Alcott Acre's More Board Games Than Books Section II

My name is Stasia and I have been a member of the 75ers since the group's inception in 2008, although my participation has been limited in some years. I seriously debated whether to have a thread this year as I continue to have some health difficulties, but in the end, decided I would stick. I will unable to visit the threads diligently as I once did, but I remain hopeful that people will come visit me!

Without further adieu, grab a cuppa and come on in!

Here are some of my best reads from last year, in the order in which I read them:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - 5 stars

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander - 5 stars

Know My Name by Chanel Miller - 5 stars

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - 5 stars

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - 4.75 stars

Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb - 4.75 stars

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - 4.75 stars

The World that We Knew by Alice Hoffman - 4.5 stars

Dr Seuss Goes to War by Richard Minear - 4.5 stars

The Women Who Wrote the War by Nancy Caldwell Sorel - 4.5 stars

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei - 4.5 stars

Dream Makers, Dream Breakers by Carl T. Rowan - 4.5 stars

Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Berger - 4.5 stars

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell - 4.5 stars

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb - 4.5 stars

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald - 4.5 stars

Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring by Richard Gergel - 4.5 stars

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - 4.5 stars

Dead Wake by Erik Larson - 4.5 stars

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis - 4.5 stars

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel - 4.5 stars

Little Big Man by Thomas Berger - 4.5 stars

That is it for me. The next one is yours!

Happy new thread! It's always smart to start a new thread when you get up over a couple hundred posts!

>4 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. Yeah, I figured I had better start a new one the way things were trending. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy new one, Stasia!

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. Happy New Thread! You know I will be visiting you. We go waaaaaaay back!

>6 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>7 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Don't remind me how far back we go, Mark. It reminds me of how old I am, lol.

Okay, here I am, let the shenanigans commence.

New books in-house:

From the local library:
The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
Autumn by Ali Smith - this is a re-read. Janet reminded me that I need to read all of Smith's seasons books and I need to get this one read before the season changes!

For my personal library:
Stone Speaks to Stone and Stargazy Pie both by Victoria Goddard - both Peggy and Roni recommended another book of Goddard's but I could not find a reasonably priced copy, so I decided to try these instead
Lady Mechanika, Volume 1 by Joe Benitez - Jim recommended a later one in this series of graphic novels, so I decided to start at the beginning and work my way there

>9 richardderus: But, of course, no shenanigans until you appear, RD :)

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>10 alcottacre: The Book Charmer sounds like fun - my adopted state, books, a bit of magic.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

>12 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. The Book Charmer was recommended to me by MickyFine, so I will give her all the credit.

>13 bell7: Thanks, Mary!

Finished this evening:

81 - The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes - I found this book on Paul's thread and thought it sounded interesting. I am glad I picked it up as I enjoyed my time, for the most part, with it. I love how Innes was able to make Patch's desperation felt, the confusion of Sands, who is caught between a rock and a hard place - his promise to Patch and the Board of Enquiry investigation. The book bogs down for me from its 'adventure' premise when it moves to the courtroom portion, but I think that is more on me than it is the fault of the writer - I just flat out hate courtroom dramas. However, the book redeems itself in the end, returning to the adventure state; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

Happy new one, Stasia. October has been boosted greatly for me by your return to posting dear friend.

>15 alcottacre: Fair assessment and I do think that Innes was smart in sandwiching the Enquiry with the parts that are more his hallmark. Not my favourite of his but I do like it.

>16 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. That is sweet of you to say.

I will definitely be looking for more of Innes's books. I agree about his being smart about sandwiching the Enquiry with the more adventurous parts of the book. Thanks again for letting me know about him.

Happy new thread, Stasia!

Ditto what Paul said, your return here made me happy :-)

Happy new one, Stasia! I am another who is very happy to see you posting again.

Happy new one!

>2 alcottacre: Oh love the listing of your fav book Stasia. Happy new thread! Have Know My Name home from the library at the moment. Very tough subject.

Do you remember reading Breakheart Pass at any point, Stasia? It's a lot like >15 alcottacre: in the Old West...

Just posting to let everyone know that I am home safely from visiting my mother in Longview. I will take care of responses tomorrow when I am not dead tired - and probably more coherent than I am right now.

Thanks to those who kept my thread warm in my absence!

Happy New Thread, Stasia!!!! I read both Innes and MacLean back in my teens. I think I must have been a weird teenager because I loved them. Otoh, I also loved Anya Seton and Mary Stewart and all those women, so I guess I was all right.

Sleep well! I'm off to try the same!

Morning, Stasia. I hope you had an R & R weekend. Did you finish any gems? Lots of rain here, so I am inside with the books. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Monday! How delicious...you don't need to care. *smooch*

>18 FAMeulstee: >19 Crazymamie: Thank you so much, Anita and Mamie!

>20 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>21 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Yes, Know My Name is a very difficult book to read. An excellent book, but difficult.

>22 richardderus: Richard, I do not remember reading Breakheart Pass, but I read a ton of Alistair MacLean back when I was a teenager, so I may have done.

>24 LizzieD: I am still a Mary Stewart fan, Peggy. I own several of her books. I am not sure I ever read any Anya Seton.

>25 msf59: I did finish a couple of gems, Mark. I will list them below.

>26 richardderus: Happy Monday, RD!! ((Hugs)) and **smooches** for today!

Finished while I was gone:

82 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - I absolutely loved this book. As the title implies, there are 2 primary characters in the book, a golem and a jinni. I love the world that Wecker builds around these two characters which is grounded in real life New York around 1900. The characters never even meet until about halfway through the book, but I did not care. The stories that Wecker told about them, how they came to be and the world that they inhabited were totally believable; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Mine

83 - All That Remains by Professor Sue Black - Nonfiction; for those who do not know, Professor Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Her book describes her life around the dead - from her childhood, in medical school, and in practice. I find this kind of stuff fascinating and read books on forensic anthropology quite a bit; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

It rained books here while I was out of town, so here are the new books in house today:

For my personal collection:
Code Like a Girl by Miriam Peskowitz
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming - I am trying to catch up with several series!
Deadliest Enemy by Michael Osterholm and Mark Olshaker
Bone Box, The Lost Boys, and Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman - One of the series I am trying to catch up on!
The House of Yan by Lan Yan
The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti
Let's Hope for the Best by Carolina Setterwall
The Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn - I have already read this one, but I wanted a copy of my own
The Age of Disenchantments by Aaron Shulman
Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs - Yet another series that I am trying to catch up with
To the End of the Land by David Grossman
Border Songs by Jim Lynch - Mark recommended this one to me
Six-Word Memoirs about the Pandemic - Richard recommended this one to me
By the Mountain Bound, The Sea Thy Mistress, and Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear - Jim recommended the last one to me
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Whew!

Happy new one!

>29 alcottacre: Great book haul. If I remember correctly, the lost girls of Paris was a good read.

>29 alcottacre: That sounds like the best kind of rainstorm!

I also really enjoyed The Golem and the Jinni, Stasia but have not got to the follow-up. Great book haul up there and of course, I am happy to see Border Songs on there. I also liked Anxious People.

>29 alcottacre: Lovely weather we're having, I see! *smooch*

>30 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. Glad to hear you liked Lost Girls of Paris.

>31 thornton37814: Definitely, Lori!

>32 msf59: I have the follow up on the way to me, Mark. I hope it measures up to the first one.

>33 richardderus: Yes, it is, Richard. I wish I could afford for the weather to be like this more often.

Finished this evening:

84 - The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett - I love Patchett's Bel Canto and keep hoping that another one of her books will live up to it, but thus far I have had no luck with the others and this one is no exception. There is a statement early on in the book: "Her parents had assumed that there was a perfectly good, if perfectly horrible, reason for his lie, but she had not" and I did not believe that for a minute. I am sure that my disbelief colored the rest of the book for me. Also, I found the title to not only be ambiguous, but misleading. Does the Magician's Assistant really refer to Sabine or is it Parsifal's sister Kitty? In all honestly, I felt like I learned more about Parsifal than I did either Sabine or Kitty, so why is not the book entitled The Magician?; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

New books in-house today:

From the public library:
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - recommended to me by Joe
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

For my personal library:
Bewilderment by Richard Powers - I loved Powers' The Overstory so I have high hopes for this one!
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
Raven Black, White Nights, Red Bones, Blue Lightning, Dead Water, Thin Air, Wild Fire, and Cold Earth all by Ann Cleeves

HI Stasia! I read A Tale for the Time Being some time ago and really liked it. I am waiting for her new one to show up at the library. Hope you enjoy your new books!

Happy new thread, Stasia, and congrats on reading past 75. You got me with a BB for All that Remains. I find that kind of stuff fascinating too.

>35 alcottacre: Sometimes I think that certain authors only have one truly great book in them, Stasia. I did see plenty of positive remarks about her book Commonwealth though.

Hi Stasia!

>28 alcottacre: Our book club read The Golem and the Jinni in 2016. I have The Hidden Palace but haven’t read it yet.

>29 alcottacre: It sure did rain books! Excellent haul. I, too, bought A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year on Richard’s recommendation.

>37 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I hope I enjoy it too! I have never read anything by Ozeki, so I am hoping I have found a new favorite author.

>38 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I hope you enjoy All that Remains when you get around to it.

>39 PaulCranswick: I have Commonwealth on order now, Paul, since I had not read that one yet. I have also not yet read The Dutch House or Taft. Sooner or later I will get around to all of the Patchett books.

>40 karenmarie: I have The Hidden Palace on its way to me now, Karen, but not sure it can live up to the previous book.

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by the Acre!

Re: Patchett, I really loved Taft, Stasia. If I recall correctly, she said in an interview that it's the book of hers she wished more people read.

>42 katiekrug: Yeah, I really need to get to that one. Thanks for the input, Katie!

How do, Stasia, hoping your Humpday is progressing apace and a-positive.

>44 richardderus: I am having a 'do nothing but read' and check out LT day, Richard, so it is progressing apace :)

Speaking of which -

85 - The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin - this is a book of Le Guin's short stories and like most books of its ilk, some of the stories are better than others. Honestly, I liked the prefaces to the stories better than the stories themselves. I did have a couple of favorites - and one I flat out hated - but the collection did little for me in the end; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

>46 alcottacre: Oh my heck! I loved that collection, which only goes to show how very different we all are in spite of loving books and reading so powerfully. I'm guessing you really hated "Vaster Than Empires, and More Slow"....

>47 richardderus: No, I actually liked that one. And yes, the love of books will always make us compatriots, RD. You introduce me to new ones all the time and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your reviews.

>48 alcottacre: WELL?! WHICH ONE DID YOU HATE?! I swaNEE, little missy, you make it difficult to be nosy.

>49 richardderus: I did it on purpose, just to get your nose out of joint, lol. I hated "The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas."

Another one down -

86 - The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys - Young Adult; this is a terrific historical fiction novel set largely in General Franco's Spain. Anita (famuelstee) recommended it and am I glad I picked this one up. Throughout the novel, the desperation of the main characters is deeply felt. The minor characters are pretty well-drawn too. This is excellent historical fiction, I do not care if it is for young adults or not. The only disappointment that I had was the ending, which I thought was a bit too pat; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

>51 alcottacre: I need to get to a Sepetys one of the these days! Salt to the Sea is waiting for me on my shelf.

>52 curioussquared: I still have that one to read too, Natalie, so if you would like a reading partner for it, just let me know.

>51 alcottacre: I read her book Salt to the Sea earlier in the year and liked it too.

>54 PaulCranswick: Good to know, Paul. Thanks!

New books in house today:

From the local library:
There There by Tommy Orange
As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

For my personal library:
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura
This Old Man by Roger Angell
Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau
The Promise by Damon Galgut

>56 alcottacre: Adding new books is always joyful! I quite enjoyed The House of Silk :)

>57 figsfromthistle: Good to know! Thanks, Anita!

There There is a good one!

>51 alcottacre: Glad you liked The Fountains of Silence, Stasia. Agree about the ending, that kept it from a 5* star read.

Morning, Stasia. Sweet Thursday. I am a big Patchett fan but have not read her earliest stuff, including The Magician's Assistant. I also have a copy of The Fortune Men that Ellen sent me. I hope to bookhorn it in, in the next month or so. BTW- I loved There, There. Glad to see you acquired a copy.

>59 Berly: Good to know. Thanks for dropping by, Kim!

>60 FAMeulstee: I agree, Anita. The ending kept it from being a 5-star read for me too.

>61 msf59: Happy Thursday to you too, Mark! If you would like a reading partner for The Fortune Men, let me know. I would be more than happy to read along. I am glad you liked There There too. I have seen a lot of good reviews of it and decided it needed to emerge from the BlackHole. I am very glad my local library had a copy.

Finished this afternoon -

87 - If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin - I started this book last year and got nowhere with it because the time was not right. However, a footnote in The Norton Anthology of African American Literature - the book that is going to take me 2 years to read - led me back to it. I did not know (until the footnote) that Beale Street was a real place - in Memphis, Tennessee - and that the title of the book came from the blues song "Beales Street Blues," which was in the anthology and contained the footnote that sent me back to the book. For a book that was originally published almost 40 years ago (1974), it is surprisingly timely and still pertinent - unfortunately. The book is the story of 21-year-old aspiring artist Fonny, who is imprisoned for a rape he did not commit, and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Tish, who is pregnant with his child. The book details the relationship between the two and the circumstances of his being in jail, including the fact that one of the witnesses against him is a white cop, an altogether too familiar scenario in today's society. The brutal reality of trying to raise the money to get Fonny out of jail and pay for his lawyers and travel expenses to get to Puerto Rico to speak with his accuser drives Fonny's father and Tish's father into stealing, with consequences of its own. Baldwin does not leave the family completely without hope though and I appreciated that; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Mine

"Our laughter in that kitchen, then, was our helpless response to a miracle. That baby was our baby, it was on its way, my father's great hand on my belly held it and warmed it: in spite of all that hung above our heads, that child was promised safety."

>56 alcottacre: Texaco! Oh my my. That's one that won't lift your heart and spring your step. Nuh-uh! But it's a fine piece of writing.

>64 richardderus: Yeah, I suspected as much from the little I know of the book. I will try and read it during some of my upbeat times.

Thanks for the reminder on The Highest Tide. I will have 2 shorter novels to finish up, so how about next weekend? I would be up for a shared read of The Fortune Men. Could you hold out until early December? I will also be doing a Proust shared read in November and that is a big boy.

>66 msf59: Next weekend is fine with me. I can also hold out until December for The Fortune Men. Thanks, Mark!

Only 1 new book in-house today, The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker. I am really looking forward to reading this follow up to The Golem and the Jinni.

>63 alcottacre: That was my first of Baldwin's books, and I really enjoyed it too. Glad to see the second time worked for you!

>69 bell7: I have read several of his books. Go Tell It on the Mountain was the first one of his that I read and it is probably my favorite.

Thanks for stopping by, Mary!

Finished tonight -

88 - Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm - Juvenile; I very much enjoyed this story of Turtle, who ends up moving to Key West, when her mother cannot keep her. Turtle moves in with her aunt, uncle, and her cousins with whom she gets into a variety of scrapes. She also meets her grandmother, who she thought was dead. This story is based in Holm's actual family history and she includes an afterword that contains pictures of the people represented in the book; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

And another one down -

89 - Restoration by Rose Tremain - This is one of those books that I wanted to like more than I did. Although well-written, I did not care about the main character at all. I need to have some kind of engagement with the main character, even if it is hatred, but in this case, I simply did not care at all about Merivel. I cared more for the characters around him, especially John Pearce, than I ever did for him; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

>63 alcottacre: That's one I've heard of and really should check out. If Beale Street Could Talk is now on my library list and now I know why I've heard of it because it was also made into a movie from the looks of things.

>71 alcottacre: I read the sequel to that in the last couple years. I didn't know it was a sequel until someone posted that it was as a comment. I've got that one on my TBR list. I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. Maybe I'll get to it before the end of the year when I'm looking for "quick reads."

>72 alcottacre: Oh, that's a disappointment for sure. I liked the read more than you did because I felt he (Merivel) was intended to be a sort of anti-Candide.

Well, onwards and upwards. New reads abound! *smooch*

>73 Familyhistorian: I hope you enjoy it, Meg. Yes, it was made into a film several years ago, but I did not know that until after I read it. Since I prefer books to films any day of the week, it is doubtful that I will ever get around to watching the movie.

>74 thornton37814: I did not realize there was a sequel, Lori. I know that there is now a graphic novel adaptation. I will have to see if my local library has the sequel. Thanks!

>75 richardderus: Maybe he was supposed to be anti-Candide, Richard, but as a character he just did not work for me. **smooches**

>68 alcottacre: I've got The Hidden Palace coming in at the library, too, Stasia! Really liked the first one, can't wait for the second.

Have a great weekend!

Karen O

>77 klobrien2: Cool beans, Karen! We should compare notes after we are done :)

New books in-house today:

From the public library:
Unsinkable by Gordan Korman
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Seeds of Freedom by Hester Bass

For my personal library:
A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
When You Read This by Mary Adkins
Undercover Princess, Princess in Practice, and The Lost Princess by Connie Glynn
The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing by Adam P. Frankel
Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Moonglow by Michael Chabon
Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead
Summer of '49 by David Halberstam
Broken Bone China by Laura Childs
Teasing Secrets from the Dead by Emily Craig

Very happy when I switched on the computer this morning to see that you had been whizzing around the threads - have missed more company with those whirling Dervish activities!

>79 alcottacre: Intriguing haul, Stasia, and I haven't got a single one of your permanent additions.

Have a lovely weekend.

>80 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I cannot visit all the threads as I used to do, but I do what I can.

Some of my "permanent" additions are young adult books. I do not think you read many of those :)

Finished tonight -

90 - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - I loved A Gentleman in Moscow, so when I found out that Amor Towles had another book coming out, I pre-ordered it as soon as I could. It did not disappoint. Although this book does not surpass *Gentleman* for me, it comes very close to it. I love how Towles drew the characters, giving them each their own unique voices, even the minor characters. I was not a particular fan of the ending, which lowered the rating a bit, but overall this one is a keeper for me; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

"As I though, seeing the corner of the book poking out from the folds of his sheets. I should have known. The poor old chap, he suffers from the most dangerous addiction of all."

>81 alcottacre: The group has gotten me reading more of them to be fair Stasia. At the beginning of the year I read a bit of a glut of YA books for the BAC challenge.

>83 PaulCranswick: OK. I did not realize that. I did not read a bunch of YA books until I joined the 75ers either.

>74 thornton37814: The sequel is Full of Beans.

>79 alcottacre: Nice haul! You are in for a treat with the Kopp Sisters novel. I read a later one for a book club about a year ago in December. I then snagged an ARC of the one after it. Now I'm trying to catch up from the beginning by reading one every few months. I think my goal is to get completely caught up in 2023 on that series.

Morning, Stasia. Happy Saturday. 4.25 stars for The Lincoln Highway is good enough for me. Who knows when I will be able to bookhorn this one in.

If Beale Street Could Talk was made into an excellent film a couple of years ago.

>82 alcottacre: Ooooh, good to see that The Lincoln Highway is a good one. I haven't been able to find the time to read it yet, but really want to. Like you, I loved A Gentleman in Moscow.

Hi Stasia! I hope you have a great week4end.

>79 alcottacre: I’ve got Girl Waits with Gun on my shelves, already tagged ‘2021 read’. Of course, there are 65 other books with the same tag…

>85 thornton37814: Thanks for the info, Lori. I have now put Full of Beans on hold at the library.

>86 thornton37814: Yeah, I am looking forward to diving into that series.

>87 msf59: Shoehorn it, Mark, shoehorn it!

>88 torontoc: Hey, Cyrel. I am not much into movies these days, but if I were, I would want to see that one.

>89 bell7: I hope you get around to it sooner rather than later, Mary!

>90 karenmarie: Karen, if you would like a reading partner for Girl Waits with Gun this month, let me know. I can fit it into one of the TIOLO challenges for November.

Saturday? How did that happen...anyway, enjoy it.

>92 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I hope you have an enjoyable one too!

>79 alcottacre: I just finished and really enjoyed A Winter's Promise -- hope you like it too!

>94 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. I hope so too!

Well, since I was not home last weekend, I could not report on my games played, so here is 2 weeks worth of gaming:

Glass Road - The game Glass Road commemorates the 700-year-old tradition of glass-making in the Bavarian Forest. (Today, the "Glass Road" is a route through the Bavarian forest that takes visitors to many of the old glass houses and museums of that region.) You must skillfully manage your glass and brick production in order to build the right structures that help you keep your business flowing.

Horrified - In this game, you'll come face to face with them all as you work together to rid the town of the maniacal or misunderstood creatures…before it's too late.
Horrified includes high-quality sculpted miniatures (Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon). Its innovative, easy-to-learn, cooperative gameplay has players working together against the monsters with varying levels of difficulty. Just as each monster is unique, they require different strategies and tactics to be defeated.

Grand Austria Hotel - In the thick of the Viennese modern age, exquisite cafés are competing for customers. Inspiring artists, important politicians, and tourists from all over the world are populating Vienna and in need of a hotel room. This is your opportunity to turn your little café into a world famous hotel. Hire staff, fulfill the wishes of your guests, and gain the emperor's favor. Only then will your café become the Grand Austria Hotel.

Letterpress - Compete with your rival wordsmiths in Letterpress to craft the most impressive words and win first pick of letters to add to your collection. Choose wisely, for you will find any you leave in the words of your opponents, and the player who uses their stored letters to greatest effect will spell victory.

The Game - Players in The Game try to discard all 98 cards in the deck onto four discard piles in order to win, but they need to do so in the right ways.
Each player starts with 6-8 cards in their hand depending on the number of players, and four discard pile prompt cards are on the table: two showing "1" and an up arrow and two showing "100" and a down arrow. On a turn, a player must discard at least two cards from their hand onto one or more discard piles, with cards on the 1 piles being placed in ascending order and cards on the 100 piles being placed in descending order.

Qwirkle - The abstract game of Qwirkle consists of 108 wooden blocks with six different shapes in six different colors. There is no board, players simply use an available flat surface. Players begin the game with six blocks. The start player places blocks of a single matching attribute (color or shape but not both) on the table. Thereafter, a player adds blocks adjacent to at least one previously played block. The blocks must all be played in a line and match, without duplicates, either the color or shape of the previous block.

Similo - Similo is a co-operative deduction game, and each version of the game — e.g., Fables, History, Myths — comes with a deck of thirty cards, beautifully illustrated by Naïade, showing the portrait and the name of a series of characters with a common theme.
Your goal is to make the other players guess one secret character (out of the twelve characters on display in the middle of the table) by playing other character cards from your hand as clues, stating whether they are similar to or different from the secret character. After each turn, the other players must remove one or more characters from the table until only the right one remains and you win — or it is removed and you lose!

Patchwork - In Patchwork, two players compete to build the most aesthetic (and high-scoring) patchwork quilt on a personal 9x9 game board.

Mysterium Park - Welcome to Mysterium Park! Its cotton candies, its circus, its dark secrets...The park’s former director has disappeared, but the investigation came to nothing. Since that night, weird things are happening on the fairground. As psychics, you’re convinced that a ghost haunts this carnival... You’re now intent on giving it a chance to reveal the truth.

Summer Camp - Find your cabin assignment, wring out your swimsuit, and relive the days of canoeing, friendship bracelets, and s'mores with Summer Camp, a competitive deck-building game in which players race to earn merit badges and collect the most experience points to win. Each player has their own deck of cards to play, and as the game progresses you add new cards to your deck to make it even stronger.

Abandon All Artichokes - A bumper-crop of prickly produce has overtaken your patch, and there's only one choice: abandon all artichokes! Prune your deck by harvesting fresh vegetables, each with a special power that lets you swap, discard, or compost cards. You need luck, strategy, and a green thumb to grow a winning hand!

Point Salad - Point Salad is a fast and fun card drafting game for the whole family. There are over 100 ways to score points. Players may use a variety of strategies and every game of Point Salad is unique!

Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion - In Scooby-Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion, players take on the roles of the teen sleuths and their courageous canine pal to solve a mystery! Work together to decode clues and find your way out of the haunted mansion in this co-operative "Coded Chronicles" game. Can you solve the mystery of Lady Fairmont's ghost with the help of Mystery, Inc.?

Dead Men Tell No Tales - Skelit's Revenge....the most feared ship on the high seas....and you've finally taken it. Captain Fromm and his skeleton crew have amassed a massive treasure, and now is your chance to take it all. Players take on the role of Pirates who are boarding Skelit's Revenge for one purpose....to take the loot. They must battle the flames, the skeleton crew, and their own fatigue if they hope to make it out alive.

Empires of the North - Empires of the North is a new, standalone card game in the established Imperial Settlers universe, with players heading to the far north where three different factions live: Scotsmen, Inuits, and Vikings. Take on the role of leader, and make your faction into the best empire in the world!

Forbidden Island - Forbidden Island is a visually stunning cooperative board game. Instead of winning by competing with other players like most games, everyone must work together to win the game. Players take turns moving their pawns around the 'island', which is built by arranging the many beautifully screen-printed tiles before play begins. As the game progresses, more and more island tiles sink, becoming unavailable, and the pace increases. Players use strategies to keep the island from sinking, while trying to collect treasures and items. As the water level rises, it gets more difficult- sacrifices must be made.

Via Magica - In Via Magica, you vie with your fellow players to complete "objective" cards for special powers and ultimately for victory points. Each card has 2-6 symbols which you must populate with tokens in order to complete the card. These symbols are drawn one at a time from a bag, with all players gaining the benefit equally, but interestingly, the bag contains more of some symbols than others.

Dark Gothic - Dark Gothic is a deck-building game set in Flying Frog's A Touch of Evil game series. Each player represents a particular monster-hunting hero in the game, and that hero determines the player's starting deck and grants a special ability. The heroes work together to some degree to defeat villains and monsters as they collectively lose the game if ten cards land in the shadows

Splendor - Splendor is a game of chip-collecting and card development. Players are merchants of the Renaissance trying to buy gem mines, means of transportation, shops—all in order to acquire the most prestige points. If you're wealthy enough, you might even receive a visit from a noble at some point, which of course will further increase your prestige. during play.

All game notes are taken from www.BoardGameGeek.com. As always, if you have any questions regarding a particular game, do not hesitate to ask. I can talk about games almost as long as I can talk about books!

>96 alcottacre: Wow! That is a game marathon.

Morning, Stasia. Happy Halloween. We had Jackson all afternoon yesterday, which of course we loved but got very little reading in. My FIL goes home later today, so it will be nice to get back into my normal routine. Passing has been very good so far.

>97 msf59: That is 2 week's worth of games, Mark. Even I could not fit them all in a single day :)

I have had Passing in the BlackHole forever. I really need to get it read! Glad to hear the good news about your FIL.

Happy newish thread Stasia!

>99 humouress: Thanks, Nina!

‘Morning, Stasia, and happy Sunday to you!

>91 alcottacre: On the calendar to start after I finish A Perfectly Good Family by Lionel Shriver since I rarely keep two fiction books going at once. I just need to go upstairs to the Media Room and pull it off shelf M12.

>96 alcottacre: Wow. My husband has never been a game player, so with Jenna not living at home anymore, there’s no one to play any with. Of course, Jenna and I only play Yahtzee and various forms of canasta.

Happy Pumpkins-and-Candles Day! *smooch*

>101 karenmarie: Sounds good, Karen. Looking forward to reading that one with you.

I do not have anyone to play with either, Karen. My husband is a casual gamer at best. The majority of the games in that list were either solo or played with my mother, who introduced me to board games.

>102 richardderus: To you too, Richard!

Happy Sunday, Stasia! I am awed by all the games you have played in the last two weeks. Horrified is a favorite of ours - my son got it for me for Mother's Day last year, and we have had a lot of fun playing it. I have not played any of the others you mention, but I am intrigued by Letterpress and several others.

>104 Crazymamie: Mamie, when I go to visit my mother, we basically sit around and do nothing but play games while we are visiting which is why there are so many games listed for the past 2 weeks.

There is a new version of Horrified out now, I am not sure if I mentioned it before or not. The new one has North American monsters in it rather than the Universal monsters.

KarenMarie mentioned that she was going to do an October recap, so I thought I might start doing the same.

Top October Reads
Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain (5 stars)

Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (5 stars)

Death to Dust by Kenneth V. Iserson (5 stars)

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (5 stars)

I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (4.5 stars)

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (4.5 stars)

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (4.5 stars)

The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America by Ethan Michaeli (4.25 stars)

All That Remains by Professor Sue Black (4.25 stars)

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (4.25 stars)

I thought it was interesting that 3 of the 4 5-star reads that I had in October were nonfiction. Indeed, 6 of the 10 books on the list are nonfiction. I am not sure what it means, but it is interesting to me.

On another note, my father has been re-hospitalized for the third time in two weeks, this time with double pneumonia. Prayers for him would be appreciated.

>105 alcottacre: Interesting! I will have to look out for that. Have you played Villainous?

I forgot to mention that you have one of my favorites in your latest haul - Tin Man by Sarah Winman.

>107 alcottacre: All us us here will keep your father in our thoughts and prayers.

>107 alcottacre: Tough times for you with your father back in the hospital. Prayers will happen for sure!

>107 alcottacre: Will keep your father (and you) in my prayers, Stasia. xx

>107 alcottacre: sorry to hear that, Stasia. I'll be praying for your father.

>108 Crazymamie: No, I have not played Villainous. It is not a game that I can say appeals to my family. As far as Tin Man goes, I am not sure when I will get it read, but hopefully soon.

>109 mdoris: >110 PaulCranswick: >111 bell7: Thank you all. I appreciate it!

>107 alcottacre: Will do. Wishing him strength.

>107 alcottacre: So sorry, Stasia, sending comforting and healing thoughts.

Will definitely pray for him.

>107 alcottacre: I am sorry to hear that. May he recover quickly.

>113 humouress: >114 FAMeulstee: >115 drneutron: >116 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Nina, Anita, Jim, and Anita!

Finished this morning -

91 - The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins - I found this book on MickyFine's thread and I am glad I picked it up. It is just exactly the kind of read that I needed right now. Per Micky: "A magical realism novel set in a small town with a main character who's a librarian who can hear books talk to her? This book was basically catnip for me and was everything I'd hoped it would be. Filled with several lines that made me laugh out loud, there's plenty of charm from our main characters as well as the community members who make appearances throughout. But it's not all bookish magic and charm as Grace is dealing with being a caretaker for both her foster mother who is showing signs of dementia as well as her niece who is angry after the death of her mother, Grace's sister, Hannah. Watching Grace's family become a part of the community is part of the delight." I echo those sentiments and could not say it any better; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Sending positive thoughts to your father!

'Morning, Stasia!

>106 alcottacre: Lots of good books, and I see that you gave the new Towles 4.25 stars. So far it hasn’t called out to me.

>107 alcottacre: Prayers on their way…

>118 alcottacre: And onto the wish list it goes - except I already put it onto the wish list because of you on the 27th. I miss my mind...

I hope you have a wonderful week, your father's hospitalization notwithtanding.

>119 curioussquared: Thank you, Natalie!

>120 karenmarie: I hope you enjoy both The Lincoln Highway and The Book Charmer when you get around to them, Karen. Thanks for the good wishes.

New books in-house today, both for my personal library:

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker
Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming - one of the series that I am trying to catch up with

Any father news?

>123 richardderus: No, not today. Thanks for asking, Richard.

Finished this afternoon -

92 - The Guest List by Lucy Foley - I wanted to like this mystery more than I ended it doing. There was a bit to much to-ing and fro-ing for me as not only the timeline jumped around, but the person narrating from chapter to chapter did as well. I did like the fact that the person who is murdered and the murderer are not revealed to the end; Guardedly Recommended (3.25 stars) Library Book

Hi, Stasia. My SIL has a copy of The Guest List and liked it but I had a feeling that it was not for me. You confirmed it.

BTW- Owl season has started so I hope for some sightings and better yet, a few photos.

>126 msf59: Oo, I would love to see some owl photos!

Both Joanne and Reba read The Guest List. Reba liked it better than either Joanne or I did, if you want to check out their reviews.

Finished tonight -

92 - Naked in Death by J.D. Robb - Yes, another reread of the series is in order for me - these books are my "go to" comfort reads. The initial book in the series is one of the weaker ones in my opinion because we are just meeting the principal characters and do not have the benefit of seeing how their relationships have developed over the years. Still, the book does a good job of introducing some of the main characters, especially Eve; Guardedly Recommended (3.5 stars) Mine

"There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of names here she'd never heard of. She wondered if anyone could handle so many books, much less read them."

93 - Unsinkable by Gordan Korman - Juvenile; this is the first book of a trilogy that takes a look at 4 different teenage characters, all from different backgrounds and economic statuses, as they sail aboard the Titanic in various positions; Korman does a good job of painting the characters and their backgrounds as well as introducing subjects such as women's suffrage into the book. I do not like the fact that he also introduces the possibility of Jack the Ripper sailing aboard the ship - there was enough else going on that I do not think he needed to add this "sensational" element to the book as well; Guardedly Recommended (5 stars) Library Book

94 - Seeds of Freedom by Hester Bass - Juvenile; Linda (Whisper) recommended this book on her thread and I echo her sentiments - the book is terrific and the illustrations are wonderful. Bass details events in the early 1960s in Huntsville, Alabama, and how both black and white citizens of the town worked together to help end segregation. I love her statement in the author's note at the end of the book, "Change usually comes when someone decides that enough is enough. That's what happened in Huntsville. That's what is still happening across America and throughout the world. Sometimes all it takes is one person to start something good. In your community, that person could be you."; Highly Recommended (5 stars) Library Book

>128 alcottacre: Seeds of Freedom looks a good one, Stasia.

>107 alcottacre: Prayers for your father!

Hiya Stasia. Nothing new to add. *smooch*

>129 PaulCranswick: Seeds of Freedom is excellent, Paul, but short - it is only 32 pages long, which I did not know when I checked it out of the library.

>130 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori. There has been no change.

>131 richardderus: **Smooches** back at you, RD!

Very late to returning your thread visits, Stasia.

So sorry to hear about your father. Adding him to my prayer list.

Love your game summaries. And I'm very pleased that The Book Charmer was a hit for you.

I'm glad you liked The Lincoln Highway. I have been looking forward to reading it because I loved A Gentleman in Moscow. Also adding The Book Charmer to my TBR list.

I'm adding my prayers for your father.

>133 MickyFine: Thanks all the way around, Micky.

>134 Oregonreader: Thank you, Jan! I hope you enjoyed The Lincoln Highway as much as I did.

New books in-house today -

From the local library:
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The Velvet Rope Economy by Nelson D. Schwartz

For my personal library:
The Etruscan Chimera and The Thai Amulet by Lyn Hamilton

>136 alcottacre: I will be interested to see what you make of Shuggie Bain. It took me an age to read it but it was ultimately a rewarding experience. Today the latest Booker winner will be announced.

>137 PaulCranswick: I will be curious to see which book wins, Paul. If it is not Great Circle then I will bump the winner up to the top of the stack and to back to read the others.

As far as Shuggie Bain goes, I read Richard's review of it so I kind of know what to expect.

Hi, Stasia. good to hear for Lincoln Highway. I would expect a good one from him, but you never know. I'm another fan of Salt to the Sea, and added The Fountains of Silence to the WL. Thanks for the good review of The Book Charmer. That sounds like the kind of change of pace I enjoy. Also added to the WL.

I'm avoiding Shuggie Bain; for me, there lie triggers.

>139 jnwelch: I do hope you enjoy both The Fountains of Silence and The Book Charmer when you get to them, Joe!

If Shuggie Bain has triggers for you, I do not blame you for avoiding it. I do the same thing with books that have triggers for me.

Happy Wednesday!

Shuggie Bain comes up at last...I hope you're as fully immersed as I was. *smooch*

>141 richardderus: I hope so too, Richard! **smooches** back at you!

Finished this evening -

95 - All Systems Red by Martha Wells - This was a re-read for me as I am trying to catch up with the Murderbot series, a series I very much enjoy. The initial book in the series I find quite often is not as strong as the others, but in this case, I think the first book is wonderful as we learn about the Murderbot and the world it inhabits; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. Hooray for Shuggie Bain. Probably my favorite novel of last year. I also enjoyed Cerulean Sea. I might be dipping into The Highest Tide tomorrow, since my reading time has increased.

Now that you know how to post book images, Stasia, I expect to see your thread decorated with stunning book cover images. Heh!

>144 msf59: Yeah, I am looking forward to getting some good reading in this month! Let me know how far you get in The Highest Tide, Mark, and I will try and catch up to you.

>145 SqueakyChu: I would not hold my breath on that one, Madeline! Thanks for dropping by the Acre.

New books in-house today for my personal library:

One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
The Glass Shore edited by Sinead Gleeson - Luci recently recommended this one

>138 alcottacre: Well, The Promise won Stasia and I think based on my reading, deservedly so. His win was even better because at least 4 of the 6 books shortlisted were pretty darned good ones.

Hi there.

That's it. That's the post.

*smooch*

Sweet Thursday, Stasia. I started The Highest Tide and I am really enjoying it. I am sure you will catch up and probably surpass me. Grins...

>148 PaulCranswick: I have The Promise beside my bed, slated to be read in December. I cannot wait!

>149 richardderus: Short and sweet as usual, RD. Lovely to see you here! **smooches**

>150 msf59: Where did you leave off, Mark? Inquiring minds need to know!

Finished this afternoon -

96 - Autumn by Ali Smith - Reread; I first read this book back in 2017 and never got around to reading the other 3 books in the series. Janet (streamsong) recently reminded me of that, so I am going to read them in the appropriate seasons. I cannot tell you why I love this book because it seems like one that I ought not like, but I do. Nothing in the past 4 years has changed my opinion of the story of Daniel and Elisabeth; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

"I don't like it when the summer goes and the autumn comes, she said.

Daniel took her by the shoulders and turned her around. He didn't say anything. But all across the landscape down behind them it was still unlit blue and green.

She looked up at him showing her how the summer was still there.

Nobody spoke like Daniel.

Nobody didn't speak like Daniel."

New books in-house today for my personal library:

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon - a shared TIOLI read for this month

A Novel Murder by Elizabeth Penney

>153 alcottacre: I've never heard of either of them. Interested to hear your impressions next week.

>152 alcottacre: I ***hated*** that book. With a vibrating Day-Glo orange passion. Isn't that the fun of reading!

*smooch*

>154 richardderus: Yes, it is the fun of reading. Just because we all love books does not mean we all have to love the same books :)

Neither of them is on the schedule for next week, RD. I will have read The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by the end of the month though. The City Beautiful is also slated for reading this month too.

Finished tonight -

97 - A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - Joe recently recommended this one to me and I am glad my local library had a copy as I enjoyed it quite a bit. The book was a bit slow going at the beginning. My favorite parts were when Nao spent time with her 104-year-old grandmother Jiko and the excerpts from Haruki #1's diaries. An irritant in my copy of the book is that there was no glossary - the Japanese words were defined as footnotes at the bottom of the pages that they were on, but if the word was later repeated, it was not redefined. There were a bunch of them and no way could I keep up with them. Still, this was a minor irritant and did not distract from the story itself; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

"Sugako wrote a diary called Reflections on the Way to the Gallows, which I am supposed to read, too. It's a great title, but why did these anarchist women have to write so much?"

And another one down -

98 - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir - Young Adult; This book is the first in a trilogy. There are a couple of main characters whose stories are told throughout - Elias, who is determined to kill himself because the school that he is forced to attend and hates with every fiber of his being goes against what he believes himself to be, and Laia, who we meet as she is happily living with her family, but is soon forced into slavery. There were a couple of twists and turns that I did not anticipate coming and was happily surprised by them. I am hoping to get to the second book in the series next month; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

>152 alcottacre: I plan to read her Four Seasons series shortly, Stasia. I often find her a difficult author to really joy because following her train of thought can be a stretch but when she clicks it is a rewarding experience.

>158 PaulCranswick: I am going to do as Janet suggested and read them seasonally, so Winter is not getting read until next month - I would not have time to read it this month in any case as I have too many other books waiting for me to get through before I head off to Joplin at the end of the month. I hope you enjoy the books when you get to them!

Happy Saturday, Stasia. I really enjoyed the first two Seasonal Quartet books by Smith but for some reason have not got to Spring & Summer. I need to remedy that. I am enjoying The Highest Tide. It is not as strong as Border Songs but that one is hard to beat.

'Morning, Stasia! I hope you have a great weekend.

I've posted some comments about the first 79 pages of Girl Waits with Gun, in spoilers, on my thread. I hope to get some more read today.

>160 msf59: I am hoping to get to Border Songs soon, Mark, since I am really liking The Highest Tide. I am going to read Winter next month, but the other two will be waiting until next year.

>161 karenmarie: I read to page 80 last night, Karen, so it sounds like we are on pace together. I hope you have a great weekend too!

Happy old Saturday, Stasia. (It's the new Monday. I figure if we call old Monday "Saturday" office workers will enjoy life more.)

>163 richardderus: Thanks, RD. Sounds like logical reasoning to me!

New books in-house today:

For my personal library -
Corpus by Rory Clements - Paul recently recommended this one

From my local library -
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - for a shared TIOLI read this month

Inside Six of Crows I found an index card that read, "Hello fellow reader! I hope you're having a great adventure. You're doing great! I believe in you! Enjoy! The previous reader, 08/17/2021. PS Keep this in here or make your own! Spread some love."

In the book it stays! I love finding stuff from previous readers in books :)

Finished tonight -

99 - As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner - This is a pretty good historical fiction novel, set in Philadelphia in 1918 at the height of the Spanish flu pandemic that killed so many worldwide. It tells the tale of one family and the toll the flu takes on it. For the first 3/4 of the novel, I thought the story well told, but the last 1/4 and its improbable resolutions/coincidences I found hard to take; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

>166 alcottacre: Too bad that the ending did not live up to the rest of the book.

Have a great Sunday!

>167 figsfromthistle: Yes, it was. I recommended it to you before I read the ending. I will leave it up to you as to whether you want to give it a try, Anita. I think the first 3/4 of the book has much to recommend.

I hope you have a great Sunday too!

I just finished Fugitive Telemetry.

and ....

after three days of searching, I found my copy of The Highest Tide to read along with you and Mark.

>165 alcottacre: Isn't that a lovely extra! I love those moments, too.

Sunday orisons, Stasia. *smooch*

>144 msf59: I know it took me at least 3 days to find my copy of The Highest Tide when I was looking for it too, Janet. I know for sure that I will be completing it today and I am pretty sure that Mark is too. It will be interesting to compare notes when we have all completed the book.

>170 richardderus: Yes, it was a lovely extra, RD. ((Hugs)) and **smooches** to you!

Finished this afternoon -

100 - The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch - A huge 'Thank You' to Mark for finally getting me to read this one. I thoroughly enjoyed Miles' story and Miles the character. Lynch does a great job not only of making Miles come alive, but in portraying Miles as a teenager and all that entails. Miles feels out of place except when he is out on the tidal flats that surround where he lives. He has a crush on an older woman, who has struggles of her own, is best friends with an elderly woman, worries that his parents are getting divorced, and makes a discovery that throws him into the public eye; Highly recommended (4.25 stars) Mine

101 - Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko - This is a book that I honestly believe needs at least one more read on my part to understand all of the parts that just went over my head. Tayo, who witnessed the death of his brother, Rocky, comes back to live among his people, but struggles with being an alcoholic and suffering from PTSD. He has, I can think of no other word for it, "visions." And this is where the book fails for me - I do not understand what the author is trying to tell me through Tayo's visions. I reread much of these parts of the book and still did not understand. The failing is on my part, I am sure, not on the part of the author; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

I am so glad you loved The Highest Tide, Stasia. You ended up liking it a bit more than I did but I enjoyed it, as well. Did you say that you had read Border Songs?

>173 msf59: I have not yet read Border Songs, Mark, but I am hoping to get to it next month.

I think one of the reasons that I loved The Highest Tide so much is that I really related to Miles. Very happy I finally got that one read.

New books in-house today for my personal library:

The Red Convertible, The Night Watchman, Shadow Tag, The Blue Jay's Dance, The Bingo Palace, Tracks, and Future Home of the Living God all by Louise Erdrich

LOOK at all the books coming into Stasia's house, and all the books she's reading. Stasia is back, people!!!! I'm happier than I can say.

So ---- I liked Ceremony and Restoration more than you did but less than 5 stars worth for either. They should both be due for a reread except that I have a few ahead of them.

I think you know that I'm a dedicated Richard Powers reader, but I haven't gotten to Bewilderment yet. I look forward to it and to the latest Towles. AND to the Kopp sisters. First, though, I have Hands of the Emperor, which I've almost finished. It is rather long, and I'm feeling impatient for the first time here, near the end. Otoh, I love Kip so much that I really don't care that there's too much of what is.

I expect that your father has gotten home again; hope so and that he's mending. We continue to prepare for a non-eventful 100th birthday celebration for my mama in a week.

>175 alcottacre: The Night Watchman somehow made it past my defenses, I think. It rings a faint bell....

Happy shelving! I mean, week ahead!

>176 LizzieD: Thanks for stopping by the Acre, Peggy! I am happy that I have made you happy. Please wish your mother a "happy birthday" from me!

As far as my father goes, he is still hospitalized although he is no longer intubated. At this point, we are still unsure of when he will be released.

>177 richardderus: Thanks, RD. Shelving is not the issue. . .Time for reading all the books is! I am sure you know whereof I speak.

Finished tonight -

102 - When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by Margaret Verble - Mark recommended this book recently on his thread - thanks Mark! - and I am glad I could get my hands on a copy from my local library. The book is all over the place, but the disparate threads work together well. Two Feathers is a horse diver - that is, she rides her horse who dives into a tank. However, someone is killing the animals at the park in which Two Feathers works, so on top of the historical fiction element of the book, there is also a mystery in the background. I think Verble did a great job in setting both the time and the place of this novel; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

Finished tonight -

103 - Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart - Karenmarie and I read this romp of a novel together and I enjoyed both the experience and the book itself. Set in the 1920s, this is the story (based on real life incidents) of Norma, Constance, and Fleurette Kopp who, on going into town one day from their farm, are basically run over by a Mr Kaufman who refuses to take responsibility and pay the fine and proceeds to terrorize the women. Constance especially is a terrific character and Stewart does a great job of making her one. There are a lot of shades of grey in the book, which I appreciated. It would have been easy to make the characters entirely good or bad, but Stewart did not take the easy way out with them; Recommended (4 stars) Mine

>180 alcottacre: I'm glad you enjoyed that one! It's a great series.

>180 alcottacre: Oooo, that sounds good! I'm adding it to my Christmas Swap list.
Looks like you'll be binging Erdrich. Good choice, she's a great author. Enjoy!

>181 thornton37814: I am already on the hunt for the second book in the series, Lori. I am hoping to get them all read. Glad to hear that you have enjoyed the series.

>182 Carmenere: Louise Erdrich is one of my LT discoveries. She is a dandy! Thanks for stopping by the Acre, Lynda.

>180 alcottacre: Not looking not looking not...waitaminnit...I already took the book-bullet for this one.

Never mind.

Happy Wednesday, Stasia. Hooray for When Two Feathers & Girl Waits with Gun. Glad you liked both. Congrats on bring home all the Erdrich titles. The Night Watchman feel a bit short for me but others liked it more. I have been meaning to get to Shadow Tag. I am also trying bookhorn in Love Medicine. Have you read that one? It seems to an Erdrich favorite.

>183 alcottacre: I actually started with the 5th in the series. We read it for a book club. Then I managed to get an ARC of the 6th and an invite to its online premiere party during COVID. I've now gone back to the beginning of the series, but keep reading forward too.

>184 richardderus: Ah well, I almost got you, RD!

>185 msf59: I have read Erdrich off and on since I discovered her, Mark, and could not say for sure one way or the other if I have read Love Medicine. If you would like a reading partner for it, count me in!

>186 thornton37814: Cool beans, Lori. It is always great to find a series you enjoy.

You've had a really good run of a variety of books lately, Stasia! I love that note you found in Six of Crows!. Glad to see you liked An Ember in the Ashes as well - I think it was originally planned as a trilogy but became 4 books in the series.

I like a lot of what I've read by Louise Erdrich, especially Round House, though I really disliked Shadow Tag. Looking forward to your thoughts as you read through your recent acquisitions.

Hello, Stasia! You are reading up a storm - I need to get back in the groove. The only Erdrich I have read is the one Mary didn't like - Shadow Tag, and I read it in one sitting. It just pulled me right in.

>188 bell7: Thanks, Mary. I will (hopefully) be reading the second book in the quartet next month. No time for it this one.

>189 Crazymamie: Hmm, two different views on Shadow Tag. Maybe I will make that one my next Erdrich! Thanks for dropping by, Mamie!

It's almost, almost, Fri-yay! Ain't that grand.

>191 richardderus: Yes, it is, RD! Looking forward to the weekened. I hope your Friday is terrific!

The reading is speeding up yet further, Stasia. Just started The Nakano Thrift Shop and hope to finish it tomorrow.

>191 richardderus: I'm into Friday already and just 9 hours of grind at the wheel of the 118 Building to go before my weekend begins.

>193 PaulCranswick: I am halfway through, Paul. Caroline has posted her thoughts on her thread. It will be interesting to see how the 3 of us line up with this one.

>194 alcottacre: Especially for me given my inability to appreciate much of Japanese literature.

>195 PaulCranswick: I have not read enough Japanese literature to appreciate it or not! Mainly I have read Haruki Murakami whose works I have enjoyed, but that is about it.

OK, since my laptop's cord broke last week and my Chromebook for some inexplicable reason died today, I pretty much have no computer access except for my husband's desktop and that only when he is not here. Not sure how much I am going to be online until my replacement cord arrives, which was supposed to be tomorrow, but I have now been advised it could be anytime from tomorrow until the 18th.

>187 alcottacre: I like all these shared read ideas. It sure is a good way to finally get to a book.

Happy Friday, Stasia. I should finish The Fortune Men today and then I'll be starting Swann's Way.

>197 msf59: I have The Fortune Men here to read, Mark, I just have not gotten to it yet. Maybe in December? I look forward to your thoughts on it.

I have already read Swann's Way so I get to dodge that particular BB.

I tried reading Swann's Way a couple of years ago. But I could always try again. Did you enjoy it?

*gaaak*

What happened to the Chromebook?! This is awful! Nay nay nay, Uranus (god of the internet)! Stop picking on Stasia, go pick on someone *actually* evil!

>200 richardderus: Well, you will be happy to know that it is working again today. I have no idea what possessed it yesterday!

New books in-house today for my personal library:

City and Way Station both by Clifford D. Simak - Joe recommended both of these to me
The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith - a recommendation from Tui

On another note: is it weird that I have books slated to read all the way into July of next year? Something tells me I may be the only person who plans their reads that far ahead. I hope I am wrong!

Family update: My father is heading for rehab. He told us today it looks like he will be there for a month.

My mother called me today to let me know that the specialist she was sent to see has recommended that she have one of her fingers amputated.

The fun never ends!

>203 alcottacre: Oh my goodness, Stasia, I am so sorry to read your news about your mother.

I do hope that the rehab is helpful for your father.

Take good care dear lady.

>204 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>199 The_Hibernator: Sorry I missed you up there, Rachel. I did enjoy Swann's Way, but never went further than the first book. My copy had very small print and it was all I could do to finish that one. I did enjoy it!

>203 alcottacre: Sorry to read about your mother, Stasia.
You have a lot to deal with, take care.

Finished this afternoon -

104 - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn - Thanks to mdoris (Mary) for her recommendation of this very good historical fiction novel. The book is set in England during WWII and concerns Bletchley Park, where the British had their codebreaking unit, and 3 of the women who worked there and the consequences of their work. I thought the novel was excellent, although a bit long; Highly Recommended (4.25 stars) Library Book

105 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - As much as I liked The Rose Code, I loved this book - a huge thanks to Amber for her recommendation of this one, the story of Linus, a bureaucrat who works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY), who is really just a cog in the machine until he gets sent to evaluate the orphanage in which a number of magical children live, including the Antichrist. (There is a blurb at the beginning of the book that says "Quite possibly the greatest feel-good story ever to involve the Antichrist.") The magic in the story is an allegory for other worldwide issues and Klune does not beat you over the head with it; Highly Recommended (4.5 stars) Library Book

From The House in the Cerulean Sea: "These children are faced with nothing but preconceived notions about who they are. . .How can we fight prejudice if we do nothing to change it? If we allow it to fester, what's the point?"

So glad you loved House in the Cerulean Sea! That was one of my top books last year :)

>209 curioussquared: Have you read Klune's new one yet? If so, what did you think of it?

>210 alcottacre: Not yet, but it's on the list. I've heard good things so I'm hopeful!

Happy Saturday, Stasia. The Fortune Men was a solid 4 star read. Hooray for Cerulean Sea! Such a fun read.

I did not get much reading in today but a friend and I went to see Dune and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. We went for a couple of beers afterwards. All good here.

>211 curioussquared: OK, I look forward to your thoughts on it when you have a chance to read it. My local library does not have a copy yet.

>212 msf59: Hey, Mark. I may try and get The Fortune Men in next month, but I really want to try and get the Galgut book read first.

I have no interest at all in the Dune movie as I did not like the book, lol. Glad to here that all is good there!

Finished tonight -

106 - The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami - Talk about a disappointing read! This book did absolutely nothing for me. It was choppy, there was no narrative, I got frustrated by the "I hate him/I love him" mindset of the narrator. If this had not been a shared read with Caroline and Paul, I would have ditched the book; Not Recommended (2 stars) Mine

107 - Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm - Juvenile; this is a sequel to Turtle in Paradise which I read recently and preferred slightly over this book, which is still good but I did not think that the story here was as full as the previous book. The book is the story of Beans, who was introduced in the previous book, and when the Works Administration went to Key West during the Depression, helping to turn Key West into a tourist destination. Beans' hijinks are the heart of the book and he is an endearing character; Recommended (3.75 stars) Library Book

108 - Tales of Louisiana Treasure by Paul F. Serpas - Nonfiction; this slight volume is all over the place - fictional stories are mixed in with nonfictional tales which are mixed in with advice for prospective treasure hunters. I found the lack of organization a deterrent to reading it and was disappointed in it overall; Not Recommended (2.5 stars) Library Book

Only one new book in-house today, this one for my personal library: Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker. This one was recently recommended by Bonnie.

I’m sorry to hear about your mother but glad to hear your dad is on the mend.

Congratulations on 100 books read! I’m amused that book 93 was a 5 star read but only guardedly recommended :0)

Happy weekend, Stasia.

>216 humouress: Thank you, Nina!

Not our best idea to collaborate on the Nakano, Stasia. Not close to my favourite read of the week.

>218 PaulCranswick: Well, we did not know, did we? Besides, it was possible that one of us might have had a completely different point-of-view. I read several good reviews of the book - and wondered if I was completely out of orbit with my negative opinion.

>219 alcottacre: Since the three of us usually like similar books I guess that it was pretty inevitable we would like it or loathe it en bloc. I don't quite hate it but it isn't my idea of a novel.

Still about a third to go so I will finish it but I'm not in much of a hurry to do so!

>203 alcottacre: Oh No! I'm sorry to hear about your parents.

>214 alcottacre: Looks like that reading round was sub par. I will pass on all of those.

>203 alcottacre: Good news and bad news. May things get better.

>214 alcottacre: Since you liked Turtle in Paradise a little better than Full of Beans, I have something to look forward to reading!

The Nakano wasn't on my TBRalaya but had it been it wouldn't be now!

Sunday *smooch*

>220 PaulCranswick: I did not quite hate it either. I just did not see the point of any of it. Hopefully our next read will go better!

>221 figsfromthistle: Happy Sunday, Anita! You are well advised to stay away from that block of books, except for Full of Beans.

>222 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel!

>223 thornton37814: I hope you enjoy it when you get to Full of Beans, Lori!

>224 richardderus: Sunday **smooches** back at you, RD!

Yeah, sounds like I'll avoid Nakano... 😀

>226 drneutron: You never know, Jim, you might like Nakano :)

>227 alcottacre: NO >226 drneutron: No you will NOT like Nakano...I read a sample...treat it like its undies are plutonium!

>228 richardderus: Having read one, I have no desire to read any others, lol. Plutonium books scare me!

>165 alcottacre: One disadvantage to eBooks. Few traces of previous readers. Oh, well, I suspect that the squashed bugs I left between pages aren't welcome additions to the text....

>203 alcottacre: The world is being harsh on LT's parental digits these days. I hope her game playing won't suffer.

>214 alcottacre: I lightly fancied The Nakano Thrift Shop but wouldn't have put out a general read recommendation. That's what 4+ means (or if you don't like this, we may have serious issues).

>230 quondame: Thanks for dropping by the Acre, Susan. My mother still has not - as far as I know - decided what she is going to do regarding the finger. I know she is loathe to lose it (who wouldn't be?) but all it is doing currently is getting in her way. She has been through 2 full rounds of antibiotics that have not done much for it.

Caroline, Paul, and I were reading Nakano Thrift Shop based on a recommendation on the Guardian(?) of writers of colour and works of theirs that should be read. It was a miss for all 3 of us, but we are going to try and get another one on the list read next month. Hopefully it will be better for all of us.

From The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, which I am slowly making my way through:

"The engendering impulse of African American literature is resistance to human tyranny. The sustaining spirit of African American literature is dedication to humany dignity." From The Literature of Slavery and Freedom, 1746-1865

>231 alcottacre: I sort of chose November, Stasia and Caroline has just picked December so I will pencil in early whatever you choose for January.

>228 richardderus: Hahaha trust you RD!

>231 alcottacre: Hm, I wouldn't think a Japanese writer writing in Japan about Japanese life as a person of color. How completely white-centric. A Korean writing in Japan, yes, or a Chinese in Malaysia would work for me, but a work written by a Hausa living in Nigeria translated from Hausa would not in the same way a book written by the same person in English about her experiences in Yorkshire.

>233 PaulCranswick: Honestly, I would like to tackle the textbook, When We Ruled by Robin Walker, but I suspect it is going to take us longer than a month to get through, so I am not sure how you and Caroline would feel about that.

>234 quondame: I would not either, Susan, so I went back and double checked that I had the title of the article correct: "Akala, Bernardine Evaristo, Ben Okri and more pick 20 classic books by writers of colour."

>235 alcottacre: I remember only recognizing that one book from the article - or maybe not recognizing any of them. Since I didn't know any of the works and was thinking along a different path I made the common assumptions about "writers of color". I'd bet that's not how a Japanese or Chinese author sees herself, though I wouldn't think it odd if Indian or African who lives among colonial detritus has a more complex relationship of self to nation racial identity.

Finished tonight -

109 - The Velvet Rope Economy by Nelson D. Schwartz - Nonfiction; Economics is definitely not my forte and I spent much of this book with my blood pressure boiling. I had not realized how segmented American society had become because, well, I am not rich. Never have been, never will be. I feel especially sorry for the parents who, due to the way teams are set up these days, must spend an arm and a leg to ensure that their children make it to the best teams for whatever sport they play. There is segmentation in pretty much every area whether it is health care, shopping, flight, etc. What really got to me was a statement in the very last paragraph of the book: "It's up to all of us - including those well ensconced inside the Velvet Rope - to create a less segmented society, where Americans from different walks of life actually meet one another and find common ground." That is LibraryThing - that is the 75ers! Not that we are all Americans or that we all meet up in real life, but we are all from different walks of life and we all have the common ground of books; Recommended (4 stars) Library Book

"Poor children's horizons shrink as richer parents worry only about their own families and schools, rather than giving consideration to the broader educational system or society overall."

>237 alcottacre: If you want to explore more general about economics, Stasia, I would recommend Talking to My Daughter About the Economy by Yanis Varoufakis.

>225 alcottacre: Oh - Full of Beans is the one I read. I need to go back and read the first.

>238 FAMeulstee: Thanks for the recommendation, Anita. The only reason I read anything about economics, a topic that confuses me no end, was because of the nonfiction challenge for this month. Now I do not have to think about it for another year :)

>239 thornton37814: Then you are in for a treat, Lori. I think that Turtle in Paradise is the better book, although marginally.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Well. Here it is, Baja Tuesday again, and...I don't care!

I *do* care that the National Book Award for Fiction might not go to The Prophets, where it belongs. But that's not until Wednesday. Plenty of time to stress and fume!

Hi, Stasia. I had a busy morning with food shopping and other errands but now it is time to hunker down with the books. Do you have a copy of The Fortune Men? If not, I could hook you up.

Hey Stasia, this is weird. The chromebook gremlins hit my laptop on the 11th as well. I got a popup reminder to update chromebook, so I clicked on it and my entire screen went white. Nothing I did brought it back so I'm letting the battery run out and hope when it's charged and boots up, all will be well. Fingers crossed. ps. I won't update anymore, I'll just stick with an unupdated laptop.

>241 richardderus: Well, since I do not even know what is nominated for the National Book Awards, I will get upset right along with you if The Prophets does not win, RD. ((Hugs)) and **smooches** for today!

>243 Carmenere: Thanks, Mark, but I already have a copy of The Fortune Men.

>244 alcottacre: I hope so too for your sake, Lynda. Mine was fine the following morning, so I hope the same for yours!

New books in-house today for my personal library:

The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood - this book has been in the BlackHole for a looooong time

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

Any thoughts on these?

Finished last night (but too tired to write it up!):

110 - Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power by Robert D. Kaplan - Nonfiction; this is a well-written book - I found the history that Kaplan details extremely interesting since my knowledge of that part of the world is extremely lacking - that suffers from being dated. It was written over 10 years ago and statements like "By 2015 , China will become the world's most prolific shipbuilder, overtaking Japan and South Korea," I am in no position to evaluate. Sadly, I cannot recommend this one although I do believe that the historical sections are worth the read; Not Recommended (3 stars) Mine

New books in-house today for my personal library:

The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

I have about 7 years of back collecting to do since I missed so much while I was in school! I have a couple more rather big (well, to me at least) orders and then I will settle for a while trying to catch up!

>245 alcottacre: I recently read the first half of The Berlin stories Goodbye to Berlin, Stasia, and liked it.
I still regret reading On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. As I said on my thread: At times it is truely beautiful, but it also contains the most disturbing scene of animal torture I have ever read, and it is hard to get that image out of my brain.

Hi Stasia, I finally found out how to reset my laptop and I'm back in business. Technology is so weird or maybe it's not, I just don't understand it.
Hope you're having a relaxing evening.

>248 FAMeulstee: I put that book down when I got to that scene and have never picked it back up.

I will not have that in my head.

Stasia dear, hope your sleep is undisturbed tonight because then I'll know you haven't been Vuonged.

>248 FAMeulstee: I am going to have to skip over the animal torture. I will not be able to read it. Had I known about it beforehand, I likely would not have purchased the book.

>249 Carmenere: Glad to hear you are back in business, Lynda!

>250 richardderus: I am not going to have it in my head either, RD.

>248 FAMeulstee: Thank you for the warning, Anita! I had the Vuong on my wanted list, but I think I'm going to take if off now.

Please join me on my new thread:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/336807