Familyhistorian’s Keeping Positive Thoughts for a Year of Change – Part 10

I'm putting this here to inspire me to get my personal library back to looking like this.

Hi my name is Meg. I’ve been a member of the mighty 75ers since 2013. In that time, I’ve been hit by many a Book Bullet (BB) so I can attest to the fact that this is a dangerous place. In 2020 I had trouble keeping up with the threads as we all moved more online. My hope to do better keeping up this year hasn’t been going that well. But as we know hope is a renewable resource as is the wish for positive change.

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I’m wrapping up the year on my blog. You can see my latest blog posts at: A Genealogist’s Path to History

Little Free Library

Books culled in 2021

January - 0

February - 6

March - 6

April - 5

May - 7

June - 7

July - 0

August - 4

September - 5

October - 3

November - 4

Challenges

Reading Through Time

Quarterly

January-March 2021 - Renaissance/16th Century - The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn - DONE
April-June 2021 - 17th Century
July-September 2021 - 18th Century
October-December 2021 - Napoleonic Era - An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer - DONE

Monthly

January: Shakespeare's Children - The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey - DONE
February: Fashion - The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott - DONE
March: Arggh, Matey - Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton - DONE
April: The Sun Never Sets - The Palace Tiger by Barbara Clevery - DONE
May: Meet the Press - The Ventriloquists by E. R. Ramzipoor - DONE
June: Rewriting the Past - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams - DONE
July: Now We Are Free - A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom by Bryan Prince - DONE
August: Food - The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan - DONE
September: Time Travel/Prehistoric - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - DONE
October: Supernatural - Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz - DONE
November: Reader's Choice - Into the Blue by Andrea Curtis - DONE
December: Brrrrr Cold! - Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - DONE

2021 Nonfiction Challenge

January: Prizewinners - Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson - DONE
February: Minority Lives Matter - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - DONE
March: Comfort Reading - The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards - DONE
April: The Ancient World - Blood of the Celts by Jean Manco - DONE
May: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral - The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World by Larry Zuckerman - DONE
June: Discoveries - Longitude by Dava Sobel - DONE
July: Cities
August: Transportation - Sailing Seven Seas: A History of the Canadian Pacific Line by Peter Pigott - DONE
September: Creativity - Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven by Ross King DONE
October: Heroes & Villains - The Last Days of Richard III and the fate of his DNA by John Ashdown-Hill - DONE
November: Business, the Economy and Big Policy Questions - The Genealogical Sublime by Julia Creet - DONE
December: Go Anywhere - Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter - DONE

Books read in November 2021

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb
In. by Will McPhail
Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz
Unsporting: How Trans Activism and Science Denial are Destroying Sport by Linda Blade and Barbara Kay
The Other Mrs Walker by Mary Paulson Ellis
Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins
Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy by Anne Seeba
Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in An Economy Built for Men by Katrine Marçal
The Genealogical Sublime by Julia Creet
The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
The Fade Out, Act Two by Ed Brubaker
Ravish Me with Rubies by Jane Feather

Books read in December 2021

Into the Blue: Family Secrets and the Search for a Great Lakes Shipwreck by Andrea Curtis
And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball
Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale
One London Day by CC Humphreys
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine
The Missing Sapphire of Zangrabar by Steve Higgs

Books read in 2021

Books Acquired in 2021

Acquisitions for November 2021

The Scoundrel's Daughter by Anne Gracie
Without the Moon by Cathi Unsworth
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
The Pilot's Daughter by Meredith Jaeger
Blue Madonna by James R. Benn
Find You First by Linwood Barclay
Impossible Saints by Clarisa Harwood
Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron
The Penguin Social History of Britain Sixteenth-Century England by Joyce Youings
A History of British Secret Service by Richard Deacon
The Marriage Bureau by Penrose Halson
Croydon in the 1940s and 1950s by John B Gent
Becoming Vancouver by Daniel Francis
A Nation of Descendants by Francesca Morgan

Welcome!

Happy new one!

>1 Familyhistorian: Loving all those books :)

Happy new thread, Meg.

>1 Familyhistorian: Awesome! I really love the chair and that is what is missing in my home. I sometimes really struggle to get comfy on the round sofa Hani insists on filling my reading nook with.

>12 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita. The problem is there's a lot more books than that now!

>13 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. It does look like a comfy chair for reading doesn't it? I've rarely curled up in it with a book though. I'll have to remedy that in the next place I move it to.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Meg. Inspirational topper. :)

>1 Familyhistorian: There's something missing in that photo....wait, I know...it's YOU!

>15 bell7: Thanks Mary!

>16 quondame: Hi Susan and thank you!

>17 BLBera: Hi Beth, I thought the topper might strike a chord.

>18 laytonwoman3rd: Hmm, I'd have needed a selfie stick for that Linda as I took the photo.

I finished writing my Christmas cards today and when I put them in the mail box it was so full I had to jiggle the hopper thing to get them in the box. I could feel the piled up mail as it hit the bottom of the hopper thing. I hope the cards get out in time but things got so backed up here when the floods cut us off.

Happy new one, Meg!

Happy new thread Meg. I did cards today too but only got half done. Hoping to polish them off tomorrow. Crazy rain and wind again today. I'm reading On Animals and really enjoying it. It was good to read through all your reading posts!

>21 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>22 mdoris: Hi Mary, I started my cards a few days ago but forgot to mail the ones I had done. Got it all done today though. Our wind and rain didn't start until later in the morning. I was able to get out for a walk when it was still dry but it started raining before I was through. There will be more book posts coming up.

Happy new thread, Meg!

Happy 10th thread, Meg!

Hi Meg, and happy new thread!

>20 Familyhistorian: Congrats getting your cards done.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Meg! I love the look of the library up top. I wish mine looked like that too!

Hi Meg, I am just about to go out and soak up some of this sunshine that we are having today, I am off to the post office to mail my Christmas cards. Hope all is well with you.

Happy new thread, Meg. That's a great looking library photo -- definitely a great example to aspire to.

>24 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

>25 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda, I didn't know if I would make it to 10 threads this year.

>26 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. In someways it's good that I don't have that many cards to send. Good to have them done and dusted for another year.

>27 drneutron: Thanks for that, Jim, and for all that you do for the 75ers.

>28 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, I wish that my library looked like that now too. Maybe I'll get it looking like that again soon. At least that is the hope.

>29 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy, I hope that your sunshine stayed for you while you were out and about. We had sun here but part way through it was raining at the same time.

>30 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! Yes definitely an aspirational library but I did it once, hopefully I can do it again.

>1 Familyhistorian: I am so glad you mentioned this was an inspiration, not your reality. I was about to experience a major paroxysm of jealousy.

As it is, I can say "happy new thread, Meg" through UNgritted teeth.

>33 richardderus: Actually it would be my reality if I cleaned up the stuff in front of the shelves that was moved there after there to fix part of the rest of the basement after the sewer backed up a few years ago. That's why it's aspirational because it could be that way again. Sorry, Richard. Thank for the new thread wishes.

Happy new one, Meg. Gorgeous topper. I want that chair!! Did you by any chance get it at the old Pier I store? I coveted one just like it that I saw there once but sadly, never acted on it and now, they have closed down and are no more.

Hi Meg... delurking to add my admiration for the inspirational photo of book and big chair. I like those deep sided styles but usually need a foot stool because I'm not tall enough to sit in big seats.

Looking over your November reading, I wondered if you reviewed Ravish Me with Rubies? I have never read any of Jane Feather's books. I looked at the reviews on the The London Jewels Trilogy list to see what was posted. While the stories sound interesting, I also felt that they would be a little too emotional for me at this time.

>35 jessibud2: I actually got that chair at The Brick, Shelley. Neither my son or I are furniture shoppers and did a very quick scout of the store for something that would fit my limited budget just after we moved into my townhouse. We were looking for small couches/loveseats to fit the small living room but that chair caught my eye and we ended up getting it as well.

>36 SandyAMcPherson: I'm not tall enough for my feet to lean against the back and have my feet touch the floor, Sandy, but I tend to curl up in furniture like that.

The review for Ravish Me with Rubies is on my last thread. I didn't post it to the review page for the book itself. The London Jewel trilogy didn't draw me in like many romances do. That might just have been that I wasn't in the mood, but that happening three times in a row seems odd.

Hi Meg my dear, happy new thread and a great thread topper.

173. Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer



Agnes had a lot on her plate, she needed to cater a wedding at the new home she had just bought from the bride’s grandmother, have the place fixed up because the house was the wedding venue and get the cooking column for Cranky Agnes written in time for deadline. It didn’t help when people started showing up with guns trying to kidnap her dog. But her friend Joey had a solution for that, his nephew Shane could help her. Shane knew a thing or two being a hitman for the government and all.

This was a fun romp of a romance with many things happening as the characters worked against each other, all with their own agendas. It all worked out in the end but it was a fun ride getting there.

>39 johnsimpson: Hi John and thanks. Hope all is well with you and Karen.

174. Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter



History is full of strange tales of crime. It’s interesting to read accounts of what is known of those crimes especially the more notorious ones. Of course, criminals still commit murder and get away with it but back then potential victims were much less sophisticated as were the resources available to solve their crimes.

Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men was a well written and researched account of Belle Gunness’ crimes and how she was able to get away with them for so long. In the end, though, there is only so much we can know as the answers to some of the mysteries about her crimes can’t be answered.

>41 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg, we are both well although busy. Karen is busy at work especially with folk who seem to have left it a bit late for a Christmas Jumper, not a lot left and they seem to think she can magically find more. Karen is also keeping me busy with a few last minute, small jobs, lol.

The last couple of weeks has not been too good for reading but i should hit 75 for the year. The decorations are all up, most of the food shopping has been done and i did my last bit of present buying for Karen yesterday, just need to wrap them up now. All in all we are just about ready for the family to descend on us on Christmas Day and it is Elliott's first Christmas, what could be better.

Sending love and hugs from both of us my dear friend.

>43 johnsimpson: Ooh, first Christmas, that will be a treat, John. I'm sure there will be lots of pictures taken. How is Felix with the tree?

175. The Viscount who Loved Me by Julia Quinn



The Viscount Who Love Me was about the eldest of the Bridgertons, Anthony. It was the second in the series though, because his sister married at a younger age than he as did most young ladies in those days. Men were allowed much more time to sow their wild oats, and Anthony sowed many a field full. But it was time for him to settle down, either because he was starting to heed his mother or because of his own sense of fatalism. He was ready to take the next step and had made his choice. There was only one problem, the young woman’s step sister who continually got in his way.

I was surprised this morning when I opened my blinds to see snow and it was still snowing. The flakes were huge. I took the skytrain into Vancouver, there was no snow downtown it petered out once we reached the outskirts of Burnaby. It was so odd.

HI Meg, looking at the longterm forecasts it looks like we might have lots of snow for Christmas. Lots of shoveling that is......

>46 Familyhistorian:, >47 mdoris: - And it felt like spring here today and on Thursday, we will hit 14C!! Dec. 16! Record-breaking, they are saying.

Yep, climate change is here....

>40 Familyhistorian: I get to dodge that BB as I have already read it.

>42 Familyhistorian: Got me with this one though.

>47 mdoris: Hi Mary, I'm hoping those forecasts are wrong. It was really strange how local the snow fall was today. Did you get snow there?

>48 jessibud2: It would be nice if our recording breaking weather went in that direction, Shelley. Enjoy your balmy weather.

>49 alcottacre: I'm enjoying Jennifer Crusie's books. I didn't realize you were a true crime fan as well, Stasia. At one point in the book the author cites a few other criminals that were in the US at that time and I recognized most of the names because I've read books about many of the noted criminals in the US in that era.

>50 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg, No no snow today but it was very changeable, blue sky, black clouds and quite chilly. Finished another book today but won't make the BiG 75, slow reader that I am......

Looks like I am late to this party- Happy New thread, Meg. Love the bookish topper. Hell's Princess sounds like a good one.

>53 mdoris: The weather has been quite changeable lately. Today we saw the sun. I hope you did too. No worries about not making the magic number many of the ones you read were BBs for me, Mary.

>54 msf59: Never late for new thread wishes, Mark. Thanks re the topper. Hell's Princess was indeed an interesting one.

>55 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. lovely to know! I don't worry about the magic number (75) at all. Just started the new Ann Patchett book of essays and I'm really liking them.

176. Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson



Midnight Robber was the stuff of dreams or nightmares, the future world of Tuissant where young Tan Tan grew up was a place with rules and carnival in Caribbean style but break the rules and you could be banished to New Half-Way Tree where life among criminals was brutal and those mythical beasts which featured in Tuissant tales roamed the forests. When her Daddy, the mayor of Tuissant broke the rules and was banished to New Half-Way Tree Tan Tan went too. She was only a young girl then but as she grew up life became hard until she was forced to make her own way and become the Robber Queen, another Tuissant tale come to life.

It was hard to read the story quickly told in patois as it was, but the pages did fly by as the story carried me along once I had the lingo down.

>57 mdoris: Yeah, who wants to obsess about numbers when there are books to be read. Enjoy the essays, Mary.

177. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams



I became curious after seeing some posts about The Bromance Book Club. It was a fun romance with a different slant as a group of male pro athletes helped one of their number save his marriage. Their advice, read romances and learn about what women really want. It was a fun read.

I've had a busy couple of days. Wednesday night was a gathering/potluck for my women's group to celebrate the season. Thursday it was a pub lunch with a group from PoCo Heritage for the same reason. It's great to see everybody especially after we weren't able to gather last year.

178. Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb



My latest read in the in death series was appropriate to the season. Holiday in Death was Dallas and Roarke’s first Christmas together but, of course, murder came along to spice things up. These time it was a serial killer dressed as Santa. What better way to take his victims by surprise?

Hi Meg. Well, it's tried to snow here a couple of times but both times it either didn't stick or turned to rain. I guess it's pretty obvious that I am not a lover of snow. I like to be able to look at the mountains in the distance and see snow but that's about as close as I care to come to it. If I don't get back here before, have a lovely Christmas.

Hi Judy, you've been lucky. Snow has landed and stuck around for most of the day here a couple of times. Not to a depth that it needed to be plowed though. I'm a firm believer in it staying high in the mountains too. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

>52 Familyhistorian: Yes, I am a true crime fan although I do not read the genre as religiously as I once did.

>58 Familyhistorian: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review, Meg!

179. The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine



The elements were all there, an intriguing character to research, an interesting time in history, things happening in the biographer’s life that will change it forever it could have been a page turner but The Blood Doctor was slow paced. Throughout the novel the narrative was relayed in first person. The reader was only presented with the biographer’s take on his subject’s life as well as the life changing events to his own circumstances.

His research was about his great-grandfather. That was something I could relate to especially the changing assessment of his ancestor’s character the more facts he uncovered. It was his present day life, as a hereditary lord in the House of Lords when that body went through a drastic change and his ambivalence about his wife’s desire for a child, that, while I could understand both, I found it difficult to care about.

>65 alcottacre: There is a lot of true crime around. It would be hard to keep up with it. It's also a genre that sells. I saw a talk once with Charlotte Gray who used to write books about history but switched over to books about historical true crime because they sold better.

180. The Missing Sapphire of Zangrabar by Steve Higgs



Reeling after discovering her husband and best friend were having an affair, Patricia, a 50 something overweight g&t lover, cleaned out the bank accounts that her husband thought were beneath his notice and took off to Southampton thinking she’d finally go on the cruise that she could never talk him into. But the only room on the next available cruise ship was the most expensive, luxurious and intimidating for a person like her. But worse was yet to come.

The Missing Sapphire of Zangrabar, the first book in the Patricia Fisher mystery series, was a fun romp with an unlikely lead. It was nice to see Patricia find herself as the adventure unfolded.

On Sunday my son finally told me something he wanted for Christmas so I braved the mall today. I went early so it wasn't too bad even though the schools are now out for the holidays. I bought the things I wanted and was walking down the sidewalk when I realized that the amount of my last transaction didn't make sense. Sure enough I'd been charged for two books although I'd only bought one (surprising, I know). So I had to go trudging back to the mall to get a refund. The mall parking lot was a lot fuller by the time I left.

181. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa



I don’t usually like short story collections but the stories in How to Pronounce Knife seemed to be a cut above the usual fare. The short vignettes in the book illustrated various aspects of the lives of Lao immigrants in Canada in a way that cut through preconceived ideas and brought the author’s devasting insights into view.

Meg, may your holiday be shiny and bright.

>71 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

>69 Familyhistorian: I hate when something like that happens!

>67 Familyhistorian: Interesting note about Charlotte Gray. I have one of her true crime books here to read.

>68 Familyhistorian: Never heard of this particular series. I will have to see if my local library has it.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Meg!

Just spreading the news on some of the more active threads...

There's this new thing I made... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23588/75-Books-Challenge-for-2022

Happy holidays!

>73 thornton37814: It's annoying and you're not quite sure if they'll believe you. Having it happen when there are Christmas line ups makes it even worse. I hope that all your Christmas transactions were smooth, Lori. Have a wonderful time celebrating the season with your family.

>74 alcottacre: I have a lot of Charlotte Gray's history books on the shelf. She tends to write about Canadian history which I'm interested in but I must admit that I haven't read as many of them as I have of her true crime books. I remember Murdered Midas as being a good one.

I'm not sure that your library would have that series, Stasia. Steve Higgs is self published. I have no idea where I picked up the book.

>75 drneutron: Thanks Jim. I was wondering when next year's 75ers would be set up. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

Hi Meg! I decided on a theme. Mamie set me off, and choosing your first-post crown made me think "oh wow! this'll be great!"

>77 Familyhistorian: I have read the one and only book of Gray's that I actually own, The Massey Murder, but I have 2 others of hers in the BlackHole already, Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike and Reluctant Genius. It looks like I need to add Murdered Midas there as well.

It looks as though Steve Higgs' books are available on Amazon. Maybe that is where you got the book?

Happy Wednesday, Meg!

>80 alcottacre: - I really enjoyed Reluctant Genius and The Massey Murder, Stasia

>79 richardderus: Great theme Richard. Thanks for the crown!

>80 alcottacre: I read The Massey Murder too but I remember the Midas one better. Might be because of the high profile people caught up in that one.

I probably did get it on Amazon. Maybe something I picked up in an effort to get free shipping.

>81 jessibud2: Who is Reluctant Genius about, Shelley? Ah, I see it in the longer title of the book.

>82 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! All the best for the holidays to you.

>85 Familyhistorian: - Alexander Graham Bell. I found it fascinating. I also thought I knew so much about him but I learned a lot I hadn't known.

>87 jessibud2: He was definitely an interesting person. I had no idea until reading Destiny of the Republic that he invented a type of induction coil metal detector to try to find the bullets in President Garfield's body while the doctors were trying to keep Garfield alive.

>88 drneutron: - Yes, he was such a multi-dimensional man. Have you ever read Explorers House? It's about the history of the National Geographic Society and Bell had a huge role there too. It was a great read, by the way.

>81 jessibud2: Good to know that you enjoyed Reluctant Genius, Shelley. I will have to seek it out since my local library does not have it. I already own and have read The Massey Murder.

>84 Familyhistorian: That makes sense, Meg. Again, my local library does not have the book so I am going to have to go further afield to get my hands on a copy.

Or in other words: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d5/a2/d5a2ada47f63cf66369376c7a674368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

>87 jessibud2: >88 drneutron: >89 jessibud2: I had no idea that he was such an interesting character. I'll have to check some of those books out. Thanks Shelley and Jim.

>91 SandDune: Thanks Rhian, I hope you have a Happy Christmas. All the best for the new year!

>92 johnsimpson: Hi John, I hope that you and your family enjoy the holiday season!

182. Beneath These Stones by Ann Granger



I’m not sure where I am in the Mitchell and Markby series. I haven’t been keeping track. In Beneath These Stones Markby has been made a superintendent and finds that he misses on the ground investigations so he involves himself in a mysterious murder of a recently wed woman. Of course, Meredith Mitchell has already begun to look into the murder in an unofficial capacity. She and Markby are a bit techy with each other as she didn’t say yes when he asked her to marry him. That was another source of tension in this interesting mystery.

And all the best to you Meg in 2022 with good reading and excellent health!

>97 mdoris: Love the book tree, Mary. Happy holidays to you and yours.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Meg! May it be joyous and full of good cheer!

>99 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. I hope you have a Happy Holiday Season!

Hi Meg!

I was going to scroll down and apologize for only skimming, but >40 Familyhistorian: caught my attention. I loved Agnes & The Hitman.

>66 Familyhistorian: I don’t have this one, but have several by Barbara Vine – and quite a few under her real name Ruth Rendell.

>70 Familyhistorian: I’ve seen this one mentioned on LT, but now it goes onto the wish list.

Meg, I was here and got all caught up with you, and I thought I had posted a comment, but I must have forgotten to hit the post button. That series by Ann Granger looks interesting, so I'm going to track down the first one. And I am really wanting to read How to Pronounce Knife - Suzanne had mentioned that one on the Asian Reading Challenge thread.

Hoping your holidays are full of fabulous!

>101 karenmarie: Hi Karen, Agnes and the Hitman was a good one indeed! I have read a few Ruth Rendells and find they move much faster than the Barbara Vine books do. I think it has something to do with POV as the one I just read was in first person.

I imagine that How to Pronounce Knife would have caught the attention of a few LTers. It won the Giller in 2020.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

>102 Crazymamie: Ann Granger has many series, Mamie. Most of the ones I have tried were page turners. The Mitchell and Markby one is a favourite of mine.

How to Pronounce Knife was really good considering it was a series of short stories which are not my cup of tea. I find the way the authors can be chosen for the Asian Reading Challenge very interesting. By the same criteria I could be considered a British author.

I hope that you and yours, including the furry bunch, have a fabulous Christmas!

>103 ronincats: Thanks Roni. I hope you have a happy Christmas in your wonderful new home!

Merry Christmas, Meg! Have a wonderful holiday.

Have a lovely holiday, Meg.

Happy Holidays Meg!

These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. I hope the same is true for your holiday and here's to next year!!

I'm late to the game for holiday wishes but I will say an early Happy New Year, Meg

>107 msf59: Nice owl, Mark. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

>108 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul. I wish that my Christmas could have been that cozy. It came close though. I hope you had a good one.

>109 quondame: Thanks Susan, I love the ornament and the sentiment.

>110 Berly: Good to see that you and your family had a merry time, Kim. All the best for the New Year!

>111 jessibud2: Your Christmas wishes weren't late, Shelley. I didn't have Christmas dinner with my son until today, Boxing Day. I went to visit a friend out in Mission for Christmas Eve and got stranded there when snow picked up in earnest Christmas Day before I could leave to come back home. She wasn't able to get out and go to her daughter's for Christmas dinner and I wasn't able to come home to make Christmas dinner for my son. My friend and her family also delayed the Christmas meal until today.

>116 Familyhistorian: - Well, weather never did pay much attention to the calendar, did it, Meg? Here in Toronto, it has been raining and although we had a tiny bit of snow on Thursday, when I was having an early Christmas dinner with 2 friends, it has pretty much been raining on and off ever since and no snow remains. Sounds like we switched venues/weather, you and me!

Hi Meg, Thanks for dropping by. As always I enjoy your comments and book reviews. The Missing Sapphire of Zangrabar looks like a series I would enjoy. Best wishes for a healthy, bookish year to come.

An unexpected, unplanned-for sleepover! Isn't snow wonderful?

I hope 2022 has only surprises like these in store for you...the kind that give rise to anecdotes not therapy appointments.

Look at you having Christmas adventures! Too much snow would be most exciting for me because I am missing it after nine years without.

>120 richardderus: I love Richard's wishes for you!

>117 jessibud2: We have had a very strange year weather wise particularly here in BC. It was our first white Christmas in 13 years. Right now it's too cold to snow. Enjoy our rain, Shelley.

>119 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy, I hope you enjoy The Missing Sapphire of Zangrabar. Thanks for the New Year wishes. I hope that you have a good one too.

>120 richardderus: Thanks Richard, I think. Adventures are interesting but sometimes a bit nerve wracking at the time. Kind of like when I was heading down a very snowing street with a steep hill ending at a major road through the city.

>121 Crazymamie: Well, you and I are on different ends of liking winter, Mamie. I grew up in Montreal where snow set in as of November and stuck around until early May. I was done with the stuff then and decided to stay here where it is usually warmer and snows rarely.

Sounds like I would love Montreal. I don't miss shoveling the stuff, but I do miss seeing it and enjoying the cold that comes with it.

Ugh, Hi Meg, How do you like all this snow? I've been doing lots of shoveling and I gather much more is on its way, another ugh.......
Happy New Year!

Agree that it is beautiful!

We have snow! A rare thing in Porltand and certainly rare for the holidays. So far, I can still get out of my driveway, so I am enjoying it.

I actually LOVE shovelling. I just HATE driving in it! And, of course, it's the very best, from inside the window, looking out! ;-)

183. The Dark Remains by Ian Rankin for William McIlvanney



At the Edinburgh Book Festival this past year, Ian Rankin was talking about his latest book, The Dark Remains, which was a prequel to McIlvanney’s Laidlaw series which he was asked to write by the author’s widow. I only recently discovered the Laidlaw books so I’m not sure if Rankin has captured the style to a T but it was an interesting read.

McIlvanney had left a manuscript of Laidlaw’s first case and it was up to Rankin to bring it to life which he did admirably, treating the reader to a slice of Glasgow life in the ‘70s. Rival gangs had the city stitched up and the coppers were playing by a book that no one else was using. It took a maverick like Laidlaw to find out what was really going on.

>130 Familyhistorian: Well, my local library does not have a single book by William McIlvanney, so the chances of my getting to that series any time soon are pretty much nonexistent. It may be just as well considering how many series that I have ongoing currently.

Have a wonderful week, Meg!

>126 Crazymamie: There's cold and there's cold, Mamie. I can remember days even weeks of minus 25 degree weather back when Canada still used the Fahrenheit scale. And shoveling! It was my job to shovel the driveway and walk ways and I'd be flinging the snow up on banks which were over my head.

>127 mdoris: Hi Mary, I haven't had to do much shoveling. It was very windy when I was out in Mission and the flakes were light so I just had to sweep them off one side of my car and when I got back to my place the parking lot had been plowed - well at least the common areas had been, I still had to remove from snow from my parking space. The snow looks pretty unless it is all chewed up on the streets and sidewalks. At least we have a respite of sorts for now as the cold moves in. it was nice to see the sun.

>128 Berly: I think the snow went most of the way down the west coast, Kim. We were comparing snow stories in my morning writing sprint and others in more central areas of the US were having warm weather. We have shovel-able amounts here and more on the way in a few days.

>129 jessibud2: You'd really hate driving in it here, Shelley. We have many less snowplows and less savvy drivers many of whom don't have snow tires.

>131 alcottacre: It's too bad your library doesn't have any William McIlvanney's, Stasia. From what the other Scottish crime writers say he was the one that began the crime writing tradition in Scotland.

184. The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Women's Empowerment by Linda Scott



I could relate to many of the things written about in The Double X Economy, like the attitudes towards women when it came to banking, credit and mortgages which have definitely changed in my life time. A disturbing fact that I remember reading which was not brought up in this book was about payment of relief after the Halifax explosion – it could only be paid out to males as females were deemed unfit to handle money. According to the information in the book, in many places in the world that is still the case.

In this book, the writer looked at the economies of many countries and in none of them were women treated as equal to men. The extremes in the opposite direction were very concerning for women and for the children that they nurture.

>137 Familyhistorian: That sounds like a very interesting book Meg but also shocking and disturbing.

>130 Familyhistorian: The e-book for this is available from one of my libraries ... but I have way too many books checked out now. So I'm leaving it on hold at the other library.

>132 Familyhistorian: Very true.

Happy Tuesday, Meg!

185. A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Perry



I was waiting to pounce when the third of the Will Raven/Sarah Fisher books, A Corruption of Blood, came into my library. This episode of the series dealt with baby farming and the death of a prominent man. Raven finds himself investigating this death when the son, someone he knew and didn’t get a along, with was accused of murder. There were reasons for his interest in the murder and for Sarah getting disheartened about her future as she struggled with the lot of women in Victorian Edinburgh. As always this was an intriguing historical story and a good mystery.

>138 mdoris: And here was me thinking I got that BB from your thread, Mary. It sounds like something you would like and was also shocking and disturbing.

>139 quondame: I know that feeling of having too many books checked out from the library, Susan. I think you'll enjoy it when you get to it and, in keeping with books from McIlvanney's era, it's shorter than the usual fare these days.

>140 Crazymamie: I'm not enjoying the cold at all today, Mamie. I had my booster shot yesterday and feel extra chilled today but other than that Tuesday is happily chugging along.

>141 Familyhistorian: Yet another series that my local library does not have. It sounds right up my alley though!

>145 alcottacre: That's too bad, Stasia. They are well worth hunting down.

>144 Familyhistorian: Hope you and the weather heat up a little bit. If it's a race, you might win though because we are supposed to get more snow Thursday morning.

Hi Meg!

>116 Familyhistorian: I’m sorry you got stranded, glad it was with a friend. I’m also glad you got to make up your Christmas dinner with your son. Our Christmas dinner with Jenna was yesterday since she was working on Christmas – happily making double time.

186. Are You My Mother by Alison Bechdel



While lacking some of the punch of her first memoir which dealt with her father and his suicide, Alison Bechdel’s memoir about her mother, Are You My Mother was interesting. Family dynamics were delved into as were the role of mothers in general and in particular. I liked it but didn’t find it as compelling as the GN about her father but it could be argued that her mother’s influence on her was more hidden and there was also the fact that she was still around to critique what was being said.

>147 Berly: I'm already back to normal so I guess I beat the weather, Kim. I saw more snow predicted. I'll be very happy when we warm up!

>148 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. So nice to have family around for the holidays, isn't it? Good to see that Jenna is spending some time with you.

>149 Familyhistorian: I enjoyed Bechdel's first book a lot, and I need to read some more GNs next year, so I'll probably give this one a try at some point.

>152 Berly: This Bechdel was good but I think Fun Home was more close to the bone. One that you'll probably get a kick out of is The Secret to Superhuman Strength. I know I could relate to a lot of the fitness fads in that one!

It did it again. Snowed. One neighbour shovelled all the walkway and got a start on the parking area, another carried on from there. Then I went out and joined him after I cleaned about 6 inches of snow off my car (the blue one). Once I'd had enough I lent my snow shovel to a neighbour who only had a garden spade and he did a lot of the up slope area. There may be a snow plow service but we weren't sure after the last snow.

>154 Familyhistorian: - Here's a little hint, Meg. Pull those wipers off the windshield so they are standing out from it. It's what we do here to prevent them being stuck to the glass. I have a pic somewhere of our entire parking lot at school, looking like a bunch of aliens, pretty funny but it works!

>154 Familyhistorian: They're not stuck, Shelley. It's too mild. I know that trick but don't like to use it with my one long wiper and one short. Don't want to give anyone any ideas. I've had my wipers yanked at before so they were unusable and had to get my car towed since it bucketed down rain for days.

>154 Familyhistorian: I never really minded shoveling snow when I lived in Cincinnati, but the time we got 3 foot drifts in the driveway, I knew I'd never be able to dig that out. Fortunately the building was owned by a man who had a plow and a contract with a lot of the shopping centers and businesses in the area. When he got through with those, he came and plowed out the driveway.

>157 thornton37814: Good time to know a man with a plow, Lori. I don't mind shovelling either. I grew up in Montreal so got a lot of practice and this was not that much. The last place I lived was a corner lot with sidewalks that by law we had to clear. It always made me mad that I had to keep the sidewalks clear although the city didn't send the plows in to clear the street where we lived for days.

187. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton



I read a classic of American literature, Ethan Frome. I found it a bleak story of lives lived with little hope of redemption. It was perhaps a portrait of the characters who populated New England in that time period. If so, I’m glad that time has passed.

I have one more book to post about in 2021 which means I won't even get to my revised goal of 190 books read. Oh well, I'll see if I can get to 200 in 2022.

>160 Familyhistorian: Good luck with reaching 200 in 2022, Meg!

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188. An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer



I’ll end the year with another book write up for a book that started with a bewildering number of characters. In an effort to be historically accurate the author of An Infamous Army included much of the dramatis personae who peopled Brussels in the lead up to the battle of Waterloo. The social scene preceding the actual battle was glittering, surprising to one more used to accounts of modern war fare. The writer was able to pull it all together by giving us a thread of romance, allowing the reader to follow the couple and their close associates through the narrative so that it felt worth the effort to figure out who all the other characters were. But then Heyer is known for her writing chops.

>161 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! I'll try my hardest.

>162 johnsimpson: Thanks John. All the best for 2022 to you and your family. You'll greet the new year a lot sooner than I will.

>163 Familyhistorian: Ending on a high is good, if just a tiny bit off the count you were aiming for.

I'm so thrilled that Heyer's reputation keeps bring people to her door. After Karen sent me Devil's Cub and These Old Shades years ago, I was besotted with Mme Rougier's talents.

>165 richardderus: Ah, a Heyer convert. I discovered her books when I was 12 and was instantly hooked. The historical novels are a bit more work than her romances. These Old Shades is a good on, one of my favourites.

>160 Familyhistorian: I cheated and did a couple of Kindle shorts to get me to 190 for 2021. I wanted 200 also!

>167 thornton37814: Congrats on making 190 Lori. Somehow it was harder this year to get all the reads in.

Forget your stresses and strains
As the old year wanes;
All that now remains
Is to bring you good cheer
With wine, liquor or beer
And wish you a special new year.

Happy New Year, Meg.

>168 Familyhistorian: I think life resumed but it was more stressful for a number of reasons.

>169 PaulCranswick: I hope your New Year is a good one, Paul!

>170 thornton37814: Life resumed but we'd already gotten into some other stuff we wanted to continue so we had that to add to what we'd started up again.