a War-Weary World--A Commentary by A. Joseph Everson - 170
132. A Great Reckoning (Gamache #12) by Louise Penny -- 172
133. Glass Houses (Gamache #13) by Louise Penny -- 173
134. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict -- 174

Here is where I'll list the authors selected for the 2021 American Authors Challenge, the books I will read, and if I complete them (here's hoping!)

2021 AAC

JANUARY: All in the Family: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- Reading
FEBRUARY: Ethan Canin -- Did not read
MARCH: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay -- Completed
APRIL: Americans Who Make Music -- Just Kids by Patti Smith -- Completed
MAY: Mary McCarthy -- Did not read
JUNE: Ken Kesey -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest -- Reading
JULY: Native American Authors and Themes
AUGUST: Connie Willis
SEPTEMBER: Howard Norman
OCTOBER: Attica Locke
NOVEMBER: Albert Murray
DECEMBER: Young Adult
WILD CARD---You name it, you read it.

A list of the Great Courses I have done can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/331920

My 2003 "Books Read" list (casually kept, and probably incomplete): http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2003-reading-list.html
My 2004 "Books Read" list (see above caveats: things get better!):
http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2004-reading-list.html
My 2005 "Books Read" list (most pathetic list yet): http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2005-reading-list.html
My 2006 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2006-reading-list.htm
My 2007 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2007-reading-list.html
My 2008 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2008-reading-list.html
My 2009 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2009-reading-list.html
My 2010 "Books Read" list : http://librata.blogspot.com/2012/04/karens-2010-reading-list.html

Here is a link to my last thread from 2011: http://www.librarything.com/topic/122919

Here is a link to my last thread from 2012: http://www.librarything.com/topic/138897

Here is a link to my last thread from 2013:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/156012

Here is a link to my thread from 2014: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163564

Here is a link to my thread from 2015: https://www.librarything.com/topic/186139

Here is a link to my thread from 2016: http://www.librarything.com/topic/211096

Here is a link to my last thread from 2017: http://www.librarything.com/topic/268142#

Here is a link to my last thread from 2018: https://www.librarything.com/topic/298557

Here is a link to my one-and-only thread from 2019: https://www.librarything.com/topic/301738

The books I've read in the first half of 2020 (115 of them) are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/314888

The books I read in the second half of 2020 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/322010#

Good reading to you!

Welcome back!

I do a weekly "reading roundup," and here is last week's issue. I'll have a new one in a few days.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (yay, libraries!), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (12/31/2020) Happy New Year!:

Actively reading:

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald
The Silence by Don DeLillo
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith -- 297
It Was All a Lie by Stuart Stevens
Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson

My current Great Course(s):
A History of European Art - 32 of 48 completed
The Symphonies of Beethoven - 12 of 32 completed (lectures are 45 minutes long)

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth by Brian Stelter -- p. 27 of 308
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250
The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson -- p. 27 of 169
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
The Return of Hyman Kaplan by Leo Rosten -- p. 14 of 192
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Rage by Bob Woodward -- p. 16 of 427
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Beethoven by Maynard Solomon -- 485
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson

>2 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! And thank you so much for getting this thing organized!

Happy reading in 2021, Karen!

Hope you have a great year in books!

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

Happy new year/new thread. I am intrigued by the Great Courses--how cool that you have done so many.

>7 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! Those are great goals for the new year!

>8 AnneDC: Happy new year to you, too, Anne. I really like the variety of the Great Courses; and I have always loved school of any kind. A lecture or two a day, and progress is made!

Thanks to you both for visiting!

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (yay, libraries!), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (1/7/2021) Happy New Year!:

Actively reading:

Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald -- p. 41 of 262
The Silence by Don DeLillo-- p. 13 of 75
A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. of 297
It Was All a Lie by Stuart Stevens --p. 12 of 184
Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 84 of 216
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- 292
Lake Wobegone Virus by Garrison Keillor --

My current Great Course(s):
A History of European Art - 36 of 48 completed
The Symphonies of Beethoven - 12 of 32 completed (lectures are 45 minutes long)

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth by Brian Stelter -- p. 42 of 308
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250
The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson -- p. 27 of 169
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
The Return of Hyman Kaplan by Leo Rosten -- p. 14 of 192
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Rage by Bob Woodward -- p. 16 of 427
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Beethoven by Maynard Solomon -- 485
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 311
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- 324
The Odyssey (Homer) tr. Emily Wilson
Birdsong by Sebastien Faulkes
Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America

Hi Karen! Happy new year.

Hi, Karen! Happy new year to you, too! Thanks for stopping by!

First book of the year!



1. Away with the Fairies (Phryne Fisher #11) by Kerry Greenwood

2. The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur Named Sue by Jan Wahl

3. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon



I really wanted to like this book of poetry. When I read poetry, I usually find at least one poem or poem section that really touches my heart, but even on rereading this one, I came up empty.

I did like the poems dealing with aging and the failing and eventual "going away" of elderly family members. I might give this book another look when the world isn't so crazy.

4. Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth by Brian Stelter

5. The Silence by Don Delillo



Eerie, disturbing dystopic novella about the day ALL screens go dark, all technology fails.

...World War III. Einstein had no premonition concerning how this war would be fought but he made it clear that the next major conflict, World War IV, would be fought with sticks and stones.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (yay, libraries!), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (1/14/2021):

Actively reading:

In the Teeth of the Evidence (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers -- 280
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald -- p. 41 of 262
A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. of 297
The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami -- 322
Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkhoff
Becoming by Michelle Obama

My current Great Course(s):
A History of European Art - 36 of 48 completed
The Symphonies of Beethoven - 16 of 32 completed (lectures are 45 minutes long)

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250
The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson -- p. 27 of 169
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
The Return of Hyman Kaplan by Leo Rosten -- p. 14 of 192
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Rage by Bob Woodward -- p. 16 of 427
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 311
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs (Jennifer Saunders) -- 283
It Was All a Lie by Stuart Stevens --p. 12 of 184
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- 292
Lake Wobegone Virus by Garrison Keillor --
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- 324

6. Stranger Things Volume 1 The Other Side by Jody Houser





7. Stranger Things Volume 2 Six by Jody Houser

8. 101 Meatballs: and Other Deliciously Spherical Recipes for Meat, Fish, and Vegetables by Ryland Peters & Small



Isn't that a great title?! A local grocery store chain used recipes from this book in its current newsletter, and I was intrigued.

The recipes look amazing, and the incidental verbiage is fun, witty, and informative.

9. Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff

10. Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood



From "Plasticene Suite": "5. Editorial Notes":

One note might be (she said)
to pull back somewhat
from exhortation and despair

Instead (she said)
try to provide
an experiential under

understanding of human
human (she said) impact
human pact

then let people
let people come
let people come to their own

conclusions.
Own their conclusions.
She said:

There is some danger in this.

"INVISIBLE MAN"

It was a problem in comic books:
drawing an invisible man.
They'd solve it with a dotted line
that no one but us could see,

us with our snub noses pressed to the paper,
the invisible glass between us and the place
where invisible men can exist.

That's who is waiting for me:
an invisible man
defined by a dotted line:

the shape of an absence
in your place at the table,
sitting across from me,
eating toast and eggs as usual
or walking ahead up the drive,
a rustling of the falling leaves,
a slight thickening of the air.

It's you in the future,
we both know that.
You'll be here but not here,
a muscle memory, like hanging a hat
on a hook that's not there any longer.

11. Slaughterhouse Five (Or The Children's Crusade: A Graphic Novel Adaptation) by Kurt Vonnegut, ad. Ryan North et al.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (yay, libraries!), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (1/21/2021):

Actively reading:

Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The Decameron Project: 19 New Stories from the Pandemic by the New York Times
In the Teeth of the Evidence (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers -- p. 40 of 280
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald -- p. 52 of 262
A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 9 of 297
Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 55 of 457
Lake Wobegone Virus by Garrison Keillor --

My current Great Course(s):
A History of European Art - 38 of 48 completed
The Symphonies of Beethoven - 19 of 32 completed (lectures are 45 minutes long)

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami -- 322
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250
The Lives of Edie Pritchard by Larry Watson -- p. 27 of 169
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
The Return of Hyman Kaplan by Leo Rosten -- p. 14 of 192
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Rage by Bob Woodward -- p. 16 of 427
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 311
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs (Jennifer Saunders) -- 283
It Was All a Lie by Stuart Stevens --p. 12 of 184
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- 292
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- 324
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason

>22 klobrien2: I have that one on my TBR list for this year.

>15 klobrien2: Yikes, I have that one on order, Karen.

>26 PaulCranswick: Might not be a "yikes" for you, Paul! So much influences our view of poetry, don't you think?! Maybe it was just me. I hope you like the reading of it!

And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

12. The Lake Wobegon Virus by Garrison Keillor



I really loved this book. It brought back the feel and structures of the Prairie Home Companion show to me; lots of storytelling and humor. Keillor didn't avoid the issues in his fall from favor, but addresses them and reviews his life (fact? or fiction? or a mixture?) and his hometown with its oddball set of occupants. Delicious reading for this PHC fan. I've so missed Keillor!

Here's one of my favorite excerpts:

There are four main pleasures in life, the pleasure of knowledge, and the pleasure of walking with God, and the pleasure that some of you thought of first, and then there is sweet corn, fresh from the field, quickly husked, briefly boiled, buttered and salted, and here we are, drunk on it, out of our minds with happiness.

>28 klobrien2: Prairie Home Companion is greatly missed.

>25 thornton37814: >28 klobrien2: I seem to be hitting some points of affinity with you? Great!

Thanks for stopping by!

13. The Symphonies of Beethoven (Great Courses) by Robert Greenberg



This course was a hefty one, 32 lectures of 45 minutes each, but by far the most analytical of all that I've taken so far. The student is provided with a "Word Score," which parses and analyzes through the music--just amazing! One must pay attention!

The teacher is fantastic--smart, talented, funny, all the best things for a teacher to be. I'm thrilled to know that my library has many audio courses by him, which might be a better thing for me as I had trouble hearing the music as funneled through my TV.

But I'm taking a break from the music for now: I've got an Impressionism and an Iliad (both start with "I"!) coming for me.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (yay, libraries!), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

The Twin Cities libraries are migrating totally to Overdrive/Libby from Cloud in February. I don't know how that will affect my reading, as any holds or current books I have will not transfer. This really sucks.

Karen's current reading (1/28/2021):

Actively reading:

Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell -- p. 29 of 268
The Decameron Project: 19 New Stories from the Pandemic by the New York Times
In the Teeth of the Evidence (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers -- p. 116 of 280 ()to self: pp 421-705 of collection
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald -- p. 76 of 262
A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 51 of 297
Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 73 of 457
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs (Jennifer Saunders) -- 283
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250

I want to reread/read Miss Peregrine's series!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (COMPLETED)
Hollow City
Library of Souls
A Map of Days
Conference of the Birds
Desolation of Devil's Acre

My current Great Course(s):
A History of European Art - 38 of 48 completed

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami -- 322
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
The Return of Hyman Kaplan by Leo Rosten -- p. 14 of 192
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Rage by Bob Woodward -- p. 16 of 427
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 311
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- 292

I'm watching through the new TV series of Stephen King's "The Stand," and that prompted me to dig up a copy of the original book for a reread, and then I found a set of graphic novels of the book! This past weekend I had a binge-fest of the graphics. They are good, and the original book is classic!

I rated these all



14. The Stand: Captain Trips by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa



15. The Stand: American Nightmares by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa



16. The Stand: Soul Survivors by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa



17. The Stand: Hardcases by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa



18. The Stand: No Man's Land by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa



19. The Stand: The Night Has Come by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

20. A History of European Art by William Kloss



This course took a while (48 lectures of 30 minutes each). Knowledgeable and well-spoken lecturer (William Kloss), who has been the teacher in other Great Courses art classes.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading, what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (2/4/2021):

Actively reading:

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell -- p. 68 of 268
The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic by the New York Times -- p. 77 of 290
In the Teeth of the Evidence (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers -- p. 174 of 218 (pp 421-639 of collection)
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald -- p. 103 of 262
A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 187 of 297
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs (Jennifer Saunders) -- p. 9 of 283

AAC January Read -- Becoming by Michelle Obama - -- p. 73 of 457
AAC February Read -- A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin

I want to reread/read Miss Peregrine's series!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (COMPLETED)
Hollow City
Library of Souls
A Map of Days
Conference of the Birds
Desolation of Devil's Acre

My current Great Course(s):
The Iliad of Homer -- 0 of 12
From Monet to Van Gogh -- 0 of 24
The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales -- 0 of 36

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- 292
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith

21. In the Teeth of the Evidence and Other Stories (Lord Peter Wimsey) by Dorothy L. Sayers



Fun, little collection of Wimsey, Montague Egg, and other stories.

22. Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age by John Lithgow



Another in the set of witty little political nuggets from Lithgow. Such a love of language and words!

From "Scoundrels and Heroes: Limericks from the Seat of Government," here's a fun one:

21.

Dr. Fauci, forced into the act
Provided what Dumpty had lacked.
Reassurance at zero,
He emerged as a hero
While almost expiring from tact.

23. A Promise of Ankles by Alexander McCall Smith



The 14th (!) of the 44 Scotland St. series. It was okay, a nice comforting read, but nothing extraordinary. I still love anything that Alexander McCall Smith puts out. And he is SO prolific.

24. Striding Folly Lord Peter Wimsey #15 by Dorothy L. Sayers

Delightful "last" Wimsey book, a collection of short stories that I just loved! Only three stories, but they were lovely, a nice capstone to the Wimsey series. The stories follow Wimsey after his marriage to Harriet, and she makes a few quick little appearances. This final volume left me with a warm feeling in my heart for the series.

25. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Judith, though, hears him in the swish of a broom, against the floor. She sees him in the winged dip of a bird over the wall. She finds him in the shake of a pony's mane, in the smattering of hail against the pane, in the wind reaching its arm down the chimney, in the rustle of the rushes that make up her den's roof.

26. Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald

Thursday (or Friday!) Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading, what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (2/12/2021):

Actively reading:

The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic by the New York Times -- p. 115 of 290
Bonkers: My Life in Laughs by Jennifer Saunders -- p. 49 of 283
Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls --
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 73 of 457
AAC February read: A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin

I want to reread/read Miss Peregrine's series!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (COMPLETED)
Hollow City
Library of Souls
A Map of Days
Conference of the Birds
Desolation of Devil's Acre

My current Great Course(s):
The Iliad of Homer -- 6 of 12; 12 of 24 Books of The Iliad
From Monet to Van Gogh -- 0 of 24
The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales -- 0 of 36

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 32 of 250
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- 292
The Stand by Stephen King

27. Daumier: 120 Great Lithographs by Honore Daumier, ed. Charles F. Ramus

28. The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic by The New York Times

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading, what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (2/18/2021):

Actively reading:

Bonkers: My Life in Laughs by Jennifer Saunders -- p. 81 of 283
Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls -- p. 31 of 111
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- p. 92 of 313
Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife by Ariel Sabar -- p. 89 of 460
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 20 of 250
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- p. 21 of 292
The Encyclopedia Lumberjanica -- p. 35 of 95

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 99 of 457
AAC February read: A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin -- p. 27 of 489

I want to reread/read Miss Peregrine's series!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (COMPLETED)
Hollow City -- p. 33 of 285
Library of Souls
A Map of Days
Conference of the Birds
Desolation of Devil's Acre

My current Great Course(s):
The Iliad of Homer -- 6 of 12; 12 of 24 Books of The Iliad
From Monet to Van Gogh -- 3 of 24
The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales -- 6 of 36

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Stand by Stephen King

New this week:

The Historians by Cecilia Ekback 440 pages
Quantum by Patricia Cornwell 338 pages
Midnight Library by Matt Haig -- 20 of 273
Invisible Lie of Addie LaRue by J. E. Schwab -- 498 pages

29. The Encyclopedia Lumberjanica: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters

30. Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife by Ariel Sabar

31. Asterix and The Chieftain's Daughter by Jean-Yves Ferri

32. The Range Eternal by Louise Erdrich

33. The Iliad by Homer trans. Richmond Lattimore

34. The Iliad of Homer (The Great Courses) by Elizabeth Vandiver

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading, what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (2/25/2021):

Actively reading:

Bonkers: My Life in Laughs by Jennifer Saunders -- p. 97 of 283
Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls -- p. 31 of 111
Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- p. 131 0f 425
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 20 of 250
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- p. 21 of 292
The News of the World by Paulette Jiles (reread)
The Wimsey Family (C. W. Scott-Giles)

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 99 of 457
AAC February read: A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin -- p. 17 of 628

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series!
Still Life

I want to reread/read Miss Peregrine's series!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (COMPLETED)
Hollow City -- p. 33 of 285
Library of Souls
A Map of Days
Conference of the Birds
Desolation of Devil's Acre

My current Great Course(s):
From Monet to Van Gogh -- 6 of 24
The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales -- 6 of 36

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
New Poets of Native Nations (ed. Heid E. Erdrich) -- 0 of 279
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 22 of 1173

New this week:

Quantum by Patricia Cornwell 338 pages
Ex Libris

35. The Wimsey Family: A Fragmentary History Compiled from Correspondence with Dorothy L. Sayers by C.W. Scott-Giles

36. Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

37. Bonkers: My Life in Laughs by Jennifer Saunders

38. Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache #1) by Louise Penny

39. New Poets of Native Nations ed. Heid E. Erdrich

Linear Process (Gwen Nell Westerman)(This poem, as printed, is spaced out to form a curve, which I cannot reproduce here. Sorry!)

Our elders say
the universe is a
circle.
Everything
returns to its
beginnings.
But where do we go
from here?
Where are
our beginnings?

Our parents were stripped
of their parents
names tongues prayers,
lined up for their meals
clothes classes tests
to come into this world,
they did not know what family meant
anymore.
They did not
know.
Yet even
from here,
we can
see that the
straightest line
on a map
is a
circle.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading, what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (3/4/2021):

Actively reading:

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- p. 191 0f 425
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 20 of 250
The Sacrament by Olafur Johann Olafsson -- p. 21 of 292
The News of the World by Paulette Jiles (reread)p. 17 of 211
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 66 of 1319

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 110 of 457
AAC February read: A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin -- p. 39 of 628
AAC March read: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay --

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 2 of 18: A Fatal Grace (pp. 252-559 of my 10book collection)(on p. 332, so p. 80 of 307)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 33 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
From Monet to Van Gogh -- 6 of 24
The Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales -- 12 of 36

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
Othello by Wm. Shakespeare (read and listen)
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302
Quantum by Patricia Cornwell 338 pages
Ex Libris

New this week:
Four Lost Cities
Kindred
Hollowpox
Pianos and Flowers
Great Gatsby (graphic novel)

40. Othello (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes Editors

41. Audio recording of Shakespeare's "Othello." Adaptation of the play for radio (KPFA, broadcast February 2963). Featuring Paul Robeson, Uta Hagen, Jose Ferrer, and Edith King.

>58 klobrien2: Wow that is an incredibly detailed precis of your current reading, Karen!

Have a lovely weekend.

>60 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! My weekly reading roundup helps organize me--and I crave organization!

Have a great weekend, yourself!

42. The Great Gatsby: The Graphic Novel adapted by Fred Fordham; illus. by Aya Morton

43. The Sacrament: A Novel by Olaf Olafsson

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, or strength of mind. I dug as deep into my soul as I could, deeper that I intended, but I was clutching at air.

In the end, the tide of forgetfulness washes over us all. The words we spoke no longer echo in anyone's head, the things we left unsaid no longer matter.

44. A Fatal Grace (Inspector Gamache #2) by Louise Penny

45. Great Tours: England, Scotland, and Wales (Great Courses) by Patrick N. Allitt

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading, what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (3/11/2021):

Actively reading:

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- p. 205 0f 425
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik -- p. 20 of 250
The News of the World by Paulette Jiles (reread) p. 17 of 211
Hollowpox
Me, Cheetah: My Life in Hollywood by Cheetah (as told to James Lever) -- p. 10 of 302

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 110 of 457
AAC February read: A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin -- p. 39 of 628
AAC March read: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay -- p. 23 of 256

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 3 of 18: The Cruelest Month (pp. 559-893 of my 10-book collection)(on p. 587, so p. 28 of 334)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 33 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
From Monet to Van Gogh -- 8 of 24

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- p. 0 of 375
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Goodnight Sweet Prince by David Dickinson -- 314
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 66 of 1319

New this week:
Parenisi by Susannah Clarke
The Great Influenza
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

Hi Karen!

>28 klobrien2: I was saddened by Keillor’s fall from favor, didn’t realize he had a new book out. Oh, yes, fresh sweet corn from the field. I’ve only had it twice – at my g-grandparents farm when I was a kid and the same farm, owned by a grandson, in 2010.

>37 klobrien2: I saw Lithgow read a few of these verses on Stephen Colbert just before it came out. Brilliant.

>53 klobrien2: I have this book and have read it multiple times over the years.

>54 klobrien2: Mrs. Caliban was my RL book club choice for our aborted 2020-2021 book club year and I finally read it last December. I loved it.

>66 klobrien2: Your reading round up is always amazing. I read the abridged The Stand and then the published-as-originally-written The Stand. It’s a marvelous book.

>67 karenmarie: Hi Karen! So good to see you here!

I've been neglecting my thread, so I've got some work to do. I've been having good reading, and I hate pulling myself away, but as the British say (one of my favorite Britishisms), needs must!

Thanks for stopping by!

I had a bit of a reversion to childhood, I guess, with the next four reads. Lovely, comfort-reading books!

46. A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

A reread for me, lovely book. My reread triggered by the British Great Tours course I took.

47. See the Cat: Three Stories about a Dog by David LaRochelle

48. Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (Dog Man #9) by Dav Pilkey

49. Stranger Things: Into the Fire (Graphic Novel) by Jody Houser

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (3/18/2021):

Actively reading:

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- p. 212 0f 425
The News of the World by Paulette Jiles (reread) p. 61 of 211
Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend -- 543 pages
Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis -- p.19 of 277
Ex Libris by Michiko Kakutani -- p. 19 of 316
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 14 of 179

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 146 of 457
AAC February read: A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin -- p. 39 of 628
AAC March read: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay -- p. 77 of 256

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 3 of 18: The Cruelest Month (pp. 559-893 of my 10-book collection)(on p. 718, so p. 175 of 334)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 33 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
Homer's Odyssey -- 0 of 12 lectures, 0 of 24 books

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger -- p. 18 of 324
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 66 of 1319
The Great Influenza by John M. Barry -- p. 22 of 689
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman -- p. 10 of 326
When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us -- 193 pages

New this week:

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- 308 pages
Walking Home by Simon Armitage -- 281 pages
So Terrible a Storm by Curt Brown -- 295 pages
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz -- 262 pages
Dylan Thomas Collected Poems -- 203 pages
New Boy (Othello retold) by Tracy Chevalier -- 173 pages
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Cullors -- 221 pages

50. News of the World by Paulette Jiles

51. Stranger Things: The Bully (graphic novel) by Greg Pak

52. The Cruelest Month (Inspector Gamache #3) by Louise Penny

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (3/25/2021):

Actively reading:

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff -- p. 261 0f 425
Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis -- p.50 of 277
Ex Libris by Michiko Kakutani -- p. 35 of 316
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 25 of 179
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
New Boy (Othello retold) by Tracy Chevalier -- p. 12 0f 173
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 17 of 474

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 146 of 457
AAC March read: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay -- p. 101 of 256

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 4 of 18: A Rule for Murder (pp. 894-1201 of my 10-book collection)(on p. 1036, so p. 142 of 307)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 33 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
Homer's Odyssey -- 6 of 12 lectures, 12 of 24 books

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us -- 193 pages
Walking Home by Simon Armitage -- 281 pages
So Terrible a Storm by Curt Brown -- 295 pages
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz -- 262 pages
Dylan Thomas Collected Poems -- 203 pages

New this week:

Minnesota 1918 by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman -- 332 pages

53. Dog Man: Mothering Heights (Dog Man #10) by Dav Pilkey

54. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

55. A Rule Against Murder (Inspector Gamache #4) by Louise Penny

56. The Odyssey of Homer trans. Emily Wilson

57. The Odyssey of Homer (Great Course) by Elizabeth Vandiver

58. The Hangman (Inspector Gamache Novella) by Louise Penny

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (4/1/2021):

Actively reading:

Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis -- p.133 of 277
Ex Libris by Michiko Kakutani -- p. 146 of 316
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 25 of 179
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman -- p. 17 of 332
New Boy (Othello retold) by Tracy Chevalier -- p. 12 0f 173
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 17 of 474
Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson -- p. 21 of 300

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 146 of 457
AAC March read: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay -- p. 179 of 256
AAC April read: Something Music-ey, don't know what yet

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 5 of 18: The Brutal Telling (pp. 1202-1560 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 1262, so p. 60 of 358)(whew!)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 61 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
The Aeneid by Vergil -- 3 of 12 lectures listened to; 1 of 12 Books read

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us -- 193 pages
Walking Home by Simon Armitage -- 281 pages
So Terrible a Storm by Curt Brown -- 295 pages
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz -- 262 pages
Dylan Thomas Collected Poems -- 203 pages
Minnesota 1918 by Curt Brown -- 278 pages

New this week:

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria -- 234 pages

59. Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

60. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

61. The Brutal Telling (Inspector Gamache #5) by Louise Penny

62. Ex Libris: 100 Books to Read and Reread by Michiko Kakutani

63. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (4/8/2021):

Actively reading:

The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 25 of 179
New Boy (Othello retold) by Tracy Chevalier -- p. 12 0f 173
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 17 of 474
Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson -- p. 21 of 300
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- 179 pages
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 146 of 457
AAC April read: Americans Who Make Music -- Just Kids by Patti Smith --210 pages

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 6 of 18: Bury Your Dead (pp. 1561-1890 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 1593, so p. 32 of 329)(whew!)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 61 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
The Aeneid by Vergil -- 7 of 12 lectures listened to; 6 of 12 Books read

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz -- 262 pages
Dylan Thomas Collected Poems -- 203 pages
Minnesota 1918 by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria -- 234 pages

New this week:

Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
Life by Keith Richards -- 374 pages
Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart -- 329 pages
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez -- 566 pages
Aeneid Book VI: A New Poetic Translation by Seamus Heaney -- 93 pages

64. Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food by Marcus Samuelsson

65. The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

66. On Market Street by Arnold Lobel

67. Martha by Gennady Spirin

68. The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illus. Kadir Nelson

This is a love letter to America. To Black America. To the grit, passion, and perseverance of our greatest artists, athletes, and activists. To the dreamers. To the strength and bravery of everyday people caught i the web of history.

69. Aeneid Book VI: A New Verse Translation by Virgil, trans. Seamus Heaney

What was meant to be an afterward to the translation? For the contemporary reader, it is the best of books and the worst of books. Best because of its mythopoeic visions, the twilit fetch of its language, the pathos of the many encounters it allows the living Aeneas with his familiar dead. Wort because of its imperial certitude, its celebration of Rome's manifest destiny and the catalogue of Roman heroes...

70. We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe by Merrill Markoe

71. The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Virgil, trans. Robert Fagles

72. The Aeneid of Virgil by Elizabeth Vandiver (Great Courses)

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (4/15/2021):

Actively reading:

The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 25 of 179
New Boy (Othello retold) by Tracy Chevalier -- p. 12 0f 173
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 219 of 474
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- 179 pages
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages

AAC January read: Becoming by Michelle Obama -- p. 146 of 457
AAC April read: Americans Who Make Music -- Just Kids by Patti Smith -- p. 12 of 210

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 6 of 18: Bury Your Dead (pp. 1561-1890 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 1627, so p. 66 of 329)(whew!)

I'm doing a reread/read of Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's series! Currently on book 2 of 6: Hollow City (p. 61 of 285)

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 36 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz -- 262 pages
Dylan Thomas Collected Poems -- 203 pages
Minnesota 1918 by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria -- 234 pages
Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
Life by Keith Richards -- 374 pages
Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart -- 329 pages
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez -- 566 pages

New this week:

Witcher Omnibus Vol. 1 (graphic) by Paul Tobin
Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet -- 158 pages
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin -- 261 pages

73. Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet

And to be free as a writer meant he was able to write as he pleased, to get down on paper a "little capsule of truth." That truth came out in simple, clear sentences, writing that William Shawn described as "utterly beautiful...He was ageless, and his writing was timeless.

And he was a poet! Here is "Natural History," a poem he wrote for his wife. His family read the poem at his funeral.

The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unwinds a thread of his devising:
A thing, premeditated rig
To use in rising.

And all the journey down through space,
In cool descent, and loyal-hearted,
He build a ladder to the place
From which he started.

Thus I, gone forth, as spiders do,
In spider's web a truth discerning,
Attach one silken strand to you
For my returning.

74. The Witcher Omnibus by Paul Tobin

75. Your Inner Hedgehog by Alexander McCall Smith

Congrats on hitting the goal!

>100 klobrien2: Congratulations on reaching 75, Karen!

>101 drneutron: and >102 FAMeulstee: Thank you both for your kind words! The milestone kind of snuck up on me; I know that I'm reading voraciously, but there are a lot of smaller books mixed in with the bigger ones.

Loving the reading that I'm doing, and loving LT as a place to document it.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (4/22/2021):

Actively reading:

Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 50 of 179
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 300 of 474
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- 23 of 179
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- 18 of 518 pages
Midnight Library by Matt Haig -- 13 of 272 pages
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie -- 5 of 181 pages

AAC April read: Americans Who Make Music -- Just Kids by Patti Smith -- p. 52 of 210

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 6 of 18: Bury Your Dead (pp. 1561-1890 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 1764, so p. 203 of 329)

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 1 of 36 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Dylan Thomas Collected Poems -- 203 pages
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria -- 234 pages
Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
Life by Keith Richards -- 374 pages
Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart -- 329 pages
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez -- 566 pages
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin -- 261 pages

New this week:

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon -- 339 pages
Nemesis by Philip Roth -- 280 pages

Hi Karen!

My, my, you’re really zooming through the books.

>86 klobrien2: I recently read The Thursday Murder Club and loved it. I just discovered that a second in what is apparently a series will be out in September - The Man Who Died Twice.

>89 klobrien2: I didn’t realize she had this out. I’ve pre-ordered The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, due to be released in September. I’ve ordered two copies of this – one for me and one for my daughter.

>98 klobrien2: Fascinating. And I did not know he was a poet. What a sweet poem, even if it’s about a critter I’m not particularly fond of. Thanks for sharing.

>100 klobrien2: Congratulations on your first 75 of 2021!

>104 klobrien2: I’ve had The Debt to Pleasure on my shelves since before I joined LT in 2007. I’ve brought it into my home office and may even read it soon. *smile* Yay for Agatha Christie, Amor Towles, and Geraldine Brooks.

>105 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! Thanks for stopping by! I'm having such a good time reading and I'm almost caught up with people on LT! I've heard that posting is down lately? Which might be a great thing for me, and maybe I'll try to completely catch up this weekend!

Thanks for the heads-up on the next Thursday Murder Club! I assumed there would be another, as the first one is labeled #1 at my library.

Thanks again for stopping by to chat!

76. Bury Your Dead (Chief Inspector Gamache #6) by Louise Penny

77. Asterix Omnibus #7 by Rene Goscinny

I reread the entire series of Asterix Omnibus way last year, but whoever had this volume out from the library sat on it since then. I finally got my turn, and gobbled up this funny, well-drawn and written classic.

78. Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius by Matthijs Ilsink

>108 klobrien2: Asterix is always good, Karen. I am glad to have them all on the shelf.

>109 klobrien2: Any thought you would share about Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius?

>110 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita! Thanks for stopping by!

I mean to go back and add to my reading log; in the meantime, I enjoyed the Bosch book; the full-color illustrations were wonderful. He gave such personality to each of his portraits, even the not-so-realistic ones. I have to say that I struggled a little with the plain drawings--I couldn't always see the detail clearly.

I really want to thank you for bringing my attention to the book! It was, by and large, a feast for the eyes.

79. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas, 1934-1952 by Dylan Thomas

From "Ballad of the Long-Legged Bait":

Whales in the wake like capes and Alps
Quaked the sick sea and snouted deep,
Deep the great bushed hair with raining lips
Slipped the fins of those humpbacked tons

From "In Country Sleep":

The haygold haired, my love asleep, and the rift blue
Eyed, in the haloed hours, in her rareness and hilly
High riding, held and blessed and true, and so stilly...

And, of course, a poem that breaks my heart every time:

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do no go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

80. A Trick of the Light (Chief Inspector Gamache #7) by Louise Penny

Thursday (well, Friday) Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (4/30/2021):

Actively reading:

Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 59 of 179
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 341 of 474
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- 23 of 179
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- 18 of 518 pages
Midnight Library by Matt Haig -- 19 of 272 pages
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
In His Own Write/A Spaniard in the Works by John Lennon -- p. 32 of 93

AAC April read: Americans Who Make Music -- Just Kids by Patti Smith -- p. 109 of 210
AAC May read: Mary McCarthy -- ??

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 8 of 18: The Beautiful Mystery (pp. 2193-2534 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 2193, so p. 0 of 341)

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 8 of 36 lectures
The Greek Tragedies -- 0 of 24 lectures; collecting my "playbooks"

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
License to Quill by Jacopo Della Quercia -- 375 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon -- 339 pages
Nemesis by Philip Roth -- 280 pages

New this week:

Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 14 of 322
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 309 pages
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell -- 285 pages

Late to wish you my congratulations for passing 75 Karen!

>115 PaulCranswick: thanks, Paul!

81. In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works by John Lennon

Fun little books of nonsense rhymes and prose and simple line drawings. Lots of humor, and wonderful play with language. Here's an example:

From: We Must Not Forget the General Erection

Azu orl gnome, Harassed Wilsod won the General Erection, with a very small marjorie over the Torchies. Thus pudding the Laboring Partly back into powell after a large abcess. This he could not have withoutspan the barking of thee Trade Onions, heady by Frank Cunnings (who noun has a SAFE SEAT in Nuneating thank you and Fronk (only 62) Bowels hasn't).

Whew! Spellchecker has a field day with this stuff! Actually, it took me longer to read this than I would have thought, because of having to puzzle out what Lennon was spoofing.

The illustrations were clever, and it was so nice to "hear" Lennon's voice again through this little set of books (circa 1964/1965).

82. Just Kids by Patti Smith

Well-written remembrance of Robert Mapplethorpe by his friend and one-time lover, Patti Smith. What a history of the time and place! New York City in the late '60s and '70s.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (5/6/2021):

Actively reading:

Sh*t, Actually by Lindy West -- p. 135 of 242
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley -- p. 55 of 167
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles -- p. 388 of 474
Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 25 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 41 of 179
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- p. 16 of 280
Midnight Library by Matt Haig -- p. 94 of 272
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- 309 pages

AAC May read: Mary McCarthy -- The Group

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 8 of 18: The Beautiful Mystery (pp. 2193-2534 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 2449, so p. 256 of 341)

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 12 of 36 lectures
The Greek Tragedies -- 0 of 24 lectures; collecting my "playbooks"

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People by Lenny Bruce -- 188 pages
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon -- 339 pages
Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 14 of 322
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell -- 285 pages

83. The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Gamache #8) by Louise Penny

>117 klobrien2: I bought In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works sometime in the 60s and read it enthusiastically. I thought I didn’t own it anymore but behold! It’s on shelf P12 upstairs in the Parlour. I know I originally bought a hard cover but now what I have is a paperback. I wonder what terrible things it says about me that my favorite piece is Good Dog Nigel.

>121 karenmarie: Glad you found your copy! the humor in the book often snuck up on me. I loved the drawings.

(There were some unexpected and unwanted bits of racism and anti-Semitism in there too, which were very dating. I haven't adjusted to this phenomena in older books, but I'm glad it jumps out at me.)

Thanks for stopping by!

84. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

85. Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West

I love making fun of movies. I love turning a piece of criticism into a piece of entertainment. I love pointing out a plot hole that makes a superfan write me an angry e-mail. I love turning my unsophistication into a tool. I love being hyperbolically, cathartically angry for no reason. I love being flippant and careless and earnest and meticulous all at once.

86. How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Gamache #9) by Louise Penny

87. Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey

88. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Lovely reread of this charming book. Liked it as much as I did the first time.

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (5/13/2021):

Actively reading:

Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 25 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 41 of 179
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- p. 16 of 280
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks -- p. 23 of 308
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- p. 38 of 309 (TIOLI 1)
Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan -- p. 11 of 61 (TIOLI 8)
Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes

AAC May read: Mary McCarthy -- The Group -- p. 38 of 424

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 10 of 18: The Long Way Home (pp. 2903-3238 of my 10-eBook collection)(on p. 2930, so p. 27 of 335)

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 15 of 36 lectures
The Greek Tragedies -- 4 of 24 lectures; will have all of my "playbooks" tomorrow--including the first one I need, right?!

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People by Lenny Bruce -- 188 pages
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon -- 339 pages
Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 14 of 322
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell -- 285 pages

One of my current projects is the Great Courses "Greek Tragedy" course, presented by Katherine Vandiver. I've gone through her Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid courses (and her Greek Mythology course, come to think of it!), and really enjoy her teaching and her vast knowledge.

So, I've finished the first six lessons, which involved reading the first three non-Oresteia plays of Aeschylus. I'm counting each play that I read as a book. This will plump up my reading count! There will be 27 plays, and I've finished the first three.



Using Aeschylus II of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. These plays were read for lesson 5, "Aeschylus: Creator of an Art Form."

89. The Persians, translated by S. G. Bernardete.

90. Seven Against Thebes, translated by David Grene.

91. The Suppliant Maidens, translated by S. G. Bernardete.

92. Oresteia: Agamemnon, translated by Richmond Lattimore.



Using Aeschylus I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. This play was read for lesson 7, "Oresteia: Agamemnon."
Next up are the other two plays in the trilogy, "The Libation Bearers" and "The Eumenides."

93. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

94. Oresteia: Libation Bearers, translated by Richmond Lattimore.

95. Oresteia: Eumenides, translated by Richmond Lattimore.

Using Aeschylus I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. These plays were read for lesson 8, "Oresteia: Libation Bearers and Eumenides."

Next up are the "Three Elektras"!

96. Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan

97. The Long Way Home (Chief Inspector Gamache #10) by Louise Penny

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (5/20/2021):

Actively reading:

Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 50 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 41 of 179
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- p. 16 of 280
Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Nemesis by Philip Roth
The Anti-Book by Raphael Simon

AAC June read: Ken Kesey

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 11 of 18: The Nature of the Beast

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 15 of 36 lectures
The Greek Tragedies -- 9 of 24 lectures; 6 of 27 plays.

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1319
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Born Free by Joy Adamson -- 219 pages
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon -- 339 pages
Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 14 of 322

98. Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells

99. Electra by Sophocles, translated by David Grenel.

100. Electra by Euripedes, Translated by Emily Townsend Vermeule.

Using Euripedes V of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes V" out of "Volume 4." Very confusing).

These plays were read for lesson 10, "The Three Electras."

Really liking these plays! Here's one quote from the excellent translation by Emily Townsend Vermeule. This is Orestes speaking to Electra, in Euripedes's "Electra," line 290:

Uneducated men are pitiless,
But we who are educated pity much. And we pay
a high price for being intelligent. Wisdom hurts.

Next up, "The Sophoclean Hero" (Ajax).

101. Ajax by Sophocles



Using Sophocles II of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. Translator was John Moore.

This play was read for lesson 11, "The Sophoclean Hero."

Next up, "Antigone and Creon" (Antigone) by Sophocles.

102. Antigone by Sophocles



Using Sophocles I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. Translator was David Grene.

This play was read for lesson 12, "Antigone and Creon."

Next up, "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles.

Hi Karen!

>122 klobrien2: There were some unexpected and unwanted bits of racism and anti-Semitism in there too, which were very dating. I haven't adjusted to this phenomena in older books, but I'm glad it jumps out at me. Such a good way to put it, to be glad that it jumps out at you.

Good to see your smiling face!

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (5/27/2021):

Actively reading:

Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 50 of 322
Lincoln in the Bardo (reread) by George Saunders -- p. 62 of 359
The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard -- p. 42 of 282
Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 50 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 63 of 179
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- p. 30 of 441
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 103 of 1394

AAC June read: Ken Kesey. Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, p. 18 of 299.

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 11 of 18: The Nature of the Beast, p. 117 of 525.

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 15 of 36 lectures
The Greek Tragedies -- 12 of 24 lectures; 10 of 27 plays.

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Nemesis by Philip Roth
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Tiny Tales by Alexander McCall Smith
The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah: Hope in a War-Weary World by Joseph Everson

103. Oedipus the King by Sophocles

Using Sophocles I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. Translator was David Grene.

This play was read for lessons 13 and 14, "Oedipus the King I" and "Oedipus the King II."

Next up, "Two Tragedians, One Hero," with Euripedes's "Heracles," and Sophocles's "Women of Trachis."

104. The Happiness of a Dog With a Ball in Its Mouth by Bruce Handy

Well, here's a change of pace in my reading! Lovely Easy book with great illustrations and important thought about emotions and how changes come and go.

105. Heracles by Euripedes

Using Euripedes III of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes I" out of "Volume 3." Very confusing). Translator was William Arrowsmith.



106. The Women of Trachis by Sophocles

Using Sophocles II of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. Translator was Michael Jameson.

These plays were read for lesson 15, "Two Tragedians, One Hero."

Next up, Sophocles's "Medea," for lesson 16, "Greek Husband, Foreign Wife."

107. The Nature of the Beast (Chief Inspector Gamache #11) by Louise Penny

108. Medea by Euripedes. Translated by Rex Warner.



Using Euripedes I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 1" out of "Volume 3." Very confusing).

This play was read for lesson 16, "Greek Husband, Foreign Wife."

Next up, "Phaedra, Hippolytus, and Aphrodite's Wrath" (Hippolytus).

109. Wombats (Checkerboard Animal Library: Nocturnal Animals) by Kristin Petrie

110. Lumberjanes Vol. 17: Smitten in the Stars by Kat Leyh

111. Hippolytus by Euripedes. Translated by David Grene.



Using Euripedes I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 1" out of "Volume 3." Very confusing).

This play was read for lesson 17, "Phaedra, Hippolytus, and Aphrodite's Wrath."

One verse just struck me as almost hilarious, but so well-spoken that I want to save it for further reference. Phaedra's Nurse is responding to some very shocking news from Phaedra:

What do you mean? This is my death.
Women, this is past bearing. I'll not bear
life after this. A curse upon the daylight!
A curse upon the shining sun above us!
I'll throw myself from a cliff, throw myself headlong!
I'll be rid of life somehow, I'll die somehow!
Farewell to all of you! This is the end for me.

I don't know, I think she's overreacting a little (hehe).

Next up, "Euripedes on War and Women" (Hecuba and The Trojan Women).

112. Hecuba by Euripedes. Translated by William Arrowsmith.

113. The Trojan Women by Euripedes. Translated by Richmond Lattimore.

Using Euripedes I of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 1" out of "Volume 3." Very confusing).

These plays were read for lesson 18, "Euripedes on War and Women."

Next up, "Euripedes the Anti-Tragedian" (Iphigenia in Taurus and Orestes).

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (6/3/2021):

Actively reading:

The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah: Hope in a War-Weary World by Joseph Everson -- p. 25 of 231
Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 104 of 322
Lincoln in the Bardo (reread) by George Saunders -- p. 85 of 285
The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard -- p. 36 of 226
Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 50 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 63 of 179
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- p. 30 of 441
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1174

AAC June read: Ken Kesey. Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, p. 18 of 299.

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 12 of 18: A Great Reckoning, p. 25 of 383.

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 15 of 36 lectures
The Greek Tragedies -- 18 of 24 lectures; 17 of 27 plays.

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams (lots of people waiting for this one, so I should move it up in the rankings)
Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Nemesis by Philip Roth
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Tiny Tales by Alexander McCall Smith

114. Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripedes, Translated by Witter Bynner.

Using Euripedes II of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes II" out of "Volume 3." Very confusing).

115. Orestes by Euripedes. Translated by William Arrowsmith.

Using Euripedes IV of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 4" out of "Volume 4." Just a happy coincidence.).

These plays were read for lesson 19, "Euripedes the Anti-Tragedian."

Next up, "Last Plays of Euripedes" (The Bacchae and Iphigenia at Aulis).

116. The Bacchae by Euripedes. Translated by William Arrowsmith.

Using Euripedes IV of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 4" out of "Volume 4.").

117. Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripedes. Translated by Charles R. Walker.

Using Euripedes V of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 5" out of "Volume 4.").

These plays were read for lesson 20, "The Last Plays of Euripedes."

Next up, "Euripedes and the Gods" (Ion).

118. Ion by Euripedes. Translated by Ronald Fredrick Willetts.

Using Euripedes III of the Complete Greek Tragedies series from the U of Chicago. (My library has three of the original volumes, so I'm reading "Euripedes 3" out of "Volume 4.").

This play was read for lesson 21, "Euripedes and the Gods."

Next up, "The Last Plays of Sophocles" (Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus).

119. Tiny Tales: Stories of Romance, Ambition, Kindness, and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith

Truly short short stories and wonderful cartoons (by Iain McIntosh, McCall Smith's long-time collaborator). The author, whose writing I adore, is so good at pithy, lovely writing. Not a word wasted. Gentle, sweet writing, but conveying such humor, such emotion.

This little book is a real treasure.

120. Philoctetes by Sophocles

121. Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles

122. Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus

123. Rhesus by Euripedes

124. Frogs by Aristophanes

125. Greek Tragedy (Great Courses) by Elizabeth Vandiver (Great Courses)

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (6/10/2021):

Actively reading:

The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah: Hope in a War-Weary World by Joseph Everson -- p. 44 of 231: Book of Isaiah, 10 of 66 chapters
Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 104 of 322
Lincoln in the Bardo (reread) by George Saunders -- p. 92 of 285
The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard -- p. 95 of 226
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams -- p. 47 of 366
Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 50 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 63 of 179
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline -- p. 30 of 441
The Stand by Stephen King -- p. 87 of 1174

AAC June read: Ken Kesey. Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, p. 18 of 299.

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 12 of 18: A Great Reckoning, p. 248 of 383.

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 15 of 36 lectures
Experiencing Hubble: Exploring the Milky Way -- 0 of 12 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Nemesis by Philip Roth
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages

Wow, Karen, you did great reading through all those Greek tragedies!

>161 FAMeulstee: I really enjoyed the tragedies (and Elizabeth Vandiver's presentation). They are all quite short, so none was a time sink. Pacing myself to a lecture (and its associated plays) per day worked well for me.

As when I read The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid, I am now constantly coming across allusions to those works; but now, I am understanding the allusions. I feel quite educated! (I say this quite tongue-in-cheek, but I do enjoy the Great Courses so much).

Thanks for stopping by to chat! I read your thread all the time! You are a great influence on my reading.

126. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Loved this strange, lovely book even more with this read. Thinking of bumping it from 4-star to 5-star simply because of its unique structure and layered meanings. Loved it again.

127. Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith

Very short stories, all arising from old photographs included therein. Interesting concept (just like Ransom Riggs and his "Miss Peregrine" books.

>162 klobrien2: I have read The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid in the last years, Karen, so I might get a similair feeling if I ever get to those tragedies.

Thanks, *blush*

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (6/17/2021):

Actively reading:

The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah: Hope in a War-Weary World by Joseph Everson -- p. 88 of 231: Book of Isaiah, 10 of 66 chapters
Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 104 of 322
The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard -- p. 129 of 226
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams -- p. 60 of 366
Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 50 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279

AAC June read: Ken Kesey. Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, p. 18 of 299.

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 13 of 18: Glass Houses, p. 65 of 332.

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 15 of 36 lectures
Herodotus, the Father of History -- CD, 0 of 24 lectures
Experiencing Hubble: Exploring the Milky Way -- 1 of 12 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Nemesis by Philip Roth
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem
Final Girls by Riley Sagar
Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
Sandman: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman

128. The Unkindness of Ravens: A Greer Hogan Mystery by M. E. Hilliard

129. Experiencing Hubble: Exploring the Milky Way (Great Courses) by David M. Meyer

130. While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

131. The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah: Hope in a War-Weary World--A Commentary by A. Joseph Everson

Read this in conjunction with a webinar my local library was offering. Dr. Everson presented the webinar, along with Rabbi Barry Cytron. Excellent and informative, and surprisingly cheering!

Thursday Reading Roundup Time!

Why I do this "Round Up": Because I rely on libraries so much for my reading (and do so much eBook reading), what I'm reading at any given time changes often, and changes quickly.

Karen's current reading (6/24/2021):

Actively reading:

Final Girls by Riley Sagar -- p.22 of 345
Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict -- p. 38 of 254
Sandman: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman
Cinderbiter: Celtic Poems by Martin Shaw -- p. 50 of 140
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- p. 16 of 279
O Kaplan! My Kaplan! by Leo Rosten -- 361 pages
DaVinci's Cat by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

AAC June read: Ken Kesey. Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, p. 18 of 299.

I'm doing a reread/read of Louise Penny's Gamache series! Currently on book 13 of 18: Glass Houses, p. 189 of 332.

My current Great Course(s):
Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe -- 18 of 36 lectures
Herodotus, the Father of History -- CD, 0 of 24 lecture

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet; mostly library books:

Elizabeth and Margaret by Andrew Morton -- p. 104 of 322
Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Nemesis by Philip Roth
The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester -- 251 pages
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe -- 176
Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire, and War Savaged the State by Curt Brown -- 278 pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers -- 383 pages

Forgot this one!

132. A Great Reckoning (Gamache #12) by Louise Penny

133. Glass Houses (Gamache #13) by Louise Penny

134. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

Please stick with me over here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333390