klobrien2 Karen O's Book-It List Part Four

Dies ist die Fortführung des Themas klobrien2 Karen O's Book-It List Part Three.

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klobrien2 Karen O's Book-It List Part Four

1klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 24, 2022, 6:57 pm

For my top-of-thread photo this time around, here's a favorite photo of the Lewis Chessmen:



Welcome to my 2022 reading thread, Part Four!

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

The year 2022 has continues to be a terrific time for reading. I find myself reading pretty much as the spirit leads. I participate in the American Author Challenge, and plan to continue with them. A long-term project of mine is to accomplish reads from the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" book, so that may guide my reading a little. Current 1001 Books count: 215.

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

This is my thirteenth year participating in the 75 Books Challenge. In 2009, I read 94 books; in 2010, I made it to 148!; 153 in 2011; 160 in 2012; 114 in 2013; 92 in 2014; 109 in 2015; 145 in 2016, 210 in 2017, 200 in 2018, 180 in 2019, 225 (3 x 75!) in 2020, 242 in 2021. In 2022? Maybe I'll shoot for 243?

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

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

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

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

Here's where I'll list the books I read (the number at the end of each line represents the post number where I listed the book).

The books I read in January:

1. The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park -- 2
2. Baking With Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan -- 19
3. The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink, and Eat...Everything with Ranch by Charlie Berens -- 20
4. Good Bones by Maggie Smith -- 21
5. The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon -- 26
6. In Memoriam, A. H. H. by Alfred Lord Tennyson -- 30
7. Hench: A Novel by Natalie Zina Walschots -- 36
8. My Friend Dahmer: A Graphic Novel by Derf Backderf -- 37
9. Cove by Cynan Jones -- 39
10. Fauci: Expect the Unexpected: Ten Lessons on Truth, Service, and the Way Forward by Anthony Fauci and National Geographic -- 41
11. La Mere Brazier: The Mother of Modern French Cooking by Eugenie Brazier -- 45
12. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr -- 46
13. Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (Cat Kid Comic Club #2) by Dav Pilkey -- 50
14. Murakami T: The T-Shirts I Love by Haruki Murakami -- 51
15. How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities by Judith Viorst -- 52
16. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine -- 65
17. Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead -- 68
18. When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson -- 71
19. When Did I Stop Being Twenty (And Other Injustices) by Judith Viorst -- 74
20. Some Buried Caesar (Nero Wolfe #6) by Rex Stout -- 77
21. Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1 by Brian Herbert -- 78
22. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson -- 80
23. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman -- 86
24. On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder, illus. Nora King -- 87

The books I read in February:

25. It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty by Judith Viorst -- 89
26. Bird by Bird: Some Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott -- 91
27. Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations by Judith Viorst -- 93
28. Suddenly Sixty and Other Shocks of Later Life by Judith Viorst -- 105
29. I'm Too Young to Be Seventy and Other Delusions by Judith Viorst -- 106
30. Unexpectedly Eighty and Other Adaptations by Judith Viorst -- 107
31. Nearing Ninety and Other Comedies of Late Life by Judith Viorst - 108
32. Foster by Claire Keegan -- 112
33. A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr -- 119
34. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn -- 129
35. The Annotated American Gods by Neil Gaiman, annotated by Leslie S. Klinger -- 130
36. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave -- 154
37. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman -- 160
38. Recitatif: A Story by Toni Morrison -- 166
39. The Maid by Nita Prose -- 178
40. The Book Rescuer by Sue Macy -- 182
41. Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright: An Animal Poem for Each Day of the Year, selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Britta Teckentrup -- 188
42. Moon Crossing Bridge by Tess Gallagher -- 192
43. How to Listen To and Understand Great Music (Great Courses) by Robert Greenberg -- 193
44. Raise High the Roof Beams, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction by J. D. Salinger -- 202
45. Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh -- 204
46. Over My Dead Body (Nero Wolfe #7) by Rex Stout -- 205
47. Bone, Vol. 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith -- 207

The books I read in March:

48. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells -- 209
49. 5 Ingredients: Quick and Easy Food by Jamie Oliver -- 216
50. Matrix: A Novel by Lauren Groff -- 222
51. The Princess Mononoke: The First Story by Hayao Miyazaki -- 236
52. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa -- 237
53. Bones, Vol. 1: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith -- 238
54. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh -- 247
55. The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries (Great Courses) by Neil deGrasse Tyson -- 248
56. Poems to Learn By Heart, ed. Caroline Kennedy -- 256
57. Bones, Vol. 3: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith -- 257
58. Bones, Vol. 4: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith -- 257
59. Bones, Vol. 5: Rock Jaw by Jeff Smith -- 257
60. Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning -- 259
61. A Deadly Affair: Unexpected Love Stories from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie -- 260
62. Return of the Pharaoh by Nicholas Meyer -- 266
63. On the Bus With Rosa Parks: Poems by Rita Dove -- 273
64. Bone, Vol. 6: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith -- 274
65. Bone, Vol. 7: Old Man's Cave by Jeff Smith -- 274
66. Bone, Vol. 8: Treasured Hunters by Jeff Smith -- 274
67. Bone, Vol. 9: Crown of Horns by Jeff Smith -- 274
68. Rose: A Graphic Novel (Bone Prequel) by Jeff Smith, ill. Charles Vess -- 274
69. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz -- 296
70. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman -- 299

Thread Two:

71. Watercress by Andrea Wang, illus. Jason Chin -- 14
72. The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk -- 26
73. Where There's a Will (Nero Wolfe #8) by Rex Stout -- 32
74. Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger -- 38
75. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger -- 42
76. Franny and Zooey (1001 Books #215) by J. D. Salinger -- 44
77. Black Orchids (Nero Wolfe #9) by Rex Stout -- 47

The books I read in April:

78. Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life by Matt Paxton -- 51
79. Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow with Roseanne Foley Henry -- 61
80. Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman -- 62
81. An Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett -- 65
82. Instant Lives by Howard Moss, illus. Edward Gorey -- 66
83. National Geographic Photo Ark Wonders: Celebrating Diversity in the Animal Kingdom by Joel Sartore -- 68
84. The Rime of the Modern Mariner by Nick Hayes -- 78
85. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, drawings by Edward Gorey -- 79
86. Not Quite Dead Enough (Nero Wolfe #10) by Rex Stout -- 82
87. Nicholas Meyer's The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by David Tipton -- 87
88. An American Sunrise: Poems by Jo Harjo -- 92
89. Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -- 93
90. Macbeth (Shakespeare Classics Graphic Novels) by Gareth Hinds -- 97
91. Riots I Have Known by Ryan Chapman -- 100
92. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff -- 103
93. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scholzi -- 108
94. Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan -- 109
95. National Geographic The Photo Ark Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Animals by Joel Sartore -- 111
96. In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: Graphic Novel by Marcel Proust, adapted by Stephane Heuet, trans. by Arthur Goldhammer -- 115
97. Birds of the Photo Ark by Noah Strycker -- 126
98. In Search of Lost Time: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower: Graphic Novel (Vol. 2) by Marcel Proust ,adapted by Stephane Heuet, trans. by Laura Marris -- 132
99. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera -- 141
100. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips -- 148
101. Resident Alien Omnibus Volume 1 by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse -- 155
102. She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan -- 161
103. Amphigorey: Fifteen Books by Edward Gorey -- 163
104. The View from Split Rock: A Lighthouse Keeper's Life by Lee Radzak with Curt Brown -- 171
105. Resident Alien Volume 4: The Man With No Name by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse -- 181
106. Resident Alien Volume 5: An Alien in New York by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse -- 181
107. Resident Alien Volume 6: Your Ride's Here by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse -- 181

The books I read in May:

108. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (graphic) by Derf Backderf -- 188
109. Love in the Time of Bertie: 44 Scotland Street #15 by Alexander McCall Smith -- 190
110. The Mystery of the Jeweled Cross (A Shadwell Rafferty Adventure by Larry Millett -- 191
111. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff -- 199
112. Severance: Stories by Robert Olen Butler -- 200
113. Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon by Larry Millett -- 213
114. Amphigorey Again by Edward Gorey -- 214
115. Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey -- 218
116. The Windsor Knot (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #1) by S. J. Bennett -- 219
117. Amphigorey Also by Edward Gorey -- 231
118. I Need a New Butt! by Dawn McMillan -- 232
119. Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman -- 233
120. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan -- 237
121. Silent Speaker (Nero Wolfe #11) by Rex Stout -- 245
122. The King by Donald Barthelme -- 253
123. Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume 1) by Julia Child -- 254
124. Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation by Liana Finck -- 262
125. Plaid and Plagiarism (Highland Bookshop Mysteries #1) by Molly MacRae -- 266
126. The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson -- 268
127. Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart -- 270
128. My Butt is So Silly by Diane McMillan -- 278
129. The Last Bookseller: A Life in the Rare Book Trade by Gary Goodman -- 279

Thread Three:

Books I read in June:

130. Hello, Molly!: A Memoir by Molly Shannon -- 10
131. Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan -- 12
132. Too Many Women (Nero Wolfe #12) by Rex Stout -- 27
133. Shaq's Family Style: Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends -- 28
134. Manga Classics Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Crystal S. Chen, Julien Choy -- 29
135. All the Queen's Men (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #2) -- 36
136. Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir by Bob Odenkirk -- 47
137. These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett -- 48
138. Snow White by Donald Barthelme -- 56
139. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer -- 57
140. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, ed. and translated by Stephen Mitchell -- 69
141. Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo -- 71
142. Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon by Kate DiCamillo -- 71
143. Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln by Kate DiCamillo -- 71
144. Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package by Kate DiCamillo -- 71
145. Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo -- 71
146. Franklin Endicott and the Third Key by Kate DiCamillo -- 71
147. Lambslide by Ann Patchett -- 76
148. And Be a Villain (Nero Wolfe #13) by Rex Stout -- 77
149. Scones and Scoundrels (Highland Bookshop Mysteries #2) by Molly Macrae - 85
150. Love in Color: Mythical Tales From Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola -- 99

The books I read in July:

151. I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir by Harvey Fierstein -- 118
152. The Who: The Official History by Ben Marshall -- 122
153. Escape Goat by Ann Patchett -- 128
154. The Second Confession (Nero Wolfe #14) by Rex Stout -- 136
155 Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez -- 141
156. Thistles and Thieves by Molly MacRae -- 157
157. The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein, illus. Henry Cole -- 158
158. Trouble in Triplicate (Nero Wolfe #15) by Rex Stout -- 164
159. The Book That Did Not Want to Be Read by David Sundin -- 172
160. Playing With Myself by Randy Rainbow -- 191
161. You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson -- 192
162. Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders -- 193
163. The West End Horror by Nicholas Meyer -- 200
164. A Is For Bee: An Alphabet Book in Translation by Ellen Heck -- 204
165. The Story of Human Language (Great Courses) by John McWhorter -- 205
166. Who's Irish?: Stories by Gish Jen -- 206
167. The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill -- 214

The books I read in August:

168. The Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan -- 228
169. The Paper Girls, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan -- 228
170. The Paper Girls, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan -- 228
171. The Paper Girls, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan -- 228
172. The Paper Girls, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan -- 228
173. The Paper Girls, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan -- 228
174. The Castlemaine Murders (Phryne Fisher #13) by Kerry Greenwood -- 233
175. The Phantom of the Opera: The Graphic Novel by Varga Tomi -- 240
176. The Locked Room (Dr Ruth Galloway #14) by Elly Griffiths -- 258
177. Heather and Homicide (Highland Bookshop Mystery #4) by Molly MacRae -- 277
178. Thor, Goddess of Thunder, Vol. 1 by Jason Aaron -- 278
179. Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein -- 279

Now we're in Thread Four:

180. Three Doors to Death (Nero Wolfe #16) by Rex Stout -- 24
181. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt -- 30
182. P Is For Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever by Raj Haldar -- 42
183. The Little Sisters of Eluria by Stephen King -- 46
184. Heathen Volume 1 by Natasha Alterici -- 52
185. Plainsong by Kent Haruf -- 55
186. The Beatles (White Album) Super Deluxe Set (5 CDs, 1 Blueray, essays, song notes, photographs) — 63
187. The Annotated Archy and Mehitable by Don Marquis -- 64
188. Heathen Volume 2 by Natasha Alerici -- 75
189. Mashkiki Road: The Seven Grandfather Teachings by Elizabeth S. Barrett and Jonathon Thunder -- 77
190. Octopus, Seahorse, Jellyfish by David Liittschwager -- 78
191. In the Best Families (Nero Wolfe #17) by Rex Stout -- 79
192. Argyles and Arsenic (Highland Bookshop Mystery #5) by Molly MacRae -- 82

The books I read in September:

193. Two Dogs by Ian Falconer -- 88
194. Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris -- 99
195. Flung Out of Space by Grace Ellis and Hannah Temple -- 100
196. Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, Vol.1 by Hope Nicholson -- 104
197. The Vampyre: A Tale by John William Polidori -- 105
198. The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie #14) by Alexander McCall Smith -- 108
199. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe -- 119
200. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed -- 121
201. Neil Gaiman's Chivalry; adaptation, art, illuminated manuscript lettering by Colleen Doran -- 130
202. Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, Vol. 2 by Hope Nicholson -- 132
203. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel -- 140
204. Downsize: Living Large in a Small House by Sheri Koones -- 142
205. Brain Games for Cats: Loving Ways to Build a Bond with Your Cat Through Games and Challenges by Claire Arrowsmith -- 143
206. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Colleen Doran -- 149
207. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus -- 153
208. Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood -- 162
209. The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey -- 166
210. Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery by Larry Millett -- 173
211. The Hurting Kind: Poems by Ada Limon -- 176
212. Basquiat: The Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi -- 178
213. Trump: A Graphic Biography by Ted Rall -- 179
214. Arrowsmith, Vol. 1: So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms -- 180
215. Jewish Comix Anthology, Volume 1, ed. Steven M. Bergson -- 183
216. Jean-Michel Basquiat, ed. by Rudy Chiappini -- 184
217. Kaddish: Before the Holocaust and After by Jane Yolen -- 190

The books I read in October:

218. When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill -- 199
219. It's So Magic by Lynda Barry -- 205
220. The String Quartets of Beethoven (Great Course) by Robert M. Greenberg -- 209
221. The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limon -- 210
222. Fading Ads of the Twin Cities by Jay Grammond -- 230
223. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton -- 231
224. Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer -- 237
225. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton -- 247
226. Bright Dead Things: Poems by Ada Limon -- 256
227. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe -- 257
228. Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection by Kate Beaton -- 263
229. Agatha Raisin and The Vicious Vet (Agatha Raisin #2) by M. C. Beaton -- 264
230. Everything: Volume 1: Collected and Uncollected Comics From Around 1978 - 1982 by Lynda Barry -- 270
231. The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anna Ursu -- 279

Here is where I'll list the authors selected for the 2022 American Authors Challenge, the books I will read, and if I complete them (here's hoping!)

2022 AAC

JANUARY Graphic novels, comics and/or non-fiction:
My Friend Dahmer: A Graphic Novel by Derf Backderf -- COMPLETED
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder, illus. Nora King -- COMPLETED
Dune Book 1 by Brian Herbert and Frank G. Anderson, illus. Raul Allen -- COMPLETED
Maus, Vol. 1 by Art Spiegelman -- COMPLETED

FEBRUARY Tess Gallagher Moon Crossing Bridge: Poetry -- COMPLETED
MARCH Bernard Malamud -- gave up on The Fixer
APRIL Jennifer Finney Boylan -- She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders -- COMPLETED
MAY 19th Century American Author of your choice -- Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson -- COMPLETED
JUNE John Dos Passos -- Manhattan Transfer -- Giving up (DNF)
JULY Gish Jen -- Who's Irish: Stories by Gish Jen -- COMPLETED
AUGUST Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song -- Giving up (DNF)
SEPTEMBER Pulitzer Prize Winners — A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- Reading (will aim for October completion)
OCTOBER John McPhee
NOVEMBER Native American authors, themes and history
DECEMBER Martha Gellhorn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The books I read in the first half of 2021 are here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/328372#

The books I read in the second half of 2021 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333390#

The books I read in the first quarter of 2022 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338204#n7791489

The books I read in April and May of 2022 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340601#n7851702

The books I read in June, July, part of August of 2022 are here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/342092#

Good reading to you!

2klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 12, 2022, 7:31 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (08/12/2022):

Actively reading

*The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
*Plainsong by Kent Haruf -- p. 96 of 284
*Argyles and Arsenic (Highland Bookshop #5) by Molly MacRae
*Three Doors to Death (Nero Wolfe #15) by Rex Stout -- p. 61 of 157
*The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Murder by Larry Millett
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman -- p. 0 of 271
The Dancehall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman -- p. 0 of 240
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for August: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song -- shared read for TIOLI #4; p. 0 of 278

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 2 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Lear Wife by J. R. Thorpe
White Noise by Don DeLillo -- p. 16 of 279
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem (my own)
Billy Summers by Stephen King (my own)
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (my own)-- 394 pages

3weird_O
Aug. 12, 2022, 7:33 pm

Mine? Mine mine mine?

Thanks.

4klobrien2
Aug. 12, 2022, 7:37 pm

>3 weird_O: lol! And you're the first to pop up here! Hi!

5PaulCranswick
Aug. 12, 2022, 7:59 pm

Happy new thread, Karen. Who knows maybe a 4x75 this year?

6figsfromthistle
Aug. 12, 2022, 8:35 pm

Happy new one!

7msf59
Aug. 13, 2022, 7:30 am

Happy Saturday, Karen. Happy New Thread. I dropped in on your last thread, just before you started the new one. Have a good weekend.

8karenmarie
Aug. 13, 2022, 9:09 am

Hi Karen, and happy new thread.

From your last thread: papers, magazines, books, (cereal boxes--hah!) Are those your only sources for reading materials? *smile*

>2 klobrien2: I’m so glad you liked McWhorter’s The Story of Human Language and are continuing with him. Ditto with reading Rex Stout.

9klobrien2
Aug. 13, 2022, 10:23 am

>5 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! I’m having a great time with reading this year. It’ll be interesting to see what the final number is.

Thanks for visiting!

10klobrien2
Aug. 13, 2022, 10:24 am

>6 figsfromthistle: Thanks! And thanks for stopping by. I’ll be swinging by your thread later!

11klobrien2
Aug. 13, 2022, 10:26 am

>7 msf59: Hi, Mark! I want you to know that I’ve been reading more in Plainsong and really enjoying it! Thanks for getting it going for me! See you later!

12klobrien2
Aug. 13, 2022, 10:29 am

>8 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! I’m such a wit, ain’t I?! Thanks again for bringing the Human Language course to my attention! It was just fascinating, and McWhorter is becoming one of my favorite writers.

Have a great weekend!

13klobrien2
Aug. 13, 2022, 10:32 am

pbbbllltt!! Didn’t like this one at all!

Wordle 420 X/6 irate, chump, huggy, hubby, huffy, hussy

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧

14drneutron
Aug. 13, 2022, 8:24 pm

Happy new one! I still love the look of those chessmen.

15richardderus
Aug. 13, 2022, 9:01 pm

>13 klobrien2: Pfui! But happy new thread anyway, Karen O!

16weird_O
Aug. 13, 2022, 10:38 pm

I am soo glad I qualified for the Wordle control group. Otherwise...otherwise...let's just say it would be ugly. I just checked the weather forecast for the new week--temps in the 80s. Huzzah.

17FAMeulstee
Aug. 14, 2022, 2:53 am

Happy new thread, Karen!

18klobrien2
Aug. 14, 2022, 11:16 am

>16 weird_O: Hi, weird_O! I tell you, there’s a real sense of relief when a long streak ends—it’s not as dramatic to bomb out. Have a great, pleasant week!

19klobrien2
Aug. 14, 2022, 11:16 am

>17 FAMeulstee: Thanks! Have a great week!

20klobrien2
Aug. 14, 2022, 11:20 am

Now, this is more like it! Figuring out the last letter is a key to Wordle.

Wordle 421 3/6 irate, plain, khaki (only a few places “i” can go, only a few words end in “i”)

🟦⬜🟧⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

21klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 14, 2022, 6:45 pm

Picked up some lovely reads at the library yesterday:

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (always think of Linus and Lucy when I see this author’s name)

Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky

Putin’s Russia: The Rise of a Dictator by Darryl Cunningham

AND a bunch of DVDs of older movies circa 2009 that I never saw then. I think the books will be “watched” first, though!

22katiekrug
Aug. 14, 2022, 7:25 pm

I really liked Remarkably Bright Creatures. I hope you do, too!

23klobrien2
Aug. 14, 2022, 8:56 pm

>22 katiekrug: Your review is probably why I requested the book! I’m anxious to start it.

24klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 15, 2022, 8:11 pm



180.
Three Doors to Death (Nero Wolfe #16) by Rex Stout



Three long short stories/novellas (Man Alive, Omit Flowers, Door to Death), each quite satisfying and entertaining.

Nero Wolfe took a long stretching step to clear a puddle of water at the edge of the graveled driveway, barely reached the grass of the lawn with his left foot, slipped, teetered, pawed wildly at the air, and got his sixth of a ton of flesh and bone balanced again without having actually sprawled. “Just like Ray Bolger,” I said admiringly. He scowled at me savagely, which made me feel at home though we were far from home.

25klobrien2
Aug. 15, 2022, 12:38 pm

Played a little guessy-guessy there at the end.

Wordle 422 5/6 irate, robed, cover, power, poker

⬜🟦⬜⬜🟦
🟦🟧⬜🟧⬜
⬜🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

26klobrien2
Aug. 16, 2022, 9:17 am

Well, I’ll be! Seems like such an old-fashioned word, doesn’t it?! Glad to get it in 5!

Wordle 423 5/6 irate, fresh, dryer, cruet, gruel

⬜🟧⬜⬜🟦
⬜🟧🟦⬜⬜
⬜🟧⬜🟧⬜
⬜🟧🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

27klobrien2
Aug. 17, 2022, 11:18 am

I liked the symmetrical solving on this one…

Wordle 424 4/6 irate, title, thine, twice

🟦⬜⬜🟦🟧
🟧🟦⬜⬜🟧
🟧⬜🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

28richardderus
Aug. 17, 2022, 12:27 pm

>27 klobrien2: Today's 3-day was a reward for my having to be up and functioning since 5.15. Your word #3 is another one I've just never considered!

29klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 17, 2022, 8:13 pm

>28 richardderus: I was brought up a Baptist, reader of the King James version of the Bible, so that word is deep in my brain!

Watched the 1925 version of "Phantom of the Opera" and it was surreal. Don't think I've ever watched a silent film before in its entirety (I made myself laugh by looking for the closed captioning setup at the start). Very cool experience!

Hope you're doing well after your extra-early start!

30klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 17, 2022, 8:11 pm



181.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt



Had a great time with this book! It features a really exceptional octopus and humans who are all a little lost. Set in the Pacific Northwest and the local marine life aquarium figures boldly.

31klobrien2
Aug. 18, 2022, 9:18 am

Fun solution—I like this word.

Wordle 425 5/6 irate, stand, plant, thank, twang

⬜⬜🟧🟦⬜
⬜🟦🟧🟧⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟧🟦
🟧⬜🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

32richardderus
Aug. 18, 2022, 1:02 pm

>31 klobrien2: The result made the puzzle feel more like fun to me than it always does, too.

>30 klobrien2: Oh yay! Katie's rec of that one has really been the gift that keeps on giving, no?

Thursday *smooch*

33klobrien2
Aug. 19, 2022, 10:34 am

I love playing crazy words, with no chance of being right, but which bring you closer (e.g., my word three today).

Wordle 426 4/6 irate, mourn, gurdy, shrug

⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜
🟦🟦🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

34katiekrug
Aug. 19, 2022, 10:42 am

>33 klobrien2: - Hey, you got there and that's all that matters :)

35klobrien2
Aug. 19, 2022, 10:50 am

>34 katiekrug: Exactly! Liked this Wordle, too!

Remarkably Bright Creatures has stayed in my mind since I finished it. Sure, the plot is a little improbable, but let’s not discard synchronicity!

Great to see you here! Have a great weekend. Or, as some Scots say in the Highland Bookshop books, “Cheery-bye!”

36klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 19, 2022, 2:43 pm

Resplendent Quetzal (just read about this jewel-like bird in BirdWatching magazine. Truly, OMG!

37klobrien2
Aug. 19, 2022, 5:57 pm

I love it when I read something or see something which echoes something I've read elsewhere. I'm a big fan of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries, and I've also started reading The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis.

Here's what I read in the Introduction (written by Michael Sims):

"The mystery novelist Rex Stout once explained that his character Nero Wolfe differed from other detectives that he wrote about because he wasn't invented: 'He was born. A born character arrives completely created.' Archy arrived this way. Marquis didn't consciously sit down to invent a character who might serve his artistic and commercial needs; he was the last to realize the insect's significance."

38klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 19, 2022, 6:11 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (08/19/2022):

Actively reading

*Plainsong by Kent Haruf -- p. 144 of 284
*Argyles and Arsenic (Highland Bookshop #5) by Molly MacRae -- p. 38 of 292
*In the Best Families (Nero Wolfe #16) by Rex Stout -- p. 25 of 199
*The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie #14) by Alexander McCall Smith -- 16 of 227
*Putin's Russia: The Rise of a Dictator by Darryl Cunningham
*The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis -- p. 12 of 347
*The Little Sister of Eluria (The Dark Tower #0.5)
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Angle of Repose (Wallace Stegner)
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Murder by Larry Millett
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for August: Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- what to read?

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 6 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman -- p. 0 of 271
The Dancehall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman -- p. 0 of 240
Lear Wife by J. R. Thorpe
White Noise by Don DeLillo -- p. 16 of 279
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem (my own)
Billy Summers by Stephen King (my own)
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (my own)-- 394 pages

39FAMeulstee
Aug. 19, 2022, 6:09 pm

>36 klobrien2: Amazingly beautiful bird!
Thanks for sharing, Karen!

40klobrien2
Aug. 20, 2022, 10:17 am

Woo-hoo! My first word came through for me!

Wordle 427 2/6 irate, treat

⬜🟧🟦🟦🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

41msf59
Bearbeitet: Aug. 20, 2022, 1:59 pm

>36 klobrien2: I was very fortunate to see four of these Quetzals while in Costa Rica, earlier in the year. 2 males, 2 females. Stunning birds.

I just started Angle of Repose. This one demands to be read slowly but the delicious prose sure makes it worth it. How are you enjoying Plainsong?

42klobrien2
Aug. 20, 2022, 4:50 pm

>41 msf59: Hey, Mark! I'm sure I remember you posting about the Resplendent Quetzals (I really like even their name!) on your thread. They are just breathtaking in photos, so I imagine it is stunning to see them in real life!

Really liking Plainsong--I should finish this weekend. Haven't even looked at Angle of Repose (I keep wanting to type "Angel") but I'd like to at least make a start with your group read.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

43klobrien2
Aug. 20, 2022, 7:13 pm



182.
P Is For Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever by Raj Haldar



Really fun book: this is one we'll pick up for our grandsons. (There is a coloring book version as well!) There is a glossary in the back to let kids (and adults!) know how to pronounce those strangely spelled words.

44richardderus
Aug. 20, 2022, 7:19 pm

>40 klobrien2: Oh WOW!! That is a superb result. I'm so pleased for you Karen O. And it was a word that really *fit* today, no?

45klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 21, 2022, 3:22 pm

Another ptoo-ey! My regular first word--followed by a lot of luck!--came through again!

Wordle 428 2/6 irate, waste (almost went with baste)

⬜⬜🟦🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

46klobrien2
Aug. 21, 2022, 3:18 pm



183.
The Little Sister of Eluria by Stephen King



Beautifully drawn, exciting plot, serving as my introduction to the Dark Tower series and its hero, Roland Deschain.

47klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 21, 2022, 3:33 pm

Idiot box-wise, we've been watching a lot of enjoyable stuff. We finished "The Beatles Get Back" and thoroughly enjoyed it. Well worth the eight hours of watching.

We finished the second season of "Russian Doll" and that was fun, although confusing. Lots there about quantum mechanics, and time phasing, but also mothers and daughters.

"Grantchester" finished its seventh season--great writing.

We're halfway through "Sandman" and really liking it.

I'm halfway through "Paper Girls" and really liking that.

Watched the first episode of "She Hulk: Attorney at Law" and it is hilarious and so well-written. This show stars Tatiana Maslany (of "Orphan Black") and Mark Ruffalo and they are perfect together.

And we finished a rewatch of "Lovejoy" season one--available only on DVD from the library. From what I can tell, the show is supposed to be on Acorn TV, but only the shell is there, if you know what I mean. So, DVD it is. Our rewatch is certainly holding up for us.

48klobrien2
Aug. 21, 2022, 3:40 pm

I had obtained a copy of Angle of Repose since Mark and friends have started a read of it, and I was just going to lurk around, but this book would be a perfect fit for the September American Author Challenge--Pulitzer Prize Winners--which the book won in 1972. Voila! I have my September AAC read!

49klobrien2
Aug. 22, 2022, 2:03 pm

The shift between words three and four makes me laugh—English is a cool language!

Wordle 429 4/6 irate, their, remit, merit

🟦🟦⬜🟦🟦
🟦⬜🟦🟧🟦
🟦🟧🟦🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

50richardderus
Aug. 22, 2022, 3:41 pm

>49 klobrien2: It was a 3-day for me, given that between my three letters in the correct places and the other two in the wrong places, I'd've needed to be catatonic not to get it next word.

>48 klobrien2: I hope it's a peak read for you, Karen O.

51klobrien2
Aug. 22, 2022, 8:11 pm

>50 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I'm looking forward to Angle of Repose--I keep wanting to type "Angel" though!

52klobrien2
Aug. 22, 2022, 8:18 pm



184.
Heathen, Volume 1 by Natasha Alterici



Nice graphic novel, featuring Norse mythology, ancient times, and Aydis, who fights the status quo as a warrior. Thanks to Amber for bringing this to my attention! There are a few more volumes at my library which I've requested.

When I looked up the author at my library, I learned about a compilation series called Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection which looks really interesting. I just love when one book leads to another.

53klobrien2
Aug. 23, 2022, 10:42 am

A little nervous-making, but I got there. Had fun playing my look-for-letters words.

Wordle 430 5/6 irate, ebony, melon, coven, woven

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
🟦⬜🟦🟦⬜
⬜🟦⬜🟦🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

54richardderus
Aug. 23, 2022, 10:57 am

>53 klobrien2: Yay! Word #2 is particularly *chef's kiss*

>52 klobrien2: Oh look! A blank space. I wonder what was supposed to be there.

*skedaddles*

55klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 25, 2022, 4:25 pm



185.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf



Wonderful reread of a lovely book, based in the small town of Holt, Colorado. In this book, we are shown the intersecting lives of seven of its inhabitants: two elderly farmers, a lonely teacher, his two young sons, a young girl who finds herself pregnant, and the woman who first takes the young girl in.

Great writing (the realistic descriptions of animal husbandry made me a little queasy) throughout. I loved how the events worked to the conclusion, and pointed to the future.

Here's one of my favorite passages, featuring the two elderly fellas:

...why hell, look at us. Old men alone. Decrepit old bachelors out here in the country seventeen miles from the closest town which don’t amount to much of a good goddamn even when you get there. Think of us. Crotchety and ignorant. Lonesome. Independent. Set in all our ways. How you going to change now at this age of life?

I can’t say, Raymond said. But I’m going to. That’s what I know.


Thanks to msf59, et al, for the push to read this treasure again. And, now, I think I'll have to look into more Kent Haruf!

56msf59
Aug. 24, 2022, 8:00 am

Happy Wednesday, Karen. Hooray for Plainsong. Good review too. Please continue the "Holt" books. I am also glad to see you have Angle of Repose tagged for September.

I like seeing what you are watching. I did start the first ep of Paper Girls and want to get back to it. I also started "The Bear", which looks to be a good one. I also want to start Pachinko.

57klobrien2
Aug. 24, 2022, 11:28 am

Had to work at today’s Wordle! Glad to get it in five.

Wordle 431 5/6 irate, felon, penny, newsy, needy

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜🟧⬜⬜🟦
⬜🟧🟦⬜🟧
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

58klobrien2
Aug. 24, 2022, 11:30 am

>56 msf59: I’ve got Eventide on my Libby already. I’ll look forward to your thoughts on “The Bear” and “Pachinko.” They both look good!

59richardderus
Aug. 24, 2022, 11:31 am

>57 klobrien2: Well, don't go to Katie's thread unless you're ready to be jealous, then...*she* got it in two...I was just behind you with 4.

*smooch*

60klobrien2
Aug. 24, 2022, 11:37 am

>59 richardderus: I know! I was just there. And I wasn’t (too) jealous—I got to play some cool words on my way to my Five-O.

And Wordle-in-4 is great, too!

Buenas dias!

61klobrien2
Aug. 25, 2022, 9:42 am

Started off slow but had good and lucky success with my guess three audition-some-letters! Very satisfying!

Wordle 432 3/6 irate, smoky, clown

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟧⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

62richardderus
Aug. 25, 2022, 12:38 pm

>61 klobrien2: We switched...I got 4, you blew in with a 3-day!

Happy almost-weekend, Karen O. I've got to go get my voodoo-dolly cauldron out.

(Oh, for the doc who screwed up! Not you! *smooch*)

63klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 26, 2022, 12:35 pm



186.
The Beatles (White Album)



In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the White Album, the originally two-LP record was redone and packaged into a terrific deluxe edition. A book of essays, photographs, and discography was included, along with the original poster with lyrics. Four additional discs of recordings were included, as well as a BluRay audio disc.

Giles Martin, the producer of this remastering, is the son of George Martin, who did the original job, and was not happy with the original result. This renovation is a kind of memorial to George Martin, as well as to the Beatles.

I found this book and music just fascinating, especially as I had recently watched the eight-hour "Beatles Get Back," from about the same time period of Beatles history. There is SO much information and entertainment here, both in the written material and the music.

64klobrien2
Aug. 26, 2022, 12:46 pm



187.
The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis



Don Marquis's character of Archy, the "vers libre" cockroach, has long been one of my favorite poetic personages. Stasia's recent reading of The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel was a welcome kick to revisit the writing, and it has been a blast.

Archy's friend. the cat Mehitabel, is a treasure--here is one passage I just love:

"...but toujours gai archy what
the h double l i am always
merry and always ladylike mine archy has
been a romantic life and i will
tell you some more of my adventures
ere long well au revoir...
just the same i think
that mehitabel s unsheltered life sometimes
makes her a little sad"

65klobrien2
Aug. 26, 2022, 2:51 pm

Another “ptoo-ey” owing to my magic first word!

Wordle 433 2/6 irate, irony

🟧🟧⬜⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

66klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 27, 2022, 9:18 am

And the other side of Wordle for me—strange pattern! Second word was my favorite today.

Wordle 434 5/6 irate, merry, refer, ruler, ruder

⬜🟦⬜⬜🟦
⬜🟦🟦🟦⬜
🟧⬜⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

67klobrien2
Aug. 27, 2022, 10:31 am

Idiot box-wise, we've been watching a lot of enjoyable stuff.

We finished off "Sandman" and loved it. I'm really hoping for a second season, but Neil Gaiman says that it isn't a given, despite the success of the first season. Is he just being coy? I hope.

We finished our watch of "Only Murders in the Building" Season 2 (Hulu) and it was good!

"Resident Alien" continues to be excellent--some good writing on this show.

"What We Do In the Shadows" is outrageous, but so funny!

I'm halfway through "Paper Girls" and really liking that.

We're continuing to watch "She Hulk: Attorney at Law" and it is hilarious and so well-written. This show stars Tatiana Maslany (of "Orphan Black") and Mark Ruffalo and they are perfect together.

And we're continuing a rewatch of "Lovejoy"--available only on DVD from the library. Seasons 2 and 3 are in at the library!

Finally, we watched the first "The End is Nye," created and hosted by Bill Nye (The Science Guy), and it was great, although scary. Nye is a strong advocate for correcting environmental sins, and it certainly comes through in this show.

68klobrien2
Aug. 27, 2022, 10:38 am

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (08/27/2022):

Actively reading

*Argyles and Arsenic (Highland Bookshop #5) by Molly MacRae -- p. 146 of 292
*In the Best Families (Nero Wolfe #16) by Rex Stout -- p. 79 of 199
*The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie #14) by Alexander McCall Smith -- 16 of 227
*Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
Amal Unbound by Aisha Aseed
Moonshot: Indigenous Comics Collection Vol. 1
Eventide by Kent Haruf
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Murder by Larry Millett
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- Angle of Repose (Wallace Stegner) ( 1972) -- p. 34 of 527

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 8 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Lear Wife by J. R. Thorpe
White Noise by Don DeLillo -- p. 16 of 279
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem (my own)
Billy Summers by Stephen King (my own)
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (my own)-- 394 pages

69katiekrug
Aug. 27, 2022, 10:56 am

Apparently, Paul Rudd is signed up to join season 3 of 'Only Murders...'. Just another reason I need to watch it :)

Have a good weekend, Karen!

70weird_O
Aug. 27, 2022, 11:15 am

>64 klobrien2: A reminder to me that I want to snare a copy of this book. Thanks for that, Karen.

71richardderus
Aug. 27, 2022, 11:28 am

Greetings, Karen O. I'm hoping your Saturday will be filled with fresh delights and familiar comforts.

*smooch*

72klobrien2
Aug. 27, 2022, 6:26 pm

>69 katiekrug: Paul Rudd would be great in Only Murders!

>70 weird_O: The poetry is one-of-a-kind, and the notes really added to my understanding and enjoyment.

>71 richardderus: Thanks, Richard!

And thank you to all of you for stopping by to chat!

73klobrien2
Aug. 28, 2022, 11:32 am

I was a little worried there…

Wordle 435 5/6 irate, abode, false, mauve, gauze

⬜⬜🟦⬜🟧
🟦⬜⬜⬜🟧
⬜🟧⬜⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

74klobrien2
Aug. 29, 2022, 9:50 am

Wordle 436 4/6 irate, linen, spied, chief

🟦⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜🟦⬜🟧⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

75klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 29, 2022, 3:05 pm



188.
Heathen, Volume 2 by Natasha Alterici



Good follow-up to the first volume in the series. There's a lot going on in this graphic novel--maybe too much? Still a lot of fun to read.

76alcottacre
Aug. 29, 2022, 2:54 pm

Checking in on the "new" thread, Karen. Have a marvelous Monday!

77klobrien2
Aug. 29, 2022, 2:58 pm



189.
Mashkiki Road: The Seven Grandfather Teachings by Elizabeth S. Barrett and Jonathan Thunder (illus.)



From the Minnesota Historical Press. An introduction to Ojibwe cultural traditions and language. Story of three siblings who go out to collect sage and cedar for their grandmother, and meet the "grandfathers" (various animals) on their journey. Really sweet and touching. Great for early elementary readers.

The writer and the illustrator are both members of the Red Lake Ojibwe.

78klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 29, 2022, 3:09 pm



190.
Octopus, Seahorse, Jellyfish by David Liittschwager



A five-star read for me. A beautiful, beautiful look at these strange, fascinating creatures. The photography is magnificent and mind-blowing. I was amazed at how small most of these creatures are, but all seem so perfect in their makeup. I was also amazed at the idea that it is estimated that only 90% of sea creatures have yet to be identified.

Several terrific charts of information; essays by Elizabeth Kolbert, Jennifer Holland, and Olivia Judson.

79klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 30, 2022, 2:45 pm



191.
In the Best Families (Nero Wolfe #17) by Rex Stout



Really topnotch read, one of my favorite of Rex Stout's so far. Lots of shady characters, a sad and gruesome murder, and Nero Wolfe's really scary arch-nemesis.

“One by one they were escorted from the room for a private talk and brought back again. It was when my turn came, not long after I had arrived, that I found Lieutenant Noonan was around. He was in a smaller room down the hall, seated at a table, looking harassed. No doubt life was hard for him—born with the instincts of a Hitler or Stalin in a country where people are determined to do their own voting.”

80msf59
Aug. 30, 2022, 8:19 am

Hi, Karen. I watched the first ep of Paper Girls but have not got back to it and Sandman is queued up. So many good TV choices these days. So, you started Eventide? Well, that is awesome. I should finish up Angle of Repose today.

81klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 30, 2022, 2:41 pm

After the first word, I usually start off thinking about the final letter…

Wordle 437 4/6 irate, steep, beset, onset

⬜⬜⬜🟦🟦
🟦🟦⬜🟧⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

82klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Aug. 30, 2022, 8:25 pm



192.
Arsenic and Argyles (Highland Bookshop Mystery #5) by Molly MacRae



Satisfying mystery, once again set in a charming seaside town in Scotland. These books are enjoyable for the characters and the setting; I can't help feeling they're a little weak in the plot and details, but I'll surely read the next one to come along. Cheery-bye!

83klobrien2
Aug. 31, 2022, 10:25 am

Wordle 438 4/6 irate, gripe, pride, prize

🟦🟧⬜⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟦🟧
🟧🟧🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

84klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 1, 2022, 3:22 pm

Ugghh…spent a lot of time puzzling over this one. Made some silly guesses just to try to move forward. But that’s fun, too, and I like the solution.

Wordle 439 5/6 irate,
winch, minim, ennui, fungi


🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟦🟧⬜⬜
⬜🟦🟧⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟦🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

85klobrien2
Sept. 1, 2022, 3:28 pm

Doing some old movie watching…having an Ernst Lubitsch festival, with “The Shop Around the Corner” and “Heaven Can Wait,” and “To Be or Not to Be” later this week.

For some reason (probably because I read about them in the Beatles “White Album” book, we watched “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus” and are halfway through “The Girl Can’t Help It”—both really strange, but the video music is interesting. In a historical way, I guess.

86klobrien2
Sept. 2, 2022, 9:08 am

Good Wordle day…

Wordle 440 3/6 irate, roach, charm

⬜🟦🟧⬜⬜
🟦⬜🟧🟦🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

87alcottacre
Sept. 2, 2022, 9:26 am

>78 klobrien2: That one looks terrific. Adding it to the BlackHole, thanks!

Have a fantastic Friday, Karen!

88klobrien2
Sept. 2, 2022, 2:45 pm



193.
Two Dogs by Ian Falconer



Beautiful, funny story about two brother Dachshunds who are bored and want to have a little fun. I read the book, then immediately read it again, then gave it to my husband to read. He liked it too!

89richardderus
Sept. 2, 2022, 2:49 pm

Speaking of cephalopods...permaybehaps think of reading a new novella, Weird Fishes. It's a very interesting cli-fi tale of a seal and an octopus and how they do their sea-dwelling thing.

Very good stuff, actually.

90klobrien2
Sept. 3, 2022, 1:35 pm

>89 richardderus: Does sound interesting—I’ll look for it. Thanks!

Have a lovely weekend!

91klobrien2
Sept. 3, 2022, 1:37 pm

Just made it! Guessy-guessy at the end (Uggh!)

Wordle 441 6/6 irate, cloud, sulky, fully, bully, gully

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟦⬜🟦⬜
⬜🟧🟧⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

92richardderus
Sept. 3, 2022, 5:08 pm

>91 klobrien2: Precisely the same for me today. *grumble*

93klobrien2
Sept. 3, 2022, 6:01 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (09/02/2022):

Actively reading

The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie #14) by Alexander McCall Smith -- p. 36 of 227
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris -- p. 123 of 259
Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 19 of 210
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
The Vampyre by John William Polidori
Downsize: Living Large in a Small House by Sheri Koones
Amal Unbound by Aisha Aseed -- p. 15 of 232
Moonshot: Indigenous Comics Collection Vol. 1 -- started (it's unnumbered)
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- Angle of Repose (Wallace Stegner) ( 1972) -- p. 37 of 527

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 10 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis -- p. 15 of 176
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Murder by Larry Millett
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem (my own)
Billy Summers by Stephen King (my own)
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (my own)-- 394 pages

94msf59
Sept. 4, 2022, 7:56 am

Happy Sunday, Karen. I hope you are having a good weekend. I might join you on Us Against You. I have been meaning to read that one for awhile now and I just snagged a Kindle copy.

95klobrien2
Sept. 4, 2022, 10:01 am

Hi, Mark! I really enjoyed Beartown along with all of the other Backman’s I’ve read. I figured it’s time to continue the series. It would be great to read it at the same time as you!

Happy Sunday!

96klobrien2
Sept. 4, 2022, 10:04 am

A Wordle “p-two-ey” is balm for my soul after yesterday’s in-six. My first word made all the difference.

Wordle 442 2/6 irate, inter

🟧🟦⬜🟦🟦
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

97richardderus
Sept. 4, 2022, 10:44 am

>96 klobrien2: It surely did! I was a 3fer but perfectly happy about that.
Wordle 442 3/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
AEONS, MIRTH, INTER

98klobrien2
Sept. 5, 2022, 10:09 am

Wordle 443 4/6 irate, sound, gloom, whoop

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟦⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟧⬜
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99klobrien2
Sept. 5, 2022, 1:36 pm



194.
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris



David Sedaris continues to be one of my favorite authors. He is funny, insightful, and doesn't hold back from telling the truth when it is called for. The essays in this book deal with the times of the Covid pandemic, also the times when his father's health was failing. Sedaris is unflinching in talking about his father and the rest of his family, and certainly includes himself on the list of available topics. Yet the book remains hopeful and very, very funny.

100klobrien2
Sept. 5, 2022, 8:17 pm



195.
Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer



Although the writer Patricia Highsmith was a terrific writer of suspenseful "crime" books, she was a complex person, and not very likable.

This graphic novel was well-written and well-drawn. I find it interesting mostly in historical aspects.

101PaulCranswick
Sept. 5, 2022, 9:04 pm

>99 klobrien2: I must go and seek that one out, Karen. Sedaris is a good writer isn't he?

102klobrien2
Sept. 6, 2022, 11:41 am

>101 PaulCranswick: I hope you can get a copy and that you enjoy it as I did! Thanks for stopping by!

103klobrien2
Sept. 6, 2022, 11:43 am

Started to get a little worried, but eked out a five-er…

Wordle 444 5/6 irate, patch, taffy, taxon, taunt

⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜
⬜🟧🟦⬜⬜
🟧🟧⬜⬜⬜
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🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

104klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 6, 2022, 7:46 pm



196.
Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, Vol. 1 by Hope Nicholson



Came across this book by fortunate accident, and I'm thrilled there are two more volumes in the pipeline! This is a collection of thirteen "stories," though they may differ from standard Western forms and structures. Some depict traditional oral stories, retold in modern graphics; some are stories new to the writer.

The artwork is wonderful--just look at that cover! The stories are great and are diverse; it is so interesting to see a traditional story translated into science fiction graphics but just as cool to see a "real" environment.

105klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 6, 2022, 7:54 pm



197.
The Vampyre: A Tale by John William Polidori



"'The Vampyre' is a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori taken from the story Lord Byron told as part of a contest among Polidori, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley. The same contest produced the novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus." (I took this statement from a review on the LT page).

Lyzard had read this short story and I was interested because of its connection with the group of contestants named above. It is a Gothic story, plodding and dated, but fun in a historical way.

106msf59
Sept. 7, 2022, 7:25 am

>100 klobrien2: Ooh, this one looks like I am GN I could sink my teeth into.

Happy Wednesday, Karen.

107klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 7, 2022, 11:10 am

>106 msf59: Same to you, Mark! I think somebody on LT read Flung Out of Space but I can't find who it was. I hope you like it if you get a chance to read it!

108klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 7, 2022, 11:08 am



198.
The Sweet Remnants of Summer (Isabel Dalhousie #14) by Alexander McCall Smith



Lovely reading from one of my favorite authors. These books meander and flit around any number of subjects, mostly dealing with philosophy, ethics, and how we treat each other. Isabel (the main character) describes her inner thought processes as, "tangential mental life." In the process, many important matters (and many not-so-important) get discussed.

Here's one of my favorite passages:

Isabel thought of Voltaire. He said one had a duty to cultivate one's garden. Il faut cultiver notre jardin. But did he do this himself? Did Voltaire have a garden, and if so, did he cultivate it? Somehow she could not see Voltaire plucking out weeds or pruning roses. He presumably meant that one should get somebody to cultivate one's garden, it being implicit that enlightenment philosophers were not expected to get their hands too dirty.

109klobrien2
Sept. 7, 2022, 12:41 pm

Wordle 445 4/6 irate, sneer, ewers, leery

⬜🟦⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜🟧🟦🟦
🟦⬜🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

110WhiteRaven.17
Sept. 7, 2022, 3:01 pm

>104 klobrien2: This is the second or third time I've seen this book now and I am so intrigued, but I just tried finding the first volume and it seems impossible to get a copy of unfortunately. But it's noted on my list, and I'll have to keep an eye out. It really does have a beautiful cover.

111richardderus
Sept. 7, 2022, 4:22 pm

>109 klobrien2: I was a 4fer today, too. It's so bog-standard now that I feel almost happy when I get any other score.

Almost.

>108 klobrien2: Fourteen!! I think I got to five in the Isabel series before I hit The Dreaded Sag...no, checked, it was six (The Lost Art of Gratitude) where I stopped. Minty, and the tightrope walker, killed it for me. Sad, really. I liked the ones I read!

112klobrien2
Sept. 8, 2022, 11:33 am

>110 WhiteRaven.17: Moonshot is terrific—I hope you get it sooner rather than later. I am looking forward to reading the second volume, on its way to me now from my lovely library. Thanks for stopping by to chat!

113klobrien2
Sept. 8, 2022, 11:38 am

>111 richardderus: This Isabel Dalhousie was one of my favorites yet. I just loved Isabel’s disclaimer—“tangential mental life”—and the plot had no elements that might seem added just for laughs.

Thanks for stopping by, Richard—always good to see you here!

114klobrien2
Sept. 8, 2022, 11:39 am

Wordle 446 3/6

⬜⬜🟧⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟧🟦⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

115klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 8, 2022, 4:17 pm

"The murals of Lake Street in Minneapoli" in Star-Tribune: "Business owners along E. Lake St try to fight vandalism with art"





116richardderus
Sept. 8, 2022, 6:06 pm

>115 klobrien2: W.O.W! Those are very cool public art.

>114 klobrien2: I took the usual 4. Oh well!

117klobrien2
Sept. 9, 2022, 10:33 am

Wordle 447 3/6 irate, stone, theme (always remembering the potential for double letters)

⬜⬜⬜🟦🟧
⬜🟦⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

118klobrien2
Sept. 9, 2022, 3:20 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (09/09/2022):

Actively reading

Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 30 of 210
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
Downsize: Living Large in a Small House by Sheri Koones
Amal Unbound by Aisha Aseed -- p. 84 of 232
Moonshot: Indigenous Comics Collection Vol. 2
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 10 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis -- p. 15 of 176
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Murder by Larry Millett
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem (my own)
Billy Summers by Stephen King (my own)
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (my own)-- 394 pages

119klobrien2
Sept. 9, 2022, 8:09 pm



199.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe



Beautiful book, interesting story of the artist Basquiat. Javaka Steptoe uses Basquiat's story and style as a stepping-off point for the fantastic art he includes in this book.

I've got a book of Basquiat's works on request, as well as a graphic book about Basquiat! Ain't books great?!

Thanks to Stasia for bringing this book to my attention!

120klobrien2
Sept. 10, 2022, 10:30 am

Wordle 448 4/6 irate, youth, monty, lofty

⬜⬜⬜🟧⬜
🟦🟧⬜🟧⬜
⬜🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

121klobrien2
Sept. 11, 2022, 3:11 pm



200.
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed



Excellent middle-grades book about Pakistan and a young girl's dream of education against a background of indentured servitude.

...He studied me for a moment. "I'm not sure I've ever met anyone as brave as you," he finally said.

"I'm not brave. I'm terrified. I just don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice. Making choices even when they scare you because you know it's the right thing to do--that's bravery."


I believe it was scaifea who read this and brought it to my attention. Thank you!

122klobrien2
Sept. 11, 2022, 3:23 pm

Resorted to pen and paper to get to fourth guess, and then it was so apparent to me.

Wordle 449 4/6 irate, attic, matin, tibia

🟦⬜🟦🟦⬜
🟦🟦⬜🟧⬜
⬜🟦🟦🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

123klobrien2
Sept. 12, 2022, 9:45 am

Whew…found this one a little tough…

Wordle 450 5/6 irate, smoke, globe, ozone, booze

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟧
⬜⬜🟧⬜🟧
⬜⬜🟧🟦🟧
🟦🟦🟧⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

124msf59
Bearbeitet: Sept. 12, 2022, 10:04 am

Morning, Karen. You sure have some great books going. I love Ragtime, the new Mandel and of course Mr. Haruf. I also plan on starting Us Against You this month. Enjoy!

125humouress
Sept. 12, 2022, 10:26 am

Just dropping by to wave 'Hello!'

126klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 12, 2022, 11:02 am

>124 msf59: Hi, Mark! I had a paper copy of Us Against You but I think I will wait to get an electronic copy—the paper book was a little large and heavy. I had a paper copy of The Dawn of Everything which was almost twice as big as that! and I’m waiting for the ether book for that as well. Thanks for stopping by to chat!

>125 humouress: Thanks for stopping by, humouress!

127alcottacre
Sept. 12, 2022, 12:24 pm

>88 klobrien2: Now on hold for me at my local library :)

>99 klobrien2: I do not think I have read anything by David Sedaris yet. I really must fix that one of these days.

>104 klobrien2: Too bad my local library does not have that one. Have you read Trickster : Native American Tales, a Graphic Collection, edited by Matt Dembicki? It sounds like it may be along the same line.

>115 klobrien2: Those are wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

>119 klobrien2: I am glad you enjoyed it!

>121 klobrien2: Already in the BlackHole thanks to Amber.

Have a marvelous Monday, Karen!

128richardderus
Sept. 12, 2022, 1:37 pm

>123 klobrien2: I so wish I'd thought of your word #4! I think this one left me the most flummoxed I've felt of late.

Amal Unbound sounds, to my surprise, quite tempting. I hope your week ahead is a good one, Karen O.

129klobrien2
Sept. 12, 2022, 3:12 pm

>127 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia! Yes, I was aware of the Trickster graphic book, and have read it (gave it 4 stars, so I must've liked it!) Thanks for stopping by!

>128 richardderus: You liked that fourth word, eh? I have to admit, I love using strange words when I play Wordle. I don't remember ever using that particular "exotic" letter in the game...

I hope you try Amal Unbound--it is worth a read.

Thanks for stopping to chat!

130klobrien2
Sept. 12, 2022, 3:16 pm



201.
Neil Gaiman's Chivalry , Adaptation, Art, and Illuminated Manuscript Lettering by Colleen Doran



Beautiful, beautiful graphic novel, based on a short story by Neil Gaiman. The story is funny and sweet, classic Gaiman, but the illustration is spectacular. Definitely a feel-good read.

131klobrien2
Sept. 13, 2022, 9:25 am

Wordle 451 4/6 irate, among, aphid, alpha

⬜⬜🟦⬜⬜
🟧⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟧🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

132klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 13, 2022, 2:38 pm



202.
Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, Volume 2 by Hope Nicholson



The second volume in the series. This is a collection of fourteen "stories, by an assortment of authors and artists. This volume is more focused in the present time, perhaps, than was the first volume. In the Introduction, Michael Sheyahshe says, "As you read these stories and enjoy the marvelous art, remember that we indigenous people - our cultures, traditions, and communities - exists in the present-time and are here to stay!"

I really enjoyed the book, and was impressed by the creators tagging their creations with "This is a teaching and a remembrance" or "It stands today as a memory and a teaching." These stories definitely do teach.

I ranked this volume a little lower because there were a few of the fourteen stories that I just couldn't understand, couldn't grasp the meaning behind. Strictly a personal opinion.

133klobrien2
Sept. 13, 2022, 7:48 pm

Idiot box-wise, we've been watching a lot of enjoyable stuff.

"Resident Alien" continues to be excellent--some good writing on this show. We’ve now seen 13 of 16. The TV show is quite different from the graphic novel, but very entertainingly so.

"What We Do In the Shadows" season 4 wrapped up, and it was very good. The show is outrageous, but so funny!

“Wellington Paranormal” season 4 finished up, and the show has only gotten better —hilarious but with a message sometimes.

I have 3 episodes of "Paper Girls" left to see. The TV show is quite different from the graphic novel, but so it goes.

We're continuing to watch "She Hulk: Attorney at Law" and it is hilarious and so well-written. This show stars Tatiana Maslany (of "Orphan Black"). We’ve now seen 4 of 9 episodes.

And we're continuing a rewatch of "Lovejoy"--available only on DVD from the library. We’re 6 episodes into season 4 and loving it so much.

Finally, we can’t get enough of Ted Lasso—we watch an episode every evening, like a daily vitamin. It just doesn’t get old, or boring.

We do watch a bit of television! But it’s all organized, so we don’t have the tube on “just because.”

134klobrien2
Sept. 14, 2022, 11:04 am

My first word did a great job of setting a frame, then pure good guess was with me today.

Wordle 452 3/6 irate, theme, thyme

⬜⬜⬜🟦🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

135humouress
Sept. 14, 2022, 3:47 pm

>134 klobrien2: I think everyone went for your second word before getting the answer; I did too though it took me 4 guesses.

136klobrien2
Sept. 15, 2022, 10:54 am

>135 humouress: I noticed that many were picking that word! A much more common word than the solution. So, we Wordle on!

137klobrien2
Sept. 15, 2022, 10:56 am

Wordle 453 3/6 irate, stony, doubt (I wanted another vowel, and that last-letter situation had to be dealt with…

⬜⬜⬜🟦⬜
⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

138richardderus
Sept. 15, 2022, 2:48 pm

>137 klobrien2: Even with all that fussin' and fumin' you still got it one before I did, Karen O.

Happy Thursday!

139klobrien2
Sept. 16, 2022, 10:45 am

Bombs away! Got caught in guessy-guessy there at the end after a pretty good start. Pfui!

Wordle 454 X/6 irate, remap, paper, pager, paver, payer, *boom!*

⬜🟦🟦⬜🟦
🟦🟦⬜🟦🟦
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧
🟧🟧⬜🟧🟧

140klobrien2
Sept. 16, 2022, 12:01 pm



203.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel



Loved this book; couldn't put it down. Four lives are intertwined among places and especially, times. I think to truly get the feel for the book, one would have to start a reread immediately!

Now, I must make amends and read the author's previous book, The Glass Hotel (I missed it the first time around).

141richardderus
Sept. 16, 2022, 4:50 pm

>140 klobrien2: Yay for another winner of a read...and

>139 klobrien2: *booooo* on those Wordle-ators for using this (apparently) little-used word.

142klobrien2
Sept. 16, 2022, 8:06 pm



204.
Downsize: Living Large in a Small House by Sheri Koones



Interesting look at 33 smaller houses scattered all over the country, the people who live in them, and what they had to do in order to fit their lives into much-reduced yardage. Some of the houses were just gorgeous; all used energy-efficient and most used accessibility protocols.

I think the notion of purging household goods and "stuff" is a great one, but what to do about...books? Or pets? I can't visualize having cats in a small house: cats need their space, and humans need separation from litter boxes.

Good ideas here, though!

143klobrien2
Sept. 16, 2022, 8:11 pm



205.
Brain Games for Cats: Fun Ways to Build a Loving Bond with Your Cat Through Games and Challenges by Claire Arrowsmith



Next up on my practical non-fiction bent here, a fun little book about training one's cat to play and learn "tricks": This would involve the cat doing a simple physical activity, receiving a treat, and then maybe learning to associate the trick with a voice command, a clicker, or a hand gesture. I can see the training working, and I think the cats and humans would enjoy it.

144klobrien2
Sept. 16, 2022, 8:15 pm

>141 richardderus: Thanks Richard, for your congrats and condolence!

145klobrien2
Sept. 16, 2022, 8:21 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (09/16/2022):

Actively reading

Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood -- p. 99 of 210
The Office BFFS by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey -- p. 382 of 684 (ebook)
Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus -- p. 3 of 390
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Murder by Larry Millett -- p. 16 0f 317
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill -- p. 20 of 330
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- p. 26 of 303

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 10 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis -- p. 15 of 176
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299
Tevye's Daughters by Sholom Aleichem (my own)
Billy Summers by Stephen King (my own)
State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny (my own)-- 394 pages

146PaulCranswick
Sept. 16, 2022, 8:59 pm

>141 richardderus: I am in good company, Karen, as I hit out too for only the second time in over 200 games.

Pleased to let you know that, this morning, your threads passed 1,000 posts for the year. It has been great to see you so active across the threads in 2022. xx

147klobrien2
Sept. 17, 2022, 10:04 am

>146 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! It really is a kind of relief, to be building a run from the start. I usually really enjoy the game, so can deal with a bump in the road every once in a while.

I’ve tried to stay current with the threads this year—once you fall behind, it’s hard to catch up! I really enjoy keeping up with everyone.

Thanks for the information, and for stopping by to chat! Have a great weekend!

148klobrien2
Sept. 17, 2022, 10:05 am

Okay, I’m back! With my very usual four-fer!

Wordle 455 4/6 irate, quote, saute, chute

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149klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 18, 2022, 10:21 am



206.
Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman, illus. Colleen Doran



Beautiful graphic novel of a horribly dark version of the Snow White fairy tale. Best of both worlds!

150klobrien2
Sept. 18, 2022, 11:12 am

Amazed, again, at the solution…I think to myself, that’s probably not it, but at least I may get some letters…

Wordle 456 3/6 irate, pithy, stick

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151richardderus
Sept. 18, 2022, 1:14 pm

>150 klobrien2: We're both 3bees today, Karen O. I'm well chuffed with those results!

152klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 19, 2022, 11:43 am

Well, that’s a strange word, eh?! I think it might be more of a UK word. Welcome to the 21st century!

Wordle 457 5/6 irate, tribe, tripe, trike, trice …Pfui!

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153klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 19, 2022, 2:18 pm



207.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus



A big 5-star read for me! Could hardly pull myself away from this book to, I don't know, SLEEP or something. The hero of the book, Elizabeth Zott, is a scientist, a chemist, a woman, in the horrible bad old days of the fifties and the sixties.

I love this blurb from the cover: "It's the world versus Elizabeth Zott, an extraordinary woman determined to live on her own terms, and I had no trouble choosing a side. Lessons in Chemistry is a page-turning and highly satisfying tale: zippy, zesty, and Zotty." (Maggie Shipstead)

154FAMeulstee
Sept. 20, 2022, 3:42 am

>153 klobrien2: Thanks, Karen, I already heard good things about Lessons in Chemistry. After reading your raving review it is added to mount TBR.

155msf59
Sept. 20, 2022, 7:39 am

Yah, for Sea of Tranquility! I also loved it. Thanks for your idiot box updates. I am 8 eps into The Sandman and really enjoying it. I also loved "The Bear" on Hulu, which I recently finished. I need to get back to Ted Lasso, the 2nd season.

Lessons in Chemistry sounds like a good book too.

156klobrien2
Sept. 20, 2022, 10:41 am

>155 msf59: Hi, Mark! I’ve got to take a look at “The Bear”! Thanks for stopping by!

>154 FAMeulstee: I hope you like Lessons in Chemistry as much as I did. Many great characters, a few villains. Elizabeth Zott towers over them all!

Great to see you here!

157klobrien2
Sept. 20, 2022, 10:42 am

Wordle 458 3/6 irate, aside, alike

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158katiekrug
Sept. 20, 2022, 11:44 am

I second the recommendation of 'The Bear.' I have two episodes left to watch, but it's been excellent so far.

159klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 21, 2022, 3:52 pm

>155 msf59: >158 katiekrug: I am SO watching “The Bear”! I really need to keep my brain occupied right now (husband having a procedure) and that might do the trick! Thanks to you both!

p.s. Husband Art’s procedure (biopsy) finished more quickly than expected and we watched the first two episodes of The Bear at lunch! Turned out to be a good kind of day…

160klobrien2
Sept. 21, 2022, 10:33 am

Back to my normal…

Wordle 459 4/6 irate, eager, repay, recap

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161klobrien2
Sept. 22, 2022, 10:23 am

Yay! A three-fer!

Wordle 460 3/6 irate, stain, saint

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162klobrien2
Sept. 22, 2022, 12:45 pm



208.
Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood



Very enjoyable "Phryne Fisher" crime mystery.

163klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 23, 2022, 2:53 pm

Befuddled through first three, then tried “hail Mary” to audition some letters—mostly luck got me the solution!

Wordle 461 4/6 irate, round, porch, glory

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164richardderus
Sept. 23, 2022, 11:15 am

>163 klobrien2: I was really pleased that the first word I thought of using Y, or Mary's Troublesome Letter™ as I call it in honor of our own Mary Bell's inability to default to that one's presence (ironic, no?), was in fact the answer!

I'll stop by later to see how the Friday league table is shaping up.

165bell7
Sept. 23, 2022, 2:44 pm

>163 klobrien2: I was pretty befuddled too, though it took me five to get there.

>164 richardderus: It's in a surprising number of words, in fact. For once, I did think to use it with guess #3. I just didn't get the right one!

166klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 23, 2022, 4:25 pm



209.
The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey



Really delightful documentary/memoir from the authors, with lots of insights into the making of the TV show, and the friendships between the cast and crew. Tons of pictures.

167klobrien2
Sept. 23, 2022, 4:40 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (09/23/2022):

Actively reading

Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery by Larry Millett -- p. 158 0f 317
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died by Seamus O'Riley -- p. 19 of 231
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limon
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill -- p. 20 of 330
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow -- p.. 8 of 210
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
The Pavilion in the Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 3 of 327
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Death by Water (Phryne Fisher #15) by Kerry Greenwood
Lady Susan by Jane Austen

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- p. 26 of 303

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 11 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis -- p. 15 of 176
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299

168klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 26, 2022, 4:58 pm

This post will be a work area for my planning of Nicholas Meyer and Larry Millett books:

The five Sherlock Holmes books of Nicholas Meyer:

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
The West End Horror
The Canary Trainer -- reading now
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols
The Return of the Pharaoh

An article in the the PioneerPress on Larry Millett (local author) says that his last “Shadwell Rafferty” book is being published, so I want to reread/read them all again:

Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon
Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance
The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes
The Magic Bullet: A Locked Room Mystery Featuring Shadwell Rafferty and Sherlock Holmes
Strongwood: A Crime Dossier
Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma
Rafferty’s Last Case

I’ve also read The Mystery of the Jewelled Cross: A Shadwell Rafferty Mystery. I believe it was a limited edition, but I have a copy somewhere, so I’ll probably read it again just for the completist in me.

169klobrien2
Sept. 24, 2022, 3:21 pm

Lucky first word! I’ll take it!

Wordle 462 2/6 irate, grate

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170richardderus
Sept. 24, 2022, 3:39 pm

>169 klobrien2: Yay!! Congratulations on your happy lucky day.

More of that for tomorrow, too, of course.

171klobrien2
Sept. 25, 2022, 11:22 am

A squeaker for me today!

Wordle 463 6/6 irate, tibia, patio,
Attic, audio, admit


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172klobrien2
Sept. 26, 2022, 11:01 am

Wordle 464 5/6 irate, grind, pricy, frill, brisk

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173klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 26, 2022, 5:11 pm



210.
Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery by Larry Millett



Enjoyable Sherlock Holmes pastiche (thanks to Richard for the word!) by Minnesota author Larry Millett! Part of my Nicholas Meyer/Larry Millett Sherlock Holmes project. I'm making some progress!

Here's one of my favorite passages from this book (Sherlock speaking):

"I believe that evil is not merely a character trait but a thing in itself, which gusts through the affairs of mankind like a relentless wind. Some stand firmly against it, others bend with it, but a dangerous few inhale it greedily so that they might breathe out its cold, concentrated poison upon the world."

174msf59
Sept. 26, 2022, 6:34 pm

Hi, Karen. I hope you are enjoying The Hurting Kind. Limon may be my favorite working poet. I am having a good time with Us Against You. Just sayin'...

175klobrien2
Sept. 26, 2022, 7:56 pm

Mark! I literally just got in here to add The Hurting Kind to my log! I really liked her poetry, her emphasis on animals (inc. birds!) and working class people. And I'm still waiting for an electronic copy of Us Against You. Then I'll just use a digital download and plug the whole thing into my brain so that I can discuss with you all! 8>)

176klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 26, 2022, 8:13 pm



211.
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limon



Enjoyed this book of poems--"An astonishing collection about interconnectedness--between human and nonhuman, ancestors and ourselves" (back of book blurb).

The book is divided into season--Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter; although I was not aware, while reading, that the headings made a difference in the content of the section. Go figure.

Here's one of my favorites, from the Summer section:

THE MOUNTAIN LION

I watched the video clip over and over,
night vision cameras flickering her eyes
an unholy green, the way she looked
the six-foot fence up and down
like it was nothing but a speed bump,
then cleared the man-made border
in one impressive leap. A glance
over the shoulder, an annoyance,
an As if you could keep me out, or
keep me in.
I don't know what it
was that made me press replay and
replay. Not fear, though I'd be
terrified if I was face to face with
her, or heard her prowling in the night.
It was just that I don't think I've
ever made anything look so easy. Never
looked behind me and grinned or
grimaced because nothing could stop
me. I like the idea of it though, felt
like a dream you could will into being:
See a fence? Jump it.

And, a few lines from a longer poem entitled, "THE HURTING KIND":

I have always been too sensitive, a weeper
from a long line of weepers.

I am the hurting kind. I keep searching for proof.

I will be reading more Ada Limon! Thank you to whoever it was who brought the book to my attention!

177klobrien2
Sept. 27, 2022, 11:40 am

With my complete wipeout on word 1 and my half-success on word 2, I threw caution to the wind on word 3. Lucky, lucky, lucky!

Wordle 465 3/6 irate, phony, soggy

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178klobrien2
Sept. 27, 2022, 7:25 pm



212.
Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi, tr. Edward Fortes



On my project to get to know Jean-Michel Basquiat, his life, and his art, I'm reading anything I can get my hands on. So, a graphic novel...It's a very colorful and interesting graphic novel, but maybe a little arty for me. Still enjoyed it.

179klobrien2
Sept. 27, 2022, 7:30 pm



213.
Trump: A Graphic Biography by Ted Rall



This book was published in 2016 and T**** had just won the Rep nomination. So it is basically historical, pre-Presidential, and served as a kind of review for me. I almost stopped reading a few times, just disgusted to have to even be thinking about the guy, but I made it through to the end. It was well-written, well-researched, and the drawing was clever.

180klobrien2
Sept. 27, 2022, 7:42 pm



214.
Arrowsmith Volume 1: So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms by Kurt Busiek, ill. Carlos Pacheco



The third book in my afternoon's graphic novel "fest" is the best-- "the best of the fest." Arrowsmith Volume 1--"The War to End All Wars. This Time With Dragons."

It's an amazing story, beautifully drawn. It presents the story of "a young dreamer in a world where wizards, trolls and magic spells are as much a part of World War I as bullets and barbed wire." This young man becomes an airman, a flying wizard, and this is during "a" World War I, though it's a different world and a different war. There is magic, and that magic is used as weaponry. There are dragons, trolls, dwarves, and all sorts of magical creatures. There is a Statue of Liberty, but she carries a sword, not a lamp.

It's quite disconcerting, but Busiek has worked so hard to build this world, and it is very powerfully shown. I'm looking forward to reading the second volume of the collected issues.

181klobrien2
Sept. 28, 2022, 10:10 am

Wordle 466 5/6 irate, rough, fluff, spurn, usurp

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182richardderus
Sept. 28, 2022, 11:12 am

>181 klobrien2: I ended up in the same spot. It took much staring, scowling, and muttering. But it was DONE!!

>180 klobrien2: Alternate history worlds are usually entertaining enough. In graphic form there's so much room to get the "other"ness across, too. I'll look forward to hearing about the others.

183klobrien2
Sept. 28, 2022, 8:47 pm



215.
Jewish Comix Anthology: A Collection of Tales, Stories and Myths Told and Retold in Comic Book Format, Volume 1 by Will Eisner



So interesting and well done! I'm heartbroken that it doesn't seem as if a second volume was ever made. I've never before read graphics that are so philosophical, so spiritual, so funny. This is a very diverse collection. Quite a few of the 40 (if I counted right!) dealt with folk stories, esp. about Golems and magical prayers. Most were about people and their relations. Good fun!

184klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 28, 2022, 8:57 pm



216.
Jean-Michel Basquiat edited by Rudy Chiappini



Finally! I got around to actually looking at some of Basquiat's work. It's truly fascinating, and it would require a lot of study to ever come close to understanding it. I know that I really liked all of the color and life and motion, and that it pleases my eyes (some works more than others). I can't say that I'm done studying this artist.

This book was made for a show at the Museo d'Arte Moderna in Lugano, Italy. Beautiful, large (some double-sheet) photographs throughout, good quality paper. It's got lots of great reference material; six essays, a catalog of works, a biography of the artist, lists of exhibitions, and a selected bibliography (looks like they are mainly exhibition catalogues).

185klobrien2
Sept. 28, 2022, 9:02 pm

>182 richardderus: Hi, Richard! I was amazed I got it in 5--quite an unusual word! Yes, I did a lot of thinking on this one, too!

Always great to see you here!

186msf59
Sept. 29, 2022, 8:28 am

Sweet Thursday, Karen. Hooray for The Hurting Kind. I hope I had something to do with putting that gem on your radar. "The Mountain Lion" is a good choice. Please track down Bright Dead Things. That is the collection that made me fall in love with Limon.

187klobrien2
Sept. 29, 2022, 10:48 am

>186 msf59: Hi, Mark! Yes, I’m sure it was you to lead me to Limon—thank you! I’ve got Bright Dead Things and The Carrying requested at my library. And I have another of your poetry recommendations, Kaddish: Before the Holocaust and After near the top of my reading stack! Riches upon riches!

Have a great day!

188klobrien2
Sept. 29, 2022, 10:50 am

I really like the words you get to use when you’re auditioning letters!

Wordle 467 5/6 irate, plank, loamy, shawl, scald

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189klobrien2
Sept. 30, 2022, 10:29 am

Wordle 468 5/6 irate, round, shorn, sworn, scorn

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190klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Sept. 30, 2022, 5:17 pm



217.
Kaddish: Before the Holocaust and After by Jane Yolen



Another great book of poetry from LT recommendations--in this case, msf59 (and benitastrnad?) Thank you!

Powerful, evocative, sometimes painful to take in, but so well-worth the reading.

The collection is broken into three sections: (1) Before (Women's Midrashim), (2) The Shoah's Many Voices, and (3) Mitzvahs and Miracles.

Here is one from the first section:

THE LAMED-VOV

I could not have raised such a son, to carry all that suffering,
till the heart, the mind is broken on that particular cross.
Like Sarah, hearing of the binding of Isaac, I would make a fist,
hold it to Heaven, give myself to the fire in his place.

Women need no last-minute ram from the Great Herdsman,
sent down a shaft of light, on tentative hooves.
Why make a cosmic joke of sacrifice?
We women understand this bloody job with every month.

Thirty-six Just Men? How kind of them to take on the mishagas,
when the world needs cleaning, ironing, diaper changes,
the ordinary stuff that befouls the human mind long before
swords, guns, bombs, admit their bleaker view.

And, here's KADDISH, the last poem from the third section:

It is all here, you know,
the darkness, the light,
though sometimes difficult
to know which is which.
My people escaped the Tsar's Fists,
to find ourselves free
of the Shoah as well.
But no Jew truly escapes
that time, those places,
unscarred, unscathed.
I have no numbers on my arms,
But I have studied the charts,
the cities, the deaths,
till I know them by heart.
Knowing means remembrance.
We Jews may be short much of the time.
But our memories,
our memories are long.

I'm going to look for more poetry from this writer!

191klobrien2
Sept. 30, 2022, 5:24 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (09/30/2022):

Actively reading

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died by Seamus O'Riley -- p. 35 of 231
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill -- p. 97 of 330
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 15 of 327
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow -- p.. 8 of 210
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Death by Water (Phryne Fisher #15) by Kerry Greenwood
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
Singing Wilderness by Sigurd F. Olson

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September/October: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- p. 26 of 303

My current Great Course(s): The String Quartets of Beethoven, Robert Greenberg, 16 of 24 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis -- p. 15 of 176
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299

192msf59
Sept. 30, 2022, 5:35 pm

>190 klobrien2: Hooray, I am so glad you also loved this collection. Funny, I was going to also share the title poem, over on my thread, but never got around to typing it up. Such a good one.

Happy Friday, Karen.

193klobrien2
Sept. 30, 2022, 5:44 pm

"Idiot box"-wise:

Finished the second season of "Resident Alien" and it was a great finish; great setup for next season.

Watched "The Bear," based on a strong recommendation from msf59 and others. Excellent show! I think I'll be doing a rewatch soon, just because it's one of those shows where everything happens so fast, and is so good.

I've got Season 5 of Lovejoy in at the library. There are six seasons in total; so we're almost there (again). Good stuff--don't get tired of it.

And we have our fall network series to keep up with: Conners, Bob Hearts Abishola, Home Economics. Easy-watching sitcoms, all. There are two "Rookie" shows now; the original, with Nathan Fillion, and "Rookie Feds," with Niecie Nash-Betts. She is really good in the role, and it's an interesting concept.

194klobrien2
Sept. 30, 2022, 5:46 pm

>192 msf59: Mark, you are such a good source for reads/watches for me! I got my electronic (lightweight!) copy of Us Against You, so I hope to get going on that again.

Have a great weekend!

195richardderus
Sept. 30, 2022, 6:00 pm

>193 klobrien2: Lovejoy! The dear ol' divvie. I don't think I ever knew that it lasted into season 5, so I can be on the lookout for that. Thanks, Karen O.!

>190 klobrien2: Oh, look. A big blank space. *skippity skippity skip*

196klobrien2
Okt. 1, 2022, 10:25 am

Wordle 469 4/6 irate, glade, shale, leave

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197klobrien2
Okt. 2, 2022, 11:12 am

Happier with today's...

Wordle 470 3/6 irate, title, twine

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198klobrien2
Okt. 3, 2022, 12:42 pm

Definitely, “Phew!” Stayed up really late reading, so my morning is out of whack—that’s my story, and I’m sticking with it!

Wordle 471 6/6 irate, whist, stick, still, stiff, sting

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199klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 3, 2022, 3:14 pm



218.
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill



"Alex is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their paths; and took to the skies."

This book is an alternate history of America in the 1950s and 1960s, but works as a mirror to "real" in what it was like to be a female in that time (is it better in our current time?). Injustice, harassments, and shameful blocks at every turn. I am still digesting what the book is saying to me, but the author's intent is clearly stated:

Dedication of the book:

"For Christine Blasey Ford,
whose testimony triggered this narrative;
And for my children, dragons all."

And, then, in the "Acknowledgments":

"And then I, along with the rest of America, listened with horror and incandescent fury to the brave, stalwart testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, as she begged the Senate to reconsider their Supreme Court Justice nominee and make a different choice, and I decided to write a story about rage. And dragons. But mostly about rage."

One more quote:

Time, in our experience, is linear, but in truth time is also looped. It is like a piece of yarn, in which each section of the strand twists and winds around every other: a complicated and complex knot, in which one part cannot be viewed out of context from the others. Everything touches everything else. Everything affects everything else. Each loop, each bend, each twist interacts with every other. It is all connected, and it is all one.

This book is about Alex, her family, and her world. I loved reading it although at times it was so painful and enraging.

Lastly, libraries and librarians are important in the book (as they are in life!)

200richardderus
Okt. 3, 2022, 3:49 pm

>199 klobrien2: You make it sound good enough that I might want to read it.

Then I recall my parents' deaths after massive strokes....

>198 klobrien2: Oh. Um. Well, maybe wait until tomorrow to visit my thread. Just, y'know, because.

201katiekrug
Okt. 3, 2022, 6:51 pm

I'll have a look for the Barnhill!

202klobrien2
Okt. 4, 2022, 12:05 pm

Wordle 472 4/6 irate, cloud, mousy, bough

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203richardderus
Okt. 4, 2022, 12:37 pm

>202 klobrien2: I wish I'd thought of your word #3! I took 5 to get there today...it was a guessing-game day, ickughptui.

204klobrien2
Okt. 4, 2022, 3:06 pm

>203 richardderus: It was fun to play my #3! When I have bombed out, or even had a six-er, I am a little nervous about having lost my Wordle mojo. So I was glad to see the fourth word did it.

I saw your guessing-game. I condole with you! Have a good day, anyway!

205klobrien2
Okt. 4, 2022, 3:10 pm



219.
It's So Magic by Lynda Barry



Lynda Barry is just so talented! I've enjoyed her comics for a long time, but I hadn't come across this book before. It is wonderful--it presents a family of three kids (Maybonne, Marlys, and Freddy), their grandma who takes care of them, and other assorted relatives. Funny, for the most part, serious and sad when it needs to be. It's set in the sixties and seventies, so the war and calls for peace are there.

Now, I've added Lynda Barry to my list of "projects." It will be fun!

206klobrien2
Okt. 5, 2022, 10:49 am

Fun Wordle today!

Wordle 473 4/6 irate, marvy, march, marsh

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207richardderus
Okt. 5, 2022, 12:52 pm

Maybonne and Marlys were such great characters! I enjoyed Barry's weekly strips in the 1980s.

208klobrien2
Okt. 6, 2022, 10:43 am

Trying to find more vowels got me really close…

Wordle 474 3/6 irate, south, sloth

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209klobrien2
Okt. 6, 2022, 7:49 pm



220.
The String Quartets of Beethoven (Great Courses) by Robert Greenberg



Robert Greenberg, once again, makes what could be a real slog palatable and even a little fun! The Alexander Quartet serves as the musical group for this set of quartets. Greenberg is a great writer and teacher.

210klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 6, 2022, 9:59 pm



221.
The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limon



Another collection of great poetry from Limon! Wildlife, aging parent, her personal romantic relationship and desire/inability to have a child are themes throughout, but so much more. She has a clear and lovely voice.

Her dedication (well, maybe more of an epigram) at the front of the book:

She had some horses she loved.
She had some horses she hated.

These were the same horses.

JOY HARJO

Here's one of my favorites:

THE LAST THING

First there was the blue wing
of a scraggly loud jay tucked
into the shrubs. Then the bluish-
black moth drunkenly tripping
from blade to blade. Then
the quiet that came roaring
in like the R. J. Corman over
Broadway near the RV shop.
These are the last three things
that happened. Not in the universe,
but here, in the basin of my mind,
where I'm always making a list
for you, recording the day's minor
urchins: silvery dust mote, pistachio
shell, the dog eating a sugar
snap pea. It's going to rain soon,
close clouds bloated above us,
the air like a net about to release
all the caught fishes, a storm
siren in the distance. I know
you don't always understand,
but let me point to the first
wet drops landing on the stones,
the noise like fingers drumming
the skin. I can't help it. I will
never get over making everything
such a big deal.

211The_Hibernator
Okt. 6, 2022, 8:44 pm

When Women were Dragons looks pretty interesting!

212klobrien2
Okt. 6, 2022, 9:46 pm

>211 The_Hibernator: It was great! The reader has to deal with the horrible status of women, and the closed thinking of a lot of the population, so that was difficult until the resistance started.

I think you would really like this one!

213klobrien2
Okt. 7, 2022, 2:26 pm

Shocked myself at my two-fer! Just auditioning some letters, liked the word, but turns out it was THE word. Yahoo!

Wordle 475 2/6 irate, dandy

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214richardderus
Okt. 7, 2022, 2:54 pm

>213 klobrien2: Yay! I'm glad you're doing so well with the Wordleing!

hello cousin Aldo got a quick job for ya

215klobrien2
Okt. 8, 2022, 12:30 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (10/08/2022):

Actively reading

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer -- p. 14 of 257
Fading Ads of the Twin Cities by Jay Grammond -- p. 16 of 158
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance by Larry Millett
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 15 of 327
Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow -- p.. 8 of 210
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Death by Water (Phryne Fisher #15) by Kerry Greenwood
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
The Singing Wilderness by Sigurd F. Olson

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September/October: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- p. 92 of 303

My current Great Course(s): Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life; 36 lectures

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; some are my own books.

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died by Seamus O'Riley -- p. 35 of 231
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis -- p. 15 of 176
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299

216klobrien2
Okt. 8, 2022, 1:08 pm

What we've been watching (nee, "Idiot Box update"):

We finished up "Dark Winds" and really loved it. We waited longer than we should have; the plot was a little involved, and there were lots of things going on, so we put it off. Great cast! I can't wait for the next season!

Continuing with the Great British Baking Show--really enjoying it.

And "Derry Girls" season three is now on Netflix! Hopefully, I'll get started on that this weekend.

217klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 8, 2022, 2:29 pm

Wordle 476 3/6 irate, rigid, vigor >

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218klobrien2
Okt. 9, 2022, 11:21 am

Wordle 477 5/6 irate, mound, dolly, woody, howdy

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219weird_O
Bearbeitet: Okt. 9, 2022, 12:01 pm

Oh, Karen. I love your weekly Reading Roundup. :-) It confirms that I'm not the only one who misunderstands (or misapplies or fantasizes) the active part of reading. I've been reading The Sympathizer for weeks...I mean weeks...and I've been "actively reading" page 145 since last month. My oh my. Where does time go?

ETA: Unlike me, you DO actually get books read from beginning to end. Lots of books. I just checked >1 klobrien2:. 200 plus books read. So, uh, disregard everything I've ever said.

220klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 10, 2022, 10:53 am

>219 weird_O: I try to imagine myself holding all of my “active” books, reading them all at the same time! Obviously, certain books will grab me more often than others. If I don’t make progress on a particular book, it falls to the bottom, or I’ll wise up and take it off the list entirely. My “Reading Roundup” just keeps me mindful of all of the great choices I have. So, there! 🤪

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

221klobrien2
Okt. 10, 2022, 10:49 am

Woe is me…oh, well.

Wordle 478 X/6 irate, mound, often, ebony, enemy, envoy, pbblltt! (Enjoy)(NOT!)

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222richardderus
Okt. 10, 2022, 12:20 pm

>221 klobrien2: Oh heck and darn, Karen O. I am sorry that happened! But heck, the new streak starts tomorrow.

*smooch*

223klobrien2
Okt. 10, 2022, 12:50 pm

>222 richardderus: Exactly! Not too upset, just a little piffled. Thanks for your words of cheer!😏

224klobrien2
Okt. 11, 2022, 12:15 pm

Wordle 479 4/6 irate, china, sibyl, valid

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225richardderus
Okt. 11, 2022, 4:05 pm

>224 klobrien2: Yeup...me too.

Well, Tuesday's mostly over, so Wednesday needs to be delicious, no?

226klobrien2
Okt. 12, 2022, 9:52 am

Ooh, I love playing fancy words…

Wordle 480 3/6 irate, idiom, ionic

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227richardderus
Okt. 12, 2022, 10:09 am

>226 klobrien2: Heh. Me too...3!

228klobrien2
Okt. 12, 2022, 10:19 am

Excellent article/interview with the great Angela Lansbury…

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/arts/angela-lansbury-dead.html?unlocked_artic...

229klobrien2
Okt. 12, 2022, 3:36 pm

We've got a couple of special TV projects going on:

(1) playing catch-up on HBO show "Avenue 5," a really witty space farce featuring Hugh Laurie. Season 2 has just started. Really enjoying this show!

(2) watching the "Thin Man" movies, also on HBOmax. We've seen the first two (The Thin Man, After the Thin Man) and we've got Another Thin Man and Shadow of the Thin Man left to view . There are another two (The Thin Man Goes Home and Song of the Thin Man) which are not on HBO, and we might have to track down on DVD. Enjoying the heck out of these classic movies.

230klobrien2
Okt. 12, 2022, 7:30 pm



222.
Fading Ads of the Twin Cities by Jay Grammond



Fun, interesting book, all full of historical tidbits from the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul (the "Twin Cities"). Seemed almost like a ghost story at times, with the ephemeral letters and images so hard to see at times. The author encourages readers to look up from the ground, to see the buildings, and the architectural beauty all around.

231klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 12, 2022, 7:35 pm



223.
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1) by M. C. Beaton



Oh, dear, another mystery series! Actually, I'm a fan of the television series, so I'm really enjoying comparing the books to the TV shows and reliving the action in both. Agatha Raisin retires from her life as a PR businesswoman in London and moves to a quiet little town in the English Cotswolds...or is it so quiet?

232klobrien2
Okt. 13, 2022, 10:47 am

Wordle 481 5/6 irate, laden, bleak, eclat, equal

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233klobrien2
Okt. 14, 2022, 9:35 am

Stuck on fivers, it seems…could be worse, eh?

Wordle 482 5/6 irate, round, spork, flour, floor

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234klobrien2
Okt. 14, 2022, 9:38 am

First snowfall in Minnesota! Looks like a postcard out there, with lovely lacy white on trees and ground. Too early for it to stick, but I love this preview!

235klobrien2
Okt. 14, 2022, 11:55 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (10/14/2022):

Actively reading

Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer -- p. 184 of 257
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance by Larry Millett -- p. 0 of 302
Ragtime (1001 Books) by E. L. Doctorow -- p. 8 of 210
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died by Seamus O'Riley -- p. 35 of 231

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September/October: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- p. 92 of 303

My current Great Course(s): Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life; 36 lectures

New Category: On the Short List for Getting Read

A Divine Language: Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of Old Age by Alec Wilkinson -- p. 3 of 278
Cheech is Not My Real Name: But Don't Call Me Chong by Cheech Marin -- p. 0 of 260
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 15 of 327
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Death by Water (Phryne Fisher #15) by Kerry Greenwood
Lady Susan by Jane Austen -- p. 0 of 284
The Singing Wilderness by Sigurd F. Olson

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; most are my own books.

Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299

236klobrien2
Okt. 15, 2022, 10:17 am

Wordle 483 4/6 irate, float, patty, catch

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237klobrien2
Okt. 15, 2022, 1:10 pm



224.
Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer



Wonderful follow-up to Less! I'm struggling to round up my thoughts on the book, but it is so funny, very insightful into family relationships and love, and kind of a documentary of a road trip through the American Southwest, and then the Southeast. And the writing is brilliant. I am sure to be rereading here.

I really like Marlon James's blurb on the back cover: "Only Arthur Less could be frustratingly stuck yet on the move. Let loose yet totally lost. Full of wit but without a clue. And while he runs from himself, finds himself at the same time. Put all of that on a wild road trip through a wilder America, and you end up with something hilarious, affecting, and unforgettable."

So, yes, read this book!

238The_Hibernator
Okt. 15, 2022, 1:25 pm

Hi Karen! Glad to see your reading is coming along! Yeah, that snowfall surprised me! But IL3 was SO pumped about it.

239klobrien2
Okt. 16, 2022, 12:14 pm

>238 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel! What did he think when the snow disappeared? Great to see you here!

240klobrien2
Okt. 16, 2022, 12:16 pm

A little guessy-guessy at the end, but I made it…

Wordle 484 5/6 irate, flake, phase, space, spade

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241klobrien2
Okt. 16, 2022, 4:42 pm

“Idiot Box” update: “Avenue 5” space farce, five episodes into the first season. Pretty dark comedy, but funny!

Finished “She Hulk” and it was brilliant! Last episode was a classic debunk of superhero shows. I hope, hope, hope there is a season 2 coming.

We finished up Season 5 of “Lovejoy”—only one left to go.

242richardderus
Okt. 16, 2022, 8:45 pm

>237 klobrien2: Wow! I see you're quite a booster of this one!

I hope you're well and happy, Karen O. My sister's visit was a challenge physically and restorative emotionally. I'm recovered at last, I think....

243msf59
Okt. 17, 2022, 8:14 am

Hi, Karen. Good news about Less is Lost. I enjoyed the first book. Any premature thoughts on Eventide or Goon Squad? I see you are well into both of them.

244OliviaBurns
Okt. 17, 2022, 8:18 am

Dieser Benutzer wurde wegen Spammens entfernt.

245klobrien2
Okt. 17, 2022, 10:55 am

>242 richardderus: >243 msf59: Hello, you two! Hope your week is starting off well!

Absolutely loved Less is Lost…the reading left me with such a good feeling. I knew it was a 5-star for me halfway through.

Mark, I hope to make some progress on Eventide and Goon Squad this week. Too many books, right?! That’s quite a blessing!

Thanks for stopping by!

246klobrien2
Okt. 17, 2022, 10:57 am

Good day for me with Wordle…

Wordle 485 3/6 irate, tepid, stein

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247klobrien2
Okt. 17, 2022, 7:07 pm



225.
Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton



Read this back in 2012 and loved it then: love it just as much now! Beaton's subjects are history, literature, and just funny stuff in general.

248FAMeulstee
Okt. 18, 2022, 5:05 am

>247 klobrien2: Congratulations on reaching 3 x 75, Karen!

249humouress
Okt. 18, 2022, 6:53 am

You've done the triple? Congratulations!

250AbbyVaughn
Okt. 18, 2022, 7:15 am

Dieser Benutzer wurde wegen Spammens entfernt.

251msf59
Okt. 18, 2022, 8:03 am

>247 klobrien2: I liked this one too and I just picked up her latest Ducks.

252klobrien2
Okt. 18, 2022, 9:54 am

>251 msf59: Reading about her newest is what prompted me to reread this one. I have another one from the library—Step Aside, Pops. I need to get Ducks.

Have a great week!

253klobrien2
Okt. 18, 2022, 9:55 am

>248 FAMeulstee: >249 humouress: Well, you’re right! Wow, how did that happen? Having a good reading year!

Thanks for stopping by!

254klobrien2
Okt. 18, 2022, 9:56 am

Wordle 486 4/6 irate, debit, inset, exist

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255richardderus
Okt. 18, 2022, 10:25 am

Brava for your triple! *smooch*

>254 klobrien2: Nicely done, Karen O. Streak stays alive!

256klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 18, 2022, 7:03 pm



226.
Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon



Another good book of poetry by Limon. I didn't connect as much with this one as I did with the others, but Limon is still one of my favorite poets.

Here are a couple of poems that struck my fancy:

"I Remember the Carrots"

I haven't given up on trying to live a good life,
a really good one even, sitting in the kitchen
in Kentucky, imagining how agreeable I'll be--
the advance of fulfillment, and of desire--
all these needs met, then unmet again.
When I was a kid, I was excited about carrots,
their spidery neon tops in the garden's plot.
And so I ripped them all out. I broke the new roots
and carried them, like a prize, to my father
who scolded me, rightly, for killing his whole crop.
I loved them: my own bright dead things.
I'm thirty-five and remember all that I've done wrong.
Yesterday I was nice, but in truth I resented
the contentment of the field. Why must we practice
this surrender? What I mean is: there are days
I still want to kill the carrots because I can.

"Lies About Sea Creatures"

I lied about the whales. Fantastical blue
water-dwellers, big, slow moaners of the coastal.
I never saw them. Not once that whole frozen year.
Sure, I saw the raw white gannets hit the waves
so hard it could have been a showy blow hole.
But I knew it wasn't. Sometimes, you just want
something so hard you have to lie about it,
so you can hold it in your mouth for a minute,
how real hunger has a real taste. Someone once
told me gannets, those voracious sea birds
of the North Atlantic chill, go blind from the height
and speed of their dives. But that, too, is a lie.
Gannets never go blind and they certainly never die.

257klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 20, 2022, 2:11 pm



227.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe



I picked up this book because I'd read that it was the most-challenged school library book in 2021. Of course, this kind of finding is a trigger to most of us who read to GET THAT BOOK and read it!

I learned so much about Kobabe's journey to find her self and her (lack of) gender and sexuality. It was a difficult journey for her, and this well-done book is a real tribute to that journey and to er ("er" is the Spivak pronoun--"e," "em," "eir"--a set of gender-neutral pronouns-- that Kobabe uses).

The book is gorgeous and very informative.

258klobrien2
Okt. 19, 2022, 10:54 am

I had to stew over this one a long time before I came up with the only word that seemed to fit. I hit “Phew!” early!

Wordle 487 3/6 irate, virus, quirk

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259klobrien2
Okt. 19, 2022, 11:24 am

Picked up books from the library, and my oh-so-organized reading plan is in big trouble! I’m not complaining too much, though—I’m a winner no matter what book I pick up next:

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Slenderman: Online Obsession by Kathleen Hale

260richardderus
Okt. 19, 2022, 1:41 pm

>259 klobrien2: "Pans" are mostly good for amusing gawd...she needs the laughs, goodness knows.

>258 klobrien2: A great day for Wordleing! Enjoy the Wednesdayness hanging around to the best of your ability.

261klobrien2
Okt. 20, 2022, 10:11 am

I swear, I was just auditioning consonants, but I hit the Wordle on my second try! I’ll take it!

Wordle 488 2/6 irate, denim

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262richardderus
Okt. 20, 2022, 10:17 am

>261 klobrien2: W00t!! I'm glad for you, Karen O.!

263klobrien2
Okt. 20, 2022, 2:16 pm



228.
Step Aside Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection by Kate Beaton



Very funny follow-up to Hark! A Vagrant. A few new featured sections, one called "Broadside Ballads" and one entitled "House Full of Mulders" (yes, that Mulder). Beaton can make anything laugh-out-loud funny, it seems.

264klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 20, 2022, 2:21 pm



229.
Agatha Raisin and The Vicious Vet (Agatha Raisin #2) by M. C. Beaton



Liked this second installment much more than the first one. Lots of laughs, and danger, and developing relationships between the characters.

265msf59
Okt. 20, 2022, 5:02 pm

>256 klobrien2: I am so glad you are enjoying Ada Limon. Personally, Bright Dead Things is my favorite of hers, but that is the way poetry rolls- It hits everyone differently.

I may have to try Step Aside Pops.

266klobrien2
Okt. 21, 2022, 10:51 am

>265 msf59: That is so true, Mark, and even more so—sometimes even one’s mood or recent life events can influence how the poetry “reads.” I might give Bright Dead Things another try at some point.

Good weekend to you!

267klobrien2
Okt. 21, 2022, 10:53 am

Very helpful first and second words!

Wordle 489 3/6 irate, prove, grove

⬜🟧⬜⬜🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

268richardderus
Okt. 21, 2022, 11:00 am

The Lewis Chessmen! Among my favorite-ever Viking artifacts. So deeply weird, and yet such quotidian purpose for their creation...my favorite way!

>267 klobrien2: I had a "Phew" day today...three letters correct and in position isn't enough!

Lovely weekend-ahead's reads, Karen O.!

269klobrien2
Okt. 21, 2022, 7:51 pm

Friday Reading Roundup!

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

Karen's current reading (10/21/2022):

Actively reading

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu -- p. 104 0f 303
The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club #3) by Richard Osman -- p. 57 of 348
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Alliance by Larry Millett -- p. 0 of 302
Ragtime (1001 Books) by E. L. Doctorow -- p. 20 of 210
Eventide by Kent Haruf -- p. 11 of 281
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died by Seamus O'Riley -- p. 53 of 231

*AAC (American Author Challenge) for September/October: Pulitzer Prize Winners -- A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan -- p. 92 of 303

My current Great Course(s): Foundations of Western Civilization; 6 of 48 lectures

New Category: On the Short List for Getting Read

Cheech is Not My Real Name: But Don't Call Me Chong by Cheech Marin -- p. 0 of 260
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter -- p. 15 of 327
Curtains for Three (Nero Wolfe #18) by Rex Stout -- p. 9 of 184
Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) by Jim Butcher
Death by Water (Phryne Fisher #15) by Kerry Greenwood
Lady Susan by Jane Austen -- p. 0 of 284

Not-So-Time-Sensitive-But-Still-Want-to-Get-to-Them (so, these are readily available to me although I might not be reading them quite yet or may have had to return them to the library; most are my own books.

Marple: Twelve New Stories by assorted authors
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
The Canary Trainer by Nicholas Meyer -- p. 10 of 224
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor -- p. 68 of 299

270klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 22, 2022, 1:29 pm



230.
Everything: Volume 1: Collected and Uncollected Comics From Around 1978-1982 by Lynda Barry



A funny, historical walk through the early years of Lynda Barry's comics (or, should I say, "Comeeks") career. Barry starts with some scrapbook pages, then walks us through some "Ernie Pook's Comeek"s, "Two Sisters" (Rita and Evette), and "Girls and Boys" (surely the edgiest of the comics).

It was very interesting how Barry blends in information about her life and her thinking through the years. She tells us (and shows us) how her comics "swing between sweet and bitter," again and again.

She's a funny and talented artist, who has quite a few books out. I'm planning to read a few of them.

271klobrien2
Bearbeitet: Okt. 22, 2022, 2:08 pm

Enjoyed this one. Like Richard, I really like that word!

Wordle 490 4/6 irate, chief, plied, spiel

🟦⬜⬜⬜🟦
⬜⬜🟧🟧⬜
🟦🟦🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

272richardderus
Okt. 22, 2022, 2:50 pm

>271 klobrien2: Me too, same number and everything!

>270 klobrien2: Oh my goodness...a large blank space...how unusual. I suppose glitches happen at such inopportune moments, don't they.

*flees book-bulleting*

273klobrien2
Okt. 23, 2022, 9:22 am

“Phew,” definitely! The answer had popped into my mind early, but I thought, “Nah…that can’t be it!” But it was.

Wordle 491 6/6 irate, mound, mulch, muggy, mushy, mummy

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟧⬜🟦⬜⬜
🟧🟧⬜⬜⬜
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧⬜⬜🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

274richardderus
Okt. 23, 2022, 9:45 am

>273 klobrien2: I was literally on my last guess before it occurred to me. And it was correct. But I still resent guessing-game days!

Streak is alive. Streak is alive. Streak is alive.

Yeah...that does help a bit. *smooch*

275klobrien2
Okt. 23, 2022, 9:54 am

My current streak is up to 13! Yay! Maximum streak was 70. And I’ve played 191 games. Mostly 4s and 5s, followed closely by 3s. More 2s than 6s, thank you very much. No 1s (yet)(haha).

276richardderus
Okt. 23, 2022, 10:03 am

>275 klobrien2: Statistically we'll all have to get a 1 at some point, but I don't expect it soon...maybe never, given my choice of first word!

277klobrien2
Okt. 24, 2022, 10:52 am

Another “Phew!” day for me: I’ll take it!

Wordle 492 6/6 irate, patsy, taboo, gamut, vault, fault

⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜
⬜🟧🟦⬜⬜
🟦🟧⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟧⬜🟦🟧
⬜🟧🟧🟧🟧
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧

278klobrien2
Okt. 24, 2022, 11:24 am

We watched the brilliant final episode of Doctor Who season 13 last night. Non-stop action, but time for reminiscence along the way, as many Doctor Who alumni showed up. Jodie Whitaker has been a terrific Doctor!

279klobrien2
Okt. 24, 2022, 6:55 pm



231.
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu



Loved this tale of magic and misogyny, growing up "troubled" and finding personal gifts, doing the brave thing in spite of fear. Great characters and atmosphere. I hope there are more books about Marya and her band of friends.
Dieses Thema wurde unter klobrien2 Karen O's Book-It List Part Five weitergeführt.