Tess Reads in Time and Space Page 2

Hi, I'm Tess, newly retired in 2020 and enjoying life. I still teach one class online each semester to keep my mind (and my purse) functioning. I am a professor of History, mostly modern (post Renaissance), with a concentration on WWII, specifically the Holocaust.

I live with my husband of 46 years in a very small area of mid-west Ohio. I dabble in gardening both flowers and vegetables. Besides reading I like to travel, play games, and mostly just laze on the deck and in the pool every chance I get. In central Ohio, we feel the full force of all the seasons.

The loves of my life are my 7 grandchildren ranging in ages from 3-20. I never knew you could love anybody as much/more than your children; but 7 times I've been proven wrong!

My goal is to read 100+ books per year, hopefully most of them from my shelves.

My rating system:
1 star--waste of paper and ink
2 stars-Is this literature? -major flaws or mind numbing boring
2 1/2 stars-not so bad I had to stop reading
3 stars-average, but still quite enjoyable
3 1/2 fun, informative, thought provoking
4 stars-excellent read
4 1/2 exceptionally good, among my favorites
5 stars-in all ways a superior read

Books may count in multiple CATS/KITS if the shoe fits!



My reading year runs from Dec. 25 to Dec. 25 As of Dec 25 there are 498 books on the TBR.

1. The Middle Ages Life in a Medieval Village by Frances Gies READ
2. 1800-Modern Day The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang HOST READ
3. Early Modern 1500-1800 Tulip Fever READ
4. Ancient 8 BC-AD 600 People of Fire READ
5. Dynasties/Civilizations/Empires Restoration (Charles II)
6. Military/War/Revolution
7. Social History
8. Your Own Country The American Reader: Words that Moved a Nation.
9. Religion/Philosophy/Politics/Law The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer
10. Country/Region of Your Choice WWII Europe or Japan
11. Events WWII
12. Exploration and Discovery Camping with the Communists

GEO KIT



North America Dead Red Heart by RP Dahlke READ

South American/Central America/Caribbean The Privateer Clause: Marsha & Danny Jones Thriller by Ken Rossignol READ

Oceania War with the Newts READ

Asia HOST The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang READ

Africa The Covenant by James Michener READ

Europe Life in a Medieval Village by Frances Gies READ

Polar/tundra Shackleton's Journeyby William Grill READ

KITASTROPHES



Jan-March Technology/Industrial/Manmade Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo READ

April-June Transportation and Maritime HOST Into the Abyss READ

July-Sept. Weather/Geological/Fire To Sleep With the Angels by David Cowan

Oct-Dec. Riots/uprisings/sieges/invasions THE SARACEN STORM: A Novel of the Moorish Invasion of Spain by J.M. Nunez

All year: Epidemics
1. Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg READ

Books that have no CAT, that I just want to read!

1. 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental
2. Shackleton's Journey by William Grill
3. Nightwood
4. 1984
5. Patience and Sarah
6. A Gentleman's Murder
7. The Convenient Marriage
8. Sapphire and Shadow (A Woman's Life #1)
9. Master and Man
10. The Personal History of Rachel Dupree
11. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
12. Keep the Aspidistra Flying
13. Midwives
14. The Legend of Mickey Tussler
15. One Grain of Rice
16. The Woods of Red Hill DNF
17. Swallows and Amazons
18 Devil's Brood
19. Anthony Adverse
20. McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm
21. The Miller's Dance
22. The Shape of Mercy
23. How Martha Saved Her Parents From Green Beans
24. Thin Rich Bitches
25. Of Mortal Love
26. Nora and the Great Bear
27. Pig Surprise
28. Imperial Rescript
29. It's Not Over
30. Skeleton Lake
31. Ninety Two in the Shade
32. A Lovely Way to Burn
33. The Six Swans
34. Drowning Ruth
35. The Loving Cup

Reads in Place: Books set in France
1. Restoration READ
2. The Gauguin Connection: A Genevieve Lenard Novel READ
3. Marie Antoinette by Stefan Zweig
4. The Song of Bernadette by Werful Franz
5. The Song of Dawn: 1150 in Provence by Jean Gill
6. No Exit by Sartre READ

Books published in 1936
1. War with the Newts by Karel Capek READ
2. Nightwood by Djuna Barnes READ
3. Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier READ
4. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie READ
5. Keep the Apidistra Flying by George Orwell READ

Reads in Time: Reads the 5 oldest and newest books on my shelf (as of 1-1-2021)

OLDEST
1. The Courage to Care READ
2. Sapphire and Shadow READ
3. Midwives READ
4. In the Garden of Beasts READ
5. Tulip Fever READ

NEWEST
1. Death by Water READ
2. A Lovely Way to Burn READ
3. Florence Nightingale READ
4. Flesh and Blood
5. Curses!

Reads in Time: Read 5 books from childhood/teen years
1. Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Caldone
2. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
3. The Bobbsey Twins on an Airplane Ride by Laura Lee Hope
4.
5.

Reads 5 non-fiction books/plays.
1. Life in a Medieval Village READ
2. Zoo Nebraska READ
3. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 READ
4. The Rape of Nanking by Irish Chang READ
5. Rani Laxmibai: Warrior-Queen of Jhansi READ
6. The Diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer
7. The Physical Death and Resurrection: A Surgeon's View
8. Living our Best Lives
9. Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project
10. This is my Lemonade: An Adoption Story
11. Aida

Reading Through Time



Quarterly Reads
1. Renaissance Hamnet READ
2. 17th Century Tulip Fever READ
3. 18th Century
4. Napoleonic

Monthly Reads
1. Shakespeare's Children Hamnet READ
2. Fashion The Case of the Flashing Fashion Queen: A Dix Dodd Mystery (Dix Dodd Mysteries Book 1) by Norah Wilson READ
3. Argh, Matey HOST Jamaica Inn READ
4. The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire Narrow Road to the North Read
5. Meet the Press When Google Met Wiki Leaks READ
6. Rewriting the Past Eli
7. Now we are free Freedom from Tyranny of the Urgent
8. Food Baking in America: Traditional and Contemporary Favorites from the Past 200 Years
9. Time Travel/Prehistoric
10. Supernatural Blood Coins: The Judas Chronicles--Books One, Two, and Three
11. Reader's Choice
12. TBD

Welcome to part 2! I baked some cookies for my grandchildren and you may have some with either tea or coffee! (oatmeal, raisin, walnut)

>12 Tess_W: Is that your picture? How perfect those cookies are! They look and sound delicious.

>13 pammab: my DIL's pic, my cookies. I use a scoop to get them in perfect circles and parchment paper to make sure they don't expand too much.

>12 Tess_W: Happy new thread! I really shouldn't, but I love walnuts...

Wow, those cookies look delicious! Happy new thread :)

Happy new thread. And I'd love a cookie (or three) so thank you.
*dunks cookie in tea and goes slurp*

Happy new thread! Good idea to use a scoop for the cookies -- they look great!

26. Rani Laxmibai: Warrior-Queen of Jhansi by Pratibha Ranade was the biography of an upper-class, educated woman, from the Brahmin caste, who led her people in rebellion against the British East India Company in 1857. Rani, who was strong-willed, violated almost every rule for females in 19th century India. Rani was astute when dealing with others as well as clever and resourceful. She did not use her upper-class "rights" for her own personal gain, but for the betterment of her "people." She was killed by the British in battle in 1858. She left only an adopted son, who was not recognized by the British. There are many folk tales and sayings attributed to Rani in Indian culture. In fact, the hero of the book (see #27) has the name Rani. (not sure if it was intentional) 256 pages 3 1/2 stars CAT: Non-fiction

With this book I have completed my Non-Fiction Cat for this year. I'm not a big non-fiction reader and in previous years I dreaded reading non-fiction. However, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed my 5 non-fiction reads of this year. I'm sure that I will read more before the year is out.

27. One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi. This is a children's book, beautifully illustrated. However, because of the mathematical principles contained within (doubling), it would be for an older child. In the book Rani is more clever than the Raja, who confiscated all the rice for himself. This is a book that I will save for one of my youngest granddaughters (now ages 3 and 4) when they are able to understand it. I got this as a BB from somebody in this group, but I can't remember--so sorry! 28 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

Hi, Tess!
I love your categories. I also have a France category. I've been doing this off and on since 2008 and this is the first time France has shown up on my lists, so I look forward to some good books set in France. Such a unique and interesting country. It will be interesting to see if we read any of the same books.

I have to ask what the significance of "1936" is.

>21 Nickelini: Hello! It seems as if I'm always reading books about the French Revolution or just set in France, in general. According to my tags, France had a great number of books. So I decided to tackle France this year!

As to 1936, no significance. Last year I read 5 books from 1955 (my birth year), and this year I went to a random generator online and asked it for a number between 1900-1999 and it came up with 1936, so this year I read books from that year. It's my take on the reading through the 20th century challenge that I've seen some do here on LT.

Happy New Thread, Tess! I'm with you on the nonfiction reading - I'm really enjoying it this year.

>3 Tess_W: Great progress with your GeoKIT reading. I finally updated my tracking and so far I have only been to Europe and North America. That is the usual for me though. I hope to throw in a reading adventure to Asia in March or April.

Enjoy your fun new thread. Those cookies would have been gobbled up in the blink of an eye at my house.

Happy new thread, Tess. Your cookies look delicious - I love cookies but seldom have the patience to make my own.

Hi there, and good to see your new thread. The cookies are beautiful. I rarely bake them any more, but I used to make cookies every week for many years and loved to do that as a kid. My mom was so patient as we messed up her kitchen! My sisters and I always got into arguments when making cut out Christmas cookies and decorating them.

>25 DeltaQueen50:
>26 LadyoftheLodge: One thing I'm not good at: Decorating cookies/cakes.

Baking cookies is a win-win for me. I like to cook, I use a stand mixer so not a lot of dirty dishes to clean up, my grandkids love them, and I listen to an audio book while baking. 4 dozen takes about an hour to bake from start to finish.

28. The Woods of Red Hill by Shaun Whittington--just another one of those "free" ereads that wasn't worth the effort to download. I made it through the first chapter with a multitude of misspellings and even more run on sentences. This author needs to find a ghost writer and/or another profession! 1/2 star DNF Probably the worst case of self-publishing I've ever seen. CAT: Because I Wanna

>28 Tess_W: oh deary deary me. Thanks for taking one for the team there.

29. War with the Newts by Karel Capek was both a sci-fi and a satirical read. Light on the sci-fi and heavy on the satire. This book was written in 1936 and the author takes a lot of pot-shots at the Nazis, if you know your history. He died before the Nazi's could come after him. I believe the entire premise of the book is that man must live in a homogenous society to be happy; he will annihilate anything different. I thought the first third and the last third a compelling read, but it bogged down in the middle. I think this might have been a better short story than a novel, although I'm glad I read it. CAT: 1936, Geo Kit: Oceania, 241 pages 3 stars

>29 Helenliz: War with the Newts was a five star read for me, although I'm not normally keen on science fiction. Here's what I said about it in 2008.

Finished War with the Newts, which was written as the world was preparing for World War II. Political satire, scathing about economics, greed, arms dealing and the hypocrisy of nations. Still relevant. That's the great thing about LT, finding out about classics like this.

Another book with similar similar themes, and to which I also gave five stars, is Michel Houellebecq's Submission. ETA It's deliberately offensive.

>31 pamelad: Another book with similar similar themes, and to which I also gave five stars, is Michel Houellebecq's Submission. ETA It's deliberately offensive.

Oh, that's good to know (your high rating and the purposeful offense). I bought that on a whim once, and I've been meaning to get to it.

>30 Tess_W: I agree with you Tess the premise is superior to the execution with War of the Newts.

>14 Tess_W: Super cookies! I didn't know parchment paper had that effect on cookies.

>34 VivienneR: in cookies with lots of butter or Crisco, I find that they "spread" on the cookie sheet, unless I use parchment paper. The recipes don't call for it, but somebody suggested it to me about 20 years ago, and it seems to have worked.

30. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome was a delightful children's (?) book of 352 pages which told the story of the Walker children on holiday (1930) in the Lake District, who run afoul of would-be pirates and real-life spies. CAT: Because I Wanna 3 1/2 stars

>35 Tess_W: Useful information, thank you Tess.

It would not have made a difference to shortbread cookies I made recently that spread into one giant cookie (on parchment). After much puzzling, I realized later that I measured the flour using a half-cup instead of a full cup. My husband liked the thin flaky toffee-like bars it created so it wasn't a complete failure.

>37 VivienneR: I love it when a "mistake" turns out good~

>36 Tess_W: I read those books in primary school. Those children certainly didn't have helicopter parents!

Put the wrong number again.

Those biscuits/ cookies look lovely. I'm noting the tip re parchment paper. I've been experimenting with different kinds of flour with mixed results (!)

1936 looks like a really interesting year in terms of publishing. Have you had any challenges finding the books?

>40 charl08: Actually, no problem at all. I just search Google for books published in 1936 and get an entire list. The only "problem" is selecting only 5 for my CAT!

31, The Case of the Flashing Fashion Queen by N.L. Wilson. This was a free Kindle read from 2014 and quite good! Dix Dodd is a PI and gets herself embroiled in a case where a woman hires her to spy on her husband. Of course, things are not what they seem and go awry. I'm not a big mystery fan, but this was a good read. 205 pages 4 stars CAT: Reading Through History-Fashion

32. The Diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer: 1791-1839 by Giacomo Meyerbeer. It says on the front of the book that Meyerbeer is both the author and the translator! Meyerbeer is not someone usually heard of when thinking of great musicians--I had never heard of him. However, when I started a "project" of reading the great operas, he was the first on many lists known as the "Father of Modern Opera." Meyerbeer was a German born Jew who encountered a lot of hate and discrimination in his life. He was the most performed artist in the 19th century. He merged German orchestra with Italian vocals. This is volume I. I could not locate volume II at a decent price.

For this "project" I also read Milton Cross' libretto and I watched/listened to "L'Africaine' on Youtube. L'Africaine was Meyerbeer's last opera and was performed posthumously. It was based on the voyages of Vasco de Gama.

I have to be honest, reading Meyerbeer's autobiography took me about a year. I hope to get another opera in this year. 576 pages 4 stars CAT: Non-fiction

>43 Tess_W: How interesting! I don't think I've ever heard about him either.

March Challenges

Finish: The Devil's Brood, I have about 280 pages remaining (Penman reads) FINISHED

Finish: The Privateer Clause (Geo Cat Latin America), 265 pages remaining FINISHED

To Read:
Tulip Fever (History 1500-1800) FINISHED

Jamaica Inn (1936) FINISHED

Wickett's Remedy (kitastrophe epidemics--all year long)

Who was Blackbeard? read with my granddaughter and
also Reading Through Time FINISHED

The Miller's Dance (Poldark #9/12) FINISHED

A short story for scaredy-kit FINIISHED

Great looking cookies!

I loved One Grain of Rice when I got it for our elementary students a few years ago and now that I’ve been reminded of it I put it on a list to get for Charlie in a year or two.

33. Devil's Brood by Sharon Penman was the story of Henry II and his betrayal by all four of his sons: Hal (Henry III), Richard I (Lionheart) , Geoffrey, and John. Hal and Geoffrey would die before their father. Richard would become king with no male heirs and John would succeed him. It's also the story of Henry and Eleanor of Aquataine. This was a very informative and insightful book. In this book Penman outshone Druon in his Plantagenet series; as he barely touched on these relationships except for the wars for titled land. It was a bit too long as I lost interest in about the last 100 pages, which was setting up of Richard's coronation and the planning of the crusade to take the Holy Land from Saladin. This was book 3 in the Henry II Trilogy. 753 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

34. Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier This was my 3rd Du Maurier and I liked this one the least of the three (Rebecca & Frenchman's Creek). Mary Yellan arrives at Jamaica Inn, a den for "wreckers," a brash, outspoken woman and by the time the story ends she is "in love" and mush. This might have been a re-read for me. Something was vaguely familiar; however, I have no record of it. Maybe I read it as a teen? 320 pages 3 1/2 stars CAT: 1936

35. Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen This book was published in the 1930's, but took place in about the 1830's. The themes of these 9 volumes (I have a 2 volume set in which all volumes are contained) are: slavery, personal responsibility, ruggedness, romance, and faith. Anthony surely had struggles in his life, which he overcame. I'm sure this book would be considered racist today what with many volumes centering on the slave trade when it was legal and smuggling when it was not. Although, our hero, Anthony, was anti-slavery and even bought up the slaves not sold at the market because of a "defect" and kept them employed at his mansion so they would have an easier life. Ditto for Father Francois, who cared for the children left as orphans after a slave round-up. This 1238 page omnibus was also not short of romance, as Anthony marries twice and has liaisons in between. At times I thought it was going to be a great book and at times I thought it was a stinker; hence my rating of 3.5 I've been reading these 2 volumes since 2020 off and on. These 2 volumes were from granny's attic. CAT: Because I Wanna

36. The Infamous Bengal Mingh by Rajesh Parameswaran was a short story from the book I Am an Executioner: Love Stories. This was a bizarre story about a tiger who speaks and loves his feeder so much that he became too "amorous" when he sees him approach with food. Other "accidents" seem to ensue. If you don't like blood and guts, literally, don't read this! I will listen to the remaining stories, probably around Halloween. 47 minutes CAT: Scaredykit: March, short stories

37. A Calendar of Dinners with 615 recipes by Marion Harris Neal. This was the original 1936 edition which I picked up for $1 at a Friends of the Library sale at least 5 years ago. Most of the recipes are not something that I would eat or are already something I eat. There was an interesting 20 page section on the "Story of Crisco." (Little did they know about trans fat) Even though I did not get much out of this book that was useable, I did discover that the menus (for the average American) seemed to contain more items that ours today--appetizer, soup, meat, vegetable, salad, dessert---all at one meal! I aim for 3 items for a sit down meal and usually one of those is either a vegetable salad or a fruit salad (which may double as a dessert). 231 pages 4 1/2 stars

A dinner with that many items would only be for a really special occasion at my house. The normal one tends to be three items with maybe a small dish of ice cream later in the evening.

>52 hailelib: I'm with ya! My husband always eats ice cream in the evening. I'm not a fan of ice cream, in general, it makes my teeth hurt! (although the dentist says nothing is wrong;))

>51 Tess_W: That does seem like a lot of food for a main meal - made me wonder what they had for lunch.

38. Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach. The name makes one think it would be about tulips-wrong! The tags makes one think it would be about art-wrong! This was a love story, oft times bordering on the pornographic that takes place in Holland during the 1600's. It wasn't even a good story! 290 pages, 2 1/2 stars CAT: History 1500-1800

>38 Tess_W:
I've owned that for years and I can't get past page 2. I love the cover, and I love the setting, but . . . I don't know. Your comments are interesting though

>55 Tess_W: Tess, I read Tulip Fever a number of years ago, and although I don't remember much about it now, I do remember that I didn't enjoy it at all.

>51 Tess_W: I think there would have been a big difference in the size of portions between then and now that would account for the difference in how many foods were served at a meal.

>58 clue: You are probably correct!

39. Who was Blackbeard by James Buckley was a book about James Teach, aka Blackbeard. It was a middle-aged book, for ages 10-12. One of my granddaughters is a "reluctant" reader and struggles. I got 2 copies of this and she read aloud to me....over the course of two weeks.....it was so painful! However, it was a good, early, non-fiction book about something in which she was interested. I could not teach anybody with any learning disabilities--I am so thankful for you who do that! 112 pages 3 stars CAT: GeoKit-Caribbean , RTT-Argh Matey

40. McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm by Sid Fleischman. What a wonderful young chapter book--billed as grades 2-5 or ages 7-10. However, I think the humor would be lost on most children that age. The story begins when Josh McBroom learns that the 80 acres of Iowa farmland he's purchased are all stacked up on top of each other beginning at the bottom of a muddy pond. Although his neighbor, the wind, and the grasshoppers have it in for the McBroom property, Josh and his 11 children and wife use ingenious ways to thwart them! Really fun! 61 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna!

McBroom is a fun character.

41. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham is the book 10/12 in the Poldark series. This story, while still having plenty of Ross/Demelza (who just has her 5th child in 25 years at age 38), really digs into the lives of the 2nd generation: Poldarks and Warleggans. It was quite good and it's more than a family saga, as extensive mining procedures, banking hijinks, etc. are portrayed. The time frame is 1812-1813 and there is lots of talk of Napoleon's defeat in Russia. I also think something very bad for one of the characters was set into motion in this installment. It is my goal to finish this series this year. 488 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

42. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie This read featured Hercule Poirot, and is actually book 9/12 in the Poirot series. Nonetheless, it can be read as a stand alone and nothing is lost. This book pits a alphabetical serial killer against Poirot. (Alice Asher in Andover, Betty Bernard in Bexhill, etc.) 232 pages 4 1/2 stars CAT: 1936--and that finishes my 1936 CAT for this year!

>63 Tess_W: I can't believe I've let this series drop after the third one because I enjoyed them so much. I hope to start again in May and get at least 3 more read by the end of the year.

>65 clue: I have enjoyed this series tremendously. I would count it amongst my top 4 series which also includes the Penman, Druon, and Gabaldon series.

43. The Privateer Clause by Ken Rossingnol was a free Kindle ebook from 2014. Both of the main characters, Marsha and Danny Jones, were once employed by the government, but now employed by a private security firm who provides security for cruise ships. The beginning of the book was very plausible, but then when pirates and assassins boarded the ship daily, it got to be too much and too unbelievable. 234 pages 2 1/2 stars CAT: GeoKit-Caribbean/South America

Am 25% through The Diary of Samuel Pepys. It is 2711 pages long. Can I persevere? It will depend upon if anything other than card playing and drinking occurs!

Just dropping by to say hello.

>68 Tess_W: I've read Pepys twice although the second time was Selections from the Diary of Samuel Pepys that went much faster. I think it was about 800 pages!

>69 VivienneR: I see where he does tell about the plague and the Great London fire. Will try to read those chapters at least, should net me more than 50%; but might call it quits after that!

>70 Tess_W: Yes, the bits about the plague and the Great Fire of London are the most interesting. It will be understandable if you call it quits after that.

44. The Courage to Care by Carol Rittner and others. This was a book that I received in 2005. It tells the stories of rescuers of the Jews during the Holocaust. These are ordinary people, not the famous, such as Schindler. The forward by Elie Wiesel was emotional. Wiesel also writes a prologue, and asks: why so few rescues? I'm not sure that question can be answered definitively. 153 pages 5 stars CAT: 5 Oldest Books on Shelf

45.The Physical Death and Resurrection: A Surgeon's View by Dr. Jose J.Norbeto. Dr. Norbeto does a good job explaining the death process for one being crucified and the reasons the Roman's did what they did during the crucifixion process. There is historical evidence for a resurrection, but not a scientific one; that's where faith comes in. There was also a very good, very scientific chapter on the Shroud of Turin--what it is and what it isn't. I would have preferred this book to be a little deeper, but it was ok as is. 128 pages 3 stars CAT: nonfiction

46. Copycat recipes: The complete Step-by-Step cookbook from the most famous restaurants in the world to prepare at home by Lylah Georgina Savidge. I ordered this cookbook specifically because it had recipes from Applebees and The Cheesecake Factory. Thus far, I've made two recipes (Asian Salad w/dressing and blueberry cheesecake) and they were everything I had hoped they would be. Next on to sawmill gravy from the Cracker Barrel.

>74 Tess_W:
What updates can we look forward to? Do we ever learn the 7 or 8 herbs and spices crucial to Kentucky Fried Chicken?

>75 Nickelini: Per this cookbook, the spices in KFC fried chicken:
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 TBSP paprika
2 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp allspice
1 TBSP kosher salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

This amount is for 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks,2 wings and 2 thighs of one chicken. The recipe calls for the chicken to be dredged in egg white and then the dry mixture. Then leave it sit for 5 minutes till it dries a bit. Then fry.

I'm going to make KFC's cole slaw, it has always been my fav. Come to find out, it's made with buttermilk.

Today begins the dreaded spring cleaning: moving the range and fridge out, cleaning behind, taking down kitchen and dining room curtains, wash, iron, rehang, removing everything from cupboards and drawers and cleaning, putting back, vacuuming/washing screens, washing windows. And the regular kitchen stuff: dusting the buffet/tables/chair, mopping the floor, cleaning the counters, sealing the granite (only do once a year). I will do 1 room per day for the next 6 days until all rooms are thoroughly cleaned. Sigh...better get started.

>77 Tess_W: I'm so impressed! Good luck with your spring cleaning!

>78 christina_reads: Don't be impressed. I didn't get it all done. Did not get curtains washed, ironed, rehung. Will do that on Sunday and still be on track.

47. Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg was a book about the 1915-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. I really wanted to like this book, but in the final analysis, it was fairly bad. This was the story of Lydia, a very young widow (no grieving) who signed up to go to Gallops Island, 6 miles from Boston, to care for soldiers who contracted the flu and/or who had volunteered to "catch" it for medical observation. It is true that Gallops Island was used to house sick sailors/soldiers, but there is no evidence of medical experiments. The story is very simplistic. A group of the dead from the peanut gallery speak up frequently in the margins of the book. Also, there are diary pages of the owner of QD Soda. I'm not even sure how this related to the story, except that it was the right time period. These things detracted, instead of added to an already weak story. 384 pages 2 1/2 stars CAT: Kitastrophe-Year long pandemic reading

>77 Tess_W: I am utterly impressed that you are cleaning behind the stove and cannot even imagine how to go about it.

>81 pamelad: Hubby pulls it out, I vacuum and mop the floor, and wipe down the sides of the stove. It looks like I run a greasy spoon here! I'm a messy cook!

>77 Tess_W: Your spring cleaning is very impressive! I remember the time that I let 5 years of dust build up behind some furniture -- oh, did I ever sneeze when I actually moved it to clean. Your plan is, I think, a good one.

>74 Tess_W: Blueberry cheesecake sounds delicious. Cheesecake seems to be one of those items (like pizza) that has one name but a large number of manifestations.

>72 Tess_W: I read a bunch about Catholicism and Protestantism in Nazi Germany back in the day, and mostly came to believe that being iconoclastic is hard, people are social beings, and the people who are willing to wield power often like that they're able to do so. "Why so few rescues" is a great and disturbing question. I've been thinking about reading House on Endless Waters as another angle on this theme (Jewish children taken in by Christian households, many of whom lost their roots entirely) -- but I think I'm not in the mood for it just yet.

>83 pammab: I listened to a speaker about that very same topic in 2005 at the Holocaust Museum. It dealt with the children aboard the Kindertransport that went to Christian homes in England--mostly good reports and some very bad--as when they would not convert they were sent to orphanages in Australia. I will check out that book!

Your spring cleaning sounds exhausting! Most of the time we just manage the everyday cleaning but now and then we pick a room and do what I call a superclean. Don't always move the furniture though.

What other recipes have you tried from that cookbook? The cheesecake sounds delicious.

>85 hailelib: It is exhausting, that's why I only do it once per year. The rooms get dusted and mopped and vacuumed weekly, but moving furniture and taking down curtains, etc; are just a yearly chore.

>74 Tess_W: I really do love Applebees' Oriental Chicken Salad. I haven't had it in forever. I should consider doing a curbside order this weekend. I'm assuming that Asian salad with dressing is the copycat for it?

>87 thornton37814: Yes, that is it. It is my fav thing from Applebees' (next to the White Chocolate Blondie with hot maple pecan sauce! (which I also have the recipe for). If you want either recipe, please let me know.

48. The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner was the story of three women from different generations: Lauren, a 19 year old college student, Abigail, a 90 year old woman grieving about a past decision, and Mercy, a 17th century young girl convicted of witchcraft and hanged. The focus of this story is how their paths intersect. This was a heartfelt story. I have to admit to a few tears and sobbing. I will definitely look for more books by this author. 380 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna!

49. How Martha Saved Her Parents From Green Beans by David LaRochelle was a light-hearted story about a young girl who hated green beans (with a very good reason). The only thing that I might caution real young readers is that the green beans tie up her parents and take them away (to the garden). Other than that, it's great. This was a rather large book with wonderful color illustrations. Very creative. 32 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna Going to my 3 year old granddaughter, Evie Kaye.

50. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. What a great re-read! I saw this Little Golden Book at the store the other day and couldn't resist; not only for myself but for my youngest granddaughter. CAT: Childhood Rereads 32 pages 5 stars

51. The Narrow Road to the Deep North was a love story and a WWII story not very well combined. I listened to this as an audiobook and found it very disjointed. The first 4 hours was nothing more than a conversation between the main character, Dorrigo Evans, and his uncle's wife, with whom he was having an affair. The next 6 hours was the story of Dorrigo's platoon being captured by the Japanese and marched to Burma to begin building the railroad; somewhat better than the first section. It focused mostly on how different soldiers responded to the deprivation of food and cruelty (very gory). The last section was told from the perspective of the Japanese captors, which I felt was already told in section 2; by then I did not care a whit about this story. I guess I was expecting more from a Man-Booker Prize winner. I almost quit 2-3 times, but forced myself to continue. I did skim the last third of the book. When I read the description of the book I thought it sounded like The Bridge Over the River Kwai, which was much better, IMHO. This was just too impressionistic for my tastes. (and too long!) 467 pages 2 1/2 stars CAT: RTT British Empire, GEO KIT-Asia

>92 Tess_W: I've been meaning to read this for ever and have it on my Kindle, so will have to read your review after I've read the book.

After a slow start I'm going well with Of Mortal Love and its mixture of humour, melancholy and philosophy. I don't have a lot of patience for the main female character, but the author does, and treats her kindly.

>93 pamelad: I'm only 10 pages into it, will have to push myself, but I read for 10 minutes and I can feel my eyes straining! This is why I prefer ebooks!

I hope you like Narrow Road to the Far North. I'm getting tougher on my reviews each year!

>92 Tess_W: Interesting review! I read The Bridge Over The River Kwai ages ago and don't remember much of it, but I visited the Thailand Burma Railway Centre in Kanchanaburi as well as the war cemetery and other related sites. I have strong memories of those visits and they had a big impact on me.

Literary News (USA Today) this week:

Deaths of Larry McMurty and Beverly Cleary.

Hamnet wins National Book Critics Choice Award

Win by Harlan Coben was the best selling book (US) last week.

For Lord of the Rings fans, a new edition of the trilogy will include paintings, drawings, and other art by the author for the first time.

>96 Tess_W: "For Lord of the Rings fans, a new edition of the trilogy will include paintings, drawings, and other art by the author for the first time."
I hadn't heard about that before - how wonderful, it will likely be an instant buy for me! Thanks for sharing these news!

>92 Tess_W: I remember that The Narrow Road to the Deep North was a difficult read, both in subject matter and in how the author presented his story. I found it difficult to follow at times and I read a hard copy, I can't imagine how confusing it would have been as an audio book!

52. Thin Rich Bitches was a free Kindle read from 2015. I found it quite humorous. The main character found her husband was cheating, divorced him, and her and her son moved 2 hours away to live in her dead aunt's home; a decrepit old farmhouse in the middle of an uber wealthy Dover neighborhood. 4 stars 272 pages CAT: Because I Wanna

>45 Tess_W: finished all of my March challenges!

April challenges:

Finish Into the Abyss 2nd quarter kitastrophe (aviation)
Finish Of Mortal Love for Random Kat

Read
a book about possession for Scaredy Kit
read People of Fire for History Kit
read Marie Antoinette by Stefan Zweig for my set in France CAT

Start
James Michener's Covenant A saga about South Africa

Planned out my "big" reads, or my must finish series reads for the remainder of the year:

May Poldark Book 11
June Poldark Book 12
July Penman Lionheart
August Penman A King's Ransom

Normally, these days, I pick and choose my book selections carefully. I didn't always do that, especially when I got my first ereader. I think I d/l every free book from Kindle that was available! Now that I'm way over that (!) I was browsing at Audible today and came across the following bargains for SIXTY SIX CENTS! And I thought......if only 1 of the short stories is good, it is worth my 66 cents! You have to be a member to purchase. I thought I would make you aware:

50 Classic Horror Short Stories 1
Works by Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle and Many More!
By: H. P. Lovecraft
CONTENTS:

A Suspicious Gift Algernon Blackwood,
Skeleton Lake: An Episode in Camp Algernon Blackwood,
The Wood of the Dead Algernon Blackwood,
A Baby Tramp Ambrose Bierce,
The Damned Thing Ambrose Bierce,
Dagon H.P Lovecraft,
The Horror of the Heights Arthur Conan Doyle,
The_Descendant H.P Lovecraft,
The Cats of Ulthar H.P Lovecraft,
The Evil Clergyman H.P Lovecraft,
He H.P Lovecraft,
The Book H.P Lovecraft,
In the Vault H.P Lovecraft,
Nyarlathotep H.P Lovecraft,
Death and the Woman Gertrude Atherton,
The Striding Place Gertrude Atherton,
Hop-Frog Edgar Allan Poe,
The Raven Edgar Allan Poe,
The Tell-Tale Heart Edgar Allan Poe,
Shadow Edgar Allan Poe,
The Beast in the Cave H.P Lovecraft,
The Doom That Came to Sarnath H.P Lovecraft,
The Vampire Maid Hume Nisbet,
A Tale of the Ragged Mountains Edgar Allan Poe,
The Demon Spell Hume Nisbet,
Out of the Earth Arthur Machen,
The Signal-Man Charles Dickens,
The Colloquy of Monos and Una Edgar Allan Poe,
Demons of the Sea William Hope Hodgson,
Glámir Sabine Baring-Gould,
Colonel Halifax's Ghost Story Sabine Baring-Gould,
Tales of Secret Egypt Sax Rohmer,
Some Words with a Mummy Edgar Allan Poe,
In the Dark Edith Nesbit,
The Sea Raiders H. G. Wells,
The Baron of Beauguard Gilbert Parke,
The Vampire Jan Neruda,
A Journey of Little Profit John Buchan,
The Keeper of Cademuir John Buchan,
Dickon the Devil Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu,
The Child That Went With The Fairies Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu,
Wicked Captain Walshawe, Of Wauling Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu,
Two Doctors Montague Rhodes James,
A School Story Montague Rhodes James,
The Diary of Mr. Poynter Montague Rhodes James,
In the Forest of Villefére by Robert Robert E. Howard,
The Dream Snake Robert E. Howard,
The Thing On the Roof Robert E. Howard,
The Imp of the Perverse Edgar Allan Poe,
The Devil in the Belfry Edgar Allan Poe.

Narrated by: Anthony Maher
Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins

Also bought:
50 Classic Thriller Short Stories. Works by Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Wallace, Edith Nesbit... And Many More!

I know there are a some repeats, but 66 cents!

The Builder Frank L. Packard,
The Man Who Didn't Count Frank L. Packard,
Red Petals Frederick Merrick White,
The Other Man's Story Frederick Merrick White,
The Shebeeners Frederick Merrick White,
The Waterwitch Frederick Merrick White,
The Brand of the Wild G.B Lancaster,
A Fair Smuggler George Newnes,
A Castaway of the South Gilbert Parker,
As Deep As the Sea Gilbert Parker,
The Gift of the Simple King Gilbert Parker,
The Treasure of Sacramento Nick Guy Boothby,
A Personal Problem H. Bedford-Jones,
Gallegher of Beaver H. Bedford-Jones,
Sun, Sand and Soap H. Bedford-Jones,
The Image of Earth H. Bedford-Jones,
Said Afzel's Elephant H. A. Lamb,
Sir Albert's Fall H. C. Bailey,
The Devil of Marston H. C. Bailey,
The Lone Hand H. C. Bailey,
The Treasure in the Forest H. G. Wells,
Through a Window H. G. Wells,
The Jungle's Accolade Charles Haven Liebe,
An Unofficial Affair Harold Edward Bindloss,
Gillatly's March Harold Edward Bindloss,
The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Put Harold Titus,
Confession Algernon Blackwood,
S. O. S. Algernon Blackwood,
B. 24 Arthur Conan Doyle,
The Spider Arthur O. Friel,
The Vulture Arthur O. Friel,
Statement of Gabriel Foot, Highwayman Arthur Quiller-Couch,
The Affair of Bleakirk-on-Sands Arthur Quiller-Couch,
The Countess of Bellarmine Arthur Quiller-Couch,
The Adolescence of Number Eighty-Seven Arthur Stringer,
The Wire-Tappers Arthur Stringer,
The Nth Power Arthur Cheney Train,
The Mysterious Card Cleveland Moffett,
The Mysterious Card Unveiled Cleveland Moffett,
Carnage Compton Mackenzie,
A Locomotive as a War Chariot Cy Warman,
A Wild Night at Wood River Cy Warman,
Wakalona Cy Warman,
John Charrington's Wedding Edith Nesbit,
The Man at the Wheel Edith Nesbit,
The Man Who Died Twice Edgar Wallace,Allan Poe,,
The Man Who Died Twice Edgar Wallace
The Man Who Hated Earthworms Edgar Wallace,
The Man Who Lived at Clapham Edgar Wallace,
The Man Who Was Acquitted Edgar Wallace.

March Roundup:

19 books read (2 children's and 2 YA books)

Highlights: The Shape of Mercy, Brood of Vipers
Stinkers: Wickett's Remedy, The Privateer Clause

AND....I read by very first Georgette Heyer (thanks to pamlad who turned me onto them)

>102 Tess_W: Glad you enjoyed it. I envy you having all those Georgette Heyers t0 read for the first time.

53. Into the Abyss by Carol Shaben was the story of the 1984 accident of a commuter plane that crashed killing 6/10 people. This book is the story of the survival of the remaining four. This was an average read for me as I was not familiar with the terrain or politics of Alberta. (One of the survivors was a politician) I think this might be a better read for Canadians which are more familiar with many of the towns and politics of the area. 336 pages 3 stars Kitastrophe: April-June Transportation Disasters

USA Today:
PEN Awards: Anne Carson has won the PEN award for translations of Greek drama and poetry

Andrea Lee's Madagascar-set Red Island House review is good, "a keen examination of power and racism"

This week's best selling book in the US: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

54. Possession by Frank Rayeski was a very short story about an exorcism of a woman that had a demonic spirit within her. At the end of the story, he claimed it was his heavenly duty to do this. Nothing really to the story......... 5 pages 2 1/2 stars KAT: Scaredykit April possession (I read this for free on Booksie)

>101 Tess_W: At least a couple of those are in a smaller ghost story anthology we are reading for the faculty book club discussion. We generally take one book a semester, usually short stories, and discuss one or two stories each week. We have an interesting mix of faculty. It makes for interesting discussion. When we did the mystery genre, it became apparent I was the person most knowledgeable about the genre.

>107 thornton37814: I also belong to a faculty (although I'm still retired, they let me stay! In fact, I'm the acting president this year) book club. We also read 1 book per semester; although we limit ourselves to novels or non-fiction. I, also, like the fact that our faculty book club is an interesting mixture of people. For this semester we are reading any book written by Louis Bromfield, a local author (but known internationally). We normally read the same book, but decided that Bromfield's books are a bit difficult to get a hold of, so each to his own! The 2nd Tuesday in June we are traveling to his home, about an hour away, which is now a historical site. In his home, Bogey and Bacall were married and honeymooned. The piano in front of which they were married, is still in the house. Bromfield was a contemporary of Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

>108 Tess_W: I've read three of Louis Bromfield's books and had been looking for The Rains Came, to no avail, but had another look just now and found the ebook on Amazon, so have bought it.

>109 pamelad: Wow, you have read more than anybody in my book club! I was the only one who had ever heard of him. I've read The Rains Came, which I likened to a British colonial era read. There is also a movie by the same name. I've also read The Green Bay Tree, which I think I liked a bit more than The Rains Came.

More on the author, he was one of the first environmentalists and wrote many agriculture books on farming and saving the soil. Both Hemmingway and Fitzgerald called him "Brommie" and said he wrote stories for their grandmothers.

I took a class in high school called 'the novel' where we read books that took place in different countries. The Rains Came, which I must incorrectly remember as When The Rains Came, was our India book. I don't remember much about it and I'd like to reread it along with the others we read. I'm not sure I can remember them all though.

>112 clue: I had also remembered the title as yourself.

55. Of Mortal Love by William Gerhardie was both a tragedy and a comedy. It is the story of a fickle, social climber, Dinah, who was married to Jim. Dinah quickly discovered Jim had no prospects and found Walter, an up and coming composer, to serenade her about London and the English countryside; oblivious to the feelings of her husband, from which she separated. She tired of Walter in a couple of years because he took her for granted and returned to Jim, not as a husband, but a lover. Then there was Eric........Dinah finally dies and all three men mourn her in death, but could not appreciate her in life.

This will probably be the last real tree book I read, as the font is just too small and there is no lighted background!

At times this book was silly, at times poignant. CAT: April Random Cat (pamelad) 324 pages 3 1/2 stars

56. Living Our Best Lives by the Nicholson Family was a memoir of the founding and current operations of Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, England. It is a multi-generational family farm that now caters to the public with farm tours, school groups, TV shows, etc. Since I follow the farm on Facebook, I pre-ordered their book and it was delight! 273 pages 4 1/2 stars (needed more pictures). CAT: Non-fiction

>115 Tess_W: You have judged Dinah much more harshly than I did! But I'm glad you liked the book 3.5 stars worth.

>117 pamelad: 3.5 isn't bad for me--it's "fun, informative, and/or thought provoking. "

57. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer was not nearly as simple as my first Heyer read (The Convenient Marriage) what with all the entanglements. The premise of the story was that a wealthy man, with no biological children, but an adopted daughter, was going to give his wealth and estates to her when she married. There were about 5 males relatives that play (or don't) for her hand, but Kitty wants none of them. Kitty and her cousin Freddy ( a dandy), "pretend" an engagement and that causes a plethora of misunderstood situations. 3 1/2 stars 416 pages CAT: Because I Wanna

>114 Tess_W: Beautiful, and how true!

I admire your annual housekeeping duties. I've come to the realization that the pandemic has encouraged me to do less about the house. I usually remove the contents of cupboards every three months or so, wash everything in the dishwasher and clean the cupboards. Recently I've noticed that only two glasses, two coffee mugs, etc at the front, are the only ones regularly used. Looks like it's time to do an end-of-lockdown cleaning.

>116 Tess_W: This looks like fun. The farm is not too far from me, so is quite tempting for a visit.

>121 VivienneR: TY, but nothing to admire--it's a matter of survival--we heat in the winter with wood---and wood is very dirty! (and very warm!)

>122 charl08: They reopen on April 12. Wished I lived near!

>124 Tess_W: I always feel a bit sheepish going to places like that without children in tow!

>125 charl08: LOL sheepish!

I like Cotillion but prefer some of Heyer's other stories. There's more to Freddy than his family thinks.

>127 hailelib: for sure about Freddy!

I'm off for the weekend. We are going to Nashville, about 6 1/2 hours away---away for the first time since March 2020--when the pandemic closed down everything. The only place I have been in THIRTEEN months is the grocery and the doctor/dentist! We have both been "shot" twice so we feel good enough to attend a concert (all masked and with only 50% filled to capacity), go out to dinner, and then on Saturday go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. So, we are starting small! Good news: I have lost 30 pounds! Bad news: I'm short and could not find any pants to wear---I spent 4 hours shopping and nothing! I don't want to spend a lot because I plan on losing 30 more this year. I found a pair of stretch jeans that were for people 5'3" and under so that's what I'm wearing this weekend. I probably will not be out of place in Nashville; however, I always like to take a pair of dress pants or a dress, but no can do this time! That is a good problem to have. Of course, my tablet with my book library goes with me--always!

Have fun on your trip.

Have fun and congratulations on your weight loss!

Have a great weekend!

>128 Tess_W: I hate shopping. I've ordered a lot of tops online because I can usually predict my size with those. I tend to stick with places where I'm familiar with sizing on pants. L. L. Bean is my go-to for good quality khaki-type pants. I can usually find black, navy, and khaki there--sometimes olive.

Enjoy your trip!

>128 Tess_W: Congratulations on weight loss and your weekend trip! Have fun!

>128 Tess_W: Tess I share your pain, I've lost 24 lbs and can't find anything in the stores either. Since the fashion industry decided to scrap their sizing guide and let manufacturers size as they wanted to it's gotten harder and harder to know what size to buy. I have 4 shirts in my closet I can wear for now and they are 3 different sizes!

I hope all goes well on the trip and its a great foray into the world. I haven't been to Nashville for several years but used to go frequently. Lots of fun has been had there but I'll bet there's still some left!

>135 clue: I made the mistake of ordering something from Woman Within one time. It swallowed me whole. I've learned to order smaller sizes there. It might make a person feel good to wear a smaller size, but it fails to indicate one's true size.

>132 thornton37814: I never thought of LL Bean! I do need a good pair of dress pants. Thanks!

58. In the course of driving a total of 14 hours in 3 days, I completed listening to People of the Fire written by husband and wife team Kathleen and Michael Gear. This series is sub-titled "North America's Forgotten Past." I had previously read People of the Wolf, which I enjoyed; albeit a bit too mystical for me. I found that this 2nd book in the series, was totally modeled after the first book, only the names were changed. This book centered around "The Wolf Bundle" which held spirit guiding qualities. I won't read anymore in this series because it's just too formulaic and too mystical. In the intro, it states that this book took place in the transition period after the last ice age, which places it at about 6000 BCE. I did not check for the accuracy of these dates because firstly, I'm not interested and secondly, I know there is much debate about the dates of the Ice Ages, and again, not interested! 452 pages CAT: History Ancient 8BC-6AD 2 1/2 stars

After church today, I re-hung the LAST curtain (had to get a new rod), spring-cleaned the guest bedroom, and I'm DONE! Every window, curtain has been washed, furniture has been moved out and cleaned under and behind. I need to still clean the washer and dryer--that's in the basement. But until sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas--farewell to heavy cleaning! Of course, I stlll dust and vacuum weekly, but not this moving stuff! I love to smell the clean--while I'm reading, of course!

April is almost half over, I can't believe it. My son will be 43 in just 3 days and has requested steak, scalloped potatoes, and a turtle cake for his birthday. I've been to 2 groceries and can't find any Kraft caramels! A thing of the past? I'm going to try one more place and then resort to ice cream topping if the caramels can't be found--but I think that will be too thin.

I've had a good reading month so far, completing all my KATS. That leaves plenty of time for "me" books!

Literary News:
Author John Naisbitt dies at age 92 in Austria. His best selling book was Megatrends with the theme you must know the past to predict the future. He also wrote of his travels to China--mainly politically.

The "buzz" of the publishing world this week is the new biography of Nancy Reagan by Karen Tumulty which focuses on the "quiet" power of Nancy.

Best selling book in the US last week: The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman. This is a book of poems. Ms. Gorman was the inaugural poet in 2021.

Women's clothing sizes are all over the place! Very challenging.

>140 Tess_W: I'm surprised you can't find Kraft caramels, but now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen them in ages either! Depending on how bold you feel, you might be able to melt sugar in a dry pan and caramelize it yourself?

I saw Kraft caramels recently here in Canada so they are still on the planet

Amazon has them but in mostly large amounts.

I ordered some from WalMart at Christmas because I couldn't find any. Actually if I remember right they didn't have them either but I brought through them to another seller. They probably don't sell enough these days to stock.

>140 Tess_W: I just bought some Kraft caramels at a Target in Brooklyn yesterday (for turtle brownies).

After reading this, I want a package of Kraft caramels--just to unwrap and eat!

I finally found 1 bag of Kraft Caramels.......at the 3rd grocery I went to, they had just one bag. Been awhile since I had purchased them. The bag was only 9 oz, used to be 15 oz!

59. Pig Surprise written and illustrated by Ute Krause Turned on to this author by Birgit. This was a wonderful book about a pig who just didn't fit into a human family and because they loved him so much they took him to live with his pig friends. They visited often! The illustrations were super! 32 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

60. Nora and the Great Bear written and illustrated by Ute Krause. Story of 10 year old Nora who wanted to catch the Great Bear. She did meet up with him in the woods, but did not "catch" him. Great story and illustrations. 32 pages 5 starts CAT: Because I Wanna

>149 Tess_W: I am glad they are enjoyable in translation, too!

61. Life in Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer A Polish social worker rescued 2500 Jewish children in the Warsaw ghetto. She was captured by the Gestapo, tortured and slated for a firing squad. However, she was rescued at the last minute by the Zegota. Irena kept records of what children she placed where and that jar where she kept the list survived. As many as could be found were reunited with the families. Sendler is one of the "Righteous of the Nations." 396 pages 5 stars CAT: Nonfiction

>151 Tess_W:

That’s an interesting piece of history.

>151 Tess_W: Life in a Jar does sound very interesting. Where did you come across the book?

>153 pammab: I am a professor of the Holocaust. Students are always giving me books about the Holocaust. I've had this one for sometime! This was not my first book about Sendler. There is more to this book than just Irene Sendler. It's also about a teacher inspiring students to dig further into their research. (about 40% of the story) The story of Sendler was suppressed by the Communists for years.

62. History and Justice: Paradigms of the Prosecution of Nazi Crimes published by Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Volume 19, Issue 3, Winter 2005, Erich Haberer. One of the universities for which I occasionally teach is going to have a monthly discussion for the next year on readings associated with Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Since I joined in 2014, I have never included professional readings in my book count. I considered them part of my employment. However, since I'm "retired" and not required to read these articles, I'm going to include them, just for my own reading history purposes.

This first article asks the question: Did history influence the Nuremberg Trials and pervert the course of justice, or did the legality of the Nuremberg Trials negate history? Could history and the legal system benefit from this interaction at Nuremberg? The author argued that both played their respective parts and both benefitted from this interaction, whereas normally, they do not.

There were 140 footnotes in this 30 page article, so it was well documented and while I did not read/research all 140 footnotes, I was satisfied with the historiography of the ones I did.

63. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson was the story of the Dodd family who resided in Berlin from 1933-1937. William Dodd served as the US ambassador during that time. He was accompanied by his wife and grown daughter and son. He was asked by FDR to serve, but FDR dialed the wrong "Dodd" from his numbers, and hence a college professor serves as ambassador during a crucial time. I didn't really learn anything new about this time period, except about the diplomatic budget and that his daughter was very promiscuous, especially with complete strangers, that could have done her much harm (head of the Berlin Gestapo, etc.). This book didn't measure up to the other books I've read by Larson (The Devil in the White City, Isaac's Storm, Lusitania); especially coming in at 480 pages. It could have just been the subject matter. I was hoping to get a taste of Berlin during this time; but got a stronger taste of diplomacy, and did get a lot of info about Goring, Rohm, and the SA. 3 1/2 stars CAT: 1/5 Oldest books on my shelf With this book I have cleared my shelves of the 5 oldest unread books!

64. Imperial Rescript by Elwyn Nicol was the story of 2 adopted brothers and their distant relationship once they both joined the army and navy during WWII. This was an enjoyable read with not much actual WWII/Korean War action, but the wars more set the background and tone for the novel. The title denotes that the second brother first served the Royal British Navy and later in the New Zealand Royal Navy. 191 pages 4 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

>151 Tess_W: This sounds fascinating. I recently read The House on Endless Waters - I'd not realised so many babies and children were hidden in the Netherlands too. This even though I'd read about the hidden/ lost children in Poland before, so should have realised it was wider than one state.

>158 charl08: I have The House on Endless Waters on my TBR list!

>151 Tess_W: I bought this book a while ago after watching the movie but am yet to read it. I read a footnote in another book that mentioned Irena Sendler and found this book and the movie when looking for more information on her. I really must get to it.

>160 JayneCM: I have seen the movie, The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler and it was great!

65. It's Not Over by Willow Rose was billed as a psychological thriller, but not so much. It was a simplistic plot with a slight twist near the end. 318 pages 3 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

66. Skeleton Lake: An Episode in Camp by Algernon Blackwood was a short story about a tragic accident (?) during a moose hunting trip in Canada. Two of the men have their canoe overturned and only one returns to camp. The remainder of the party go looking for the last man, which is found dead. No more--I don't want to give away what "plot" there is--I'm not even sure there is one! This is story#2 from an anthology. Thought I would get a short story in before beginning Michener's Covenant (1200 pages), but this really wasn't worthy of my time. 26 pages 2 1/2 stars. CAT: Because I Wanna

67. Ninety Two in the Shade by Thomas McGuane was the story of Skeleton (3 generations of men) and Dance, who run competing skiff operations in Key West. Skeleton's life was drug-hazed and he is murdered by Dance in the end, because Dance did not want the competition. Many have likened the author to Hemingway, and I would have to agree to some extent. Not my type of book. Very average 3 stars 197 pages CAT: Because I Wanna

68. No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre translated by Paul Bowles, was an existentialist drama that took place in hell between 2 women and a man who are locked in a room. I think the point of the play is that hell is not a place (locale), but other people. 59 pages 4 stars CAT: France

69. Orpheus and Eurydice author unknown. For this "project" I actually read 3 versions of this story, all 3 with very little variation. I read Ovid's version, Vergil's version, and another translation by Edward Eaton. The only real difference I can ascertain without reading them again is the where/when/why Eurydice as bitten by the snake. This is an old Greek myth of unknown origin in which Orpheus, a musician, was deeply in love with Eurydice. Orpheus is such a great musician that he can charm animals, the sea, mountains, and trees. He charmed Eurydice, as well. They were deeply in love. While fleeing an advancing shepherd, Eurydice steps on a snake, is bitten and dies. Orpheus is grief stricken and uses his music to enter Hell. He tries to rescue Eurydice, but does not follow the directions exactly so Eurydice is lost to him. The different versions also seem to focus on different scenes to emphasize. The Eaton version spends more time in hell with Eurydice pondering humanity. 70 pages (Eaton version) The work by Ovid and Virgil were only a part of their larger works, Metamorphosis and Ecologues: Georgics, respectively. Thank you to my friend, Beth, who gave me all the reading material for this "project." 70 pages (just the Eaton book, the others were copies of pages from a book, 2 columns, double-sided, so I'm unsure of the actual page count) 4 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

P.S. Reading a bunch of "shorts" before really getting into my 1200 page Michener, although I'm through two chapters and it's delightful. It's just daunting!

You've been reading such a variety of books!

>167 pamelad:, Yes! I've been reading some of the "short" ones, all over the place!

70. Orlando by Virginia Woolf is entitled a "biography". It is a biography of Orlando, a person that is obviously a time traveler and also a man that has morphed into a woman over the ages. Orlando was always searching for something; mostly approval (conduct, poetry, wealth, etc.), but several times found that after he had slept for seven days he would wake up as someone else. I swore I would never read another Woolf book after reading Mrs. Dalloway, but I do try to give authors a second read. I can now definitely say, "no more Woolf for me!" 304 pages 2 1/2 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

71. The Pilgrim Hawk by Glenway Wescott. This was the story of a weird love between Madeleine Cullen, a wealthy, middle-aged, Irishwoman and her pet hawk. She ignored her "wild children" and Irish aristocrat husband in favor of her hawk. The entire story takes place in 1929, in just one afternoon in the garden of Madeleine's friend, Alexandra, a wealthy young American living in Chacellet, France. I did not see a lot of plot, the story is told through the dialogue of the characters. This was pretty boring! I gotta stop reading novellas and/or short stories! But hey, am cleaning off those shelves. The cover is also odd, and I've spent too much time trying to connect it to the story. 136 pages 2 1/2 stars CAT: France

72. A Lovely Way to Burn by Louise Welsh. This was part one of The Plagues Time Trilogy, but can be read alone. Stevie (short for Stephanie) is caught up with trying to reconcile her doctor boyfriend's death during the time of "sweats." A good thriller/mystery. This was 99 cents from Kindle, and well worth it. I will probably read the other two books in this trilogy after I get some of my older series finished. 369 pages 4 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

>171 Tess_W: I really enjoyed this book and have the second one, Death is a Welcome Guest, lined up to read in May.

April Summary:

Books Read: 31 (4 children's books, 1 YA)

Yeahs:
A Lovely Way to Burn
Orpheus and Eurydice

Nays:
Orlando
People of Fire
The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Goals for May:
Finish:
Covenant (1200 pages, just finished page 400)
Drowning Ruth

To Read:
Poldark Book #10/12 The Loving Cup
Restoration (Charles II) for May History Cat
The Astronomer and the Witch for Scaredy Kit
Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet (Wiki Leaks/Julian Assange) for Reading Through Time

>170 Tess_W: That sound very odd!

I hope your son enjoyed his turtle birthday cake. :) I see plenty of Kraft caramels around here.

>174 VivienneR: My son did enjoy his cake. In fact, he took the last half of it home!

73. The Six Swans by Brothers Grimm was read for the Scaredy-Kit for the month of May. It was the story of magical shirts.

This week in literature from USA Today:

A sculpture of author Elie Wiesel Night was installed in the National Cathedral.

Jason Matthews, author of the Red Sparrow thrillers died this week.

Dune is going to be made into a movie.

Best selling book this week: The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer Armentrout

I'm starting a challenge I stole from pam, who took it from kac?

1900 - 1950 Challenge

1. Author from your home country. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (1947)

2. Author not from your home country The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry', first published in 1943 , author French

3. Classic in its Genre Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (1912) western genre

4. Not a Novel Harriet, the Moses of Her People (biography) (1901)

5. References WWI or WWII The Return of the Soldier (1918) by Rebecca West

>178 Tess_W: 1. is Author from your own country, which makes it a lot, lot easier!

2. is author from a country that is not your own.

Enjoy the challenge!

> 179 Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can do that! Thanks!

74. Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz I should have known! I say this every time I read an Oprah endorsed book. This book was introduced as a psychological thriller--not in the least! This book was slow moving and the characters were unlikeable. The author tells this story from alternating points of view and times as well as alternating from first to third person. She does not do it well. This is the story of family secrets. It was a chore to get through. I was shocked at the number of spelling errors and improper usage of words (pore vs pour, bear vs bare, etc.) throughout this book. The book was published by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House and one would expect there not to be these type of errors. 338 pages
2 1/2 stars CAT: Because I Wanna

>181 Tess_W:

I think that was one of the 3 or 4 Oprah books I read from that era of Oprah books. I came up with a quick review for them: "A woman has a crappy life. A bunch of crappy things happen. At the end, her life is crappy."

>182 Nickelini: LOL, how true! The only exception I found to this was Night, which of course was a best-seller before Oprah pushed it.

75. The Covenant by James Michener was the epic saga of the settling of South Africa by the Javanese and British; of course, native Africans already lived there. This was violent and gory from the beginning and didn't get much better, finishing in 1980. Unfortunately, most of the book was the battle between the Dutch and the English. About 250 pages in the middle depicted the once brilliant, but ultimately mad-man, Shaka Zulu. Although I know skin color was very important as pertains to how South Africa became "South Africa", much of the book repeated the same story of how the browns looked down on the black, the mixed looked down on the browns, etc. I could have substituted names and the events were identical. I did learn some South African history, but this work of Michener's was not as enjoyable as other sagas that I have read. (Chesapeake, Texas, Hawaii) 1200 pages 3 stars CAT: GeoKit Africa



With the completion of this book, I have read a minimum of one book from every continent. Actually, only one from Africa, but multiple books from the other continents. I will continue reading globally this year.

Well done on covering every continent.

You're doing great with the GeoKIT!

>185 pamelad: TY
>186 MissWatson: TY

76. When Google Met Wikileaks by Julian Assange In a way I liked this book, because it gave me a clear picture of what both organizations are about. I liked the verbatim transcription of the meeting between Assange and Eric Schmidt of Google. I liked that many assertations made in the book were backed up by more than almost 500 footnotes. It is very clear that these two organizations are at polar odds with each other. Google's "Think" tank works for the Department of Defense, the State Departments, foreign governments and the like. They purposefully plant and promote disinformation. Wikileaks is in the business of finding (illegally, most of the time) the "truth" and publicizing it. The US government, in my humble opinion, has really overstepped its bounds in persecuting and prosecuting Julian Assange under the Espionage Act. I did not like this book because at least 1/3 of it is very techie, way over my head. Assange claims he has been in prison for 20 years, holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy. Makes you almost feel sorry for him. However, he was wanted in Sweden on several charges, the most serious rape. By avoiding extradition, it makes one question his innocence. Assange claims it was a sham created by the Swedish and American governments to get him to Sweden, where then the US would arrest him. CAT: RTT-The Press 190 pages 3 1/2 stars

"“One of the hopeful things that I've discovered is that nearly every war that has started in the past 50 years has been a result of media lies. The media could've stopped it if they had searched deep enough; if they hadn't reprinted government propaganda they could've stopped it.”
-- Julian Assange

77. This is my Lemonade: An Adoption Story by Robert Mulkey. This was a sad story about the author's quest to become acquainted with his biological parents at the age of 19. His bio mother had died, but he did get along fabulously with his mother's sister (his aunt) and uncle. His bio father and brother gave him an ultimatum: ditch the maternal relatives or you will not be accepted. Bob did not do that and continued to seek acceptance, which although he feels he got 28 years later, I don't. I don't think verbal abuse for 28 years and then acceptance on one's deathbed is acceptance. 280 pages 3 1/2 stars CAT: Non-Fiction

78. Aida by Verdi, libretto by Ghislanzoni, English translation by Dale McAdoo. This is part of my "reading" of the great operas and composers. Verdi was commissioned by the the Khedive of Egypt, who asked him to write an opera for the opening of the Italian Opera House in Cairo in 1869, honoring the dedication of the Suez Canal. Verdi did not finish in time, but did complete Aida in 1871.

Aida is the story of an Ethiopian slave, lady in waiting to Amneris, the daughter of the King of Egypt. Radames, the Egyptian captain of the guard is madly in love with Aida, much to the jealous disgust of Amneris. There is no happy ending!

I listened to the opera on You Tube after reading the libretto and reading some history concerning Verdi. I liked this one!
60+ pages 4 stars CAT: Non-Fiction

Sort of lost my reading mojo. Have had quite a few long and not so great reads lately. Taking a week or 2 off to recover!

There's always Georgette Heyer. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

>190 Tess_W: I hope you find something nice soon!

>190 Tess_W: I hope your reading slump will be over soon! But I do think sometimes it's best not to force it, so taking some time off is probably a good idea!

>190 Tess_W: I agree with >193 MissBrangwen:, sometimes it's best to have a little time off. It's not like the books won't be there when you come back! I hope you feel better soon :)

Thanks all for good wishes! I haven't read for 6 days and I'm ready to read this evening, in fact, looking forward to it.

78. Restoration by Rose Tremain. I bought this book in error--it was an audio book. I thought I bought a book by the same name, specifically about the reign of Charles II (Stuart). Charles II appeared only briefly at the beginning and the end of this book. This book was both humorous and poignant. The book centered on the life of Merivel, son of the court hat and glovemaker. Merivel was a physician (to Charles' II dogs) who fell out of the grace and was banished from court. He certainly does fall a long way, but there is somewhat a redemption at the end of the story. There is a prequel to this book, which I will buy and read. 432 pages 4 stars CAT: May History-Dynasty

>196 Tess_W: Sounds not bad for an error!

>196 Tess_W: I really enjoyed Restoration and hadn't realised there was a sequel, so will add Merivel: A Man of His Time to the wish list straight away.

Glad to see your reading slump is over.

>196 Tess_W:
I've owned this for at least 15 years, but it never interests me. I think because I saw the mid-90s film and thought it was horrible. Robert Downey Jr as the main character (I don't mind him at all, but not as an English historical figure), and Meg Ryan as Katherine (even worse casting -- she was lovely in the 90s, but again, not for a historical English character).

>199 Nickelini: I would agree about the casting--Meg Ryan for a middle-aged insane woman who shreds her clothing? And I can't see Downey as a down and out doctor relegated to tend the insane. I'm thinking Judi Dench for Katherine. No sure about Merivil...need somebody that can be both eloquent and rough at the same time, a womanizer at a young age but also one who comes to respect women...maybe Adrien Brody or Russell Crowe?

79. The Bobbsey Twins on an Airplane Trip by Laura Lee Hope. It has been 55-60 years since I read my first Bobbsey Twin book. This book is an original printing of 1933, so I'm going to assume it was my mother's before it was mine. it's still in really good condition. It was a wholesome story, even if some of the wording would not be acceptable today: for example, Mr. Bobbsey calls Flossie his "fat little fairy." Just wasn't as exciting now as it was when I was 6-7 years of age! 246 pages CAT: Childhood Re-reads

>201 Tess_W: Just wasn't as exciting now as it was when I was 6-7 years of age!

LOL! That's odd, isn't it.

I had Bobbsey Twins Go to Jamaica, which I LOVED when I was that age. My older brothers absolutely mocked it and somehow I was lacking in not being able to read and appreciate the Hardy Boys at the age of 6 (never was able to read them, but I did like Nancy Drew). I didn't realize Bobbsey Twins were written in the 1930s. No wonder they were so twee.

I still have a few Bobbsey Twins around but never thought to reread them! While I did read some Nancy Drew books I preferred my brothers Hardy Boys.

>203 hailelib: my brother had the Hardy Boys and for some reason I just didn't read them. I did read my sister's Happy Hollisters collection, though. Our family did watch The Hardy Boys on television, though, starring Mickey Rooney.

>201 Tess_W: I also read The Bobbsey Twins when I was 6 or so. Never came across the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, but used to love school stories with girls named Vera and Angela playing lacrosse, having midnight feasts and solving crimes e.g. Enid Blyton's Malory Towers, Angela Brazil, Elinor Brent-Dyer, Elsie J. Oxenham, Dorita Fairlie-Bruce.

Did you read What Katy Did? A bit more moralistic than the others.

>205 pamelad: Never read What Katy Did or any of the other's you mentioned, although I have heard of Enid Blyton. I also read a lot of Pippi Longstockings and also read and re-read Shirley Temple's book of fairy tales. They were more adultish than many other's at that 6-8 years of age, such as The Emperor's New Clothes, Dick Whittington and his Cat, etc.

80. The Loving Cup by Winston Graham is book 10/12 in the Poldark series. The title refers to a silver cup found in one of the Poldark mines, which will probably cause trouble for the family. This book set up some future woes that will likely be solved in the last two books. In this book Napoleon has been banished to Elba and we find out that Wellington is no friend of the Poldarks. This is just a great series and I'm glad I made the commitment to read all 12 books. I think at some point they will be worthy of a re-read. 592 pages 5 stars CAT: Because I Wanna