Katie’s Reading - Chapter 4

For anyone new to my thread, I’m Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog, Nuala/Noodles.

My reading varies widely - I love genre fiction (romance and crime), contemporary and historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction. I try to balance my reading in all these areas. I also use my thread as a bit of a life journal, which mostly means I talk about what I’m cooking, eating, drinking, watching, doing, and avoiding doing.

Thanks for being here!

Currently Reading
(Print) (Audio)

BOOKS COMPLETED

Books Off My Shelf: 7
Books Off My Kindle: 3
Books from Audible/Chirp: 7
Library Loans (print/e-books/audios): 9

FEBRUARY
26. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
25. His Favorites by Kate Walbert (audio) (3.75 stars)
24. Sam by Allegra Goodman (4.25 stars)
23. The Alchemy of Us by Ainissa Ramirez (audio) (4 stars)
22. The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam (3.5 stars)
21. Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell (audio) (4 stars)
20. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival (3.5 stars)
19. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (3.75 stars)
18. The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (audio) (3.5 stars)

Did Not Finish
Under Our Roof by Madeleine Dean and Harry Cunnane

Q1 COMPLETIONS

JANUARY
17. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (audio) (3 stars)
16. Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn (4.5 stars)
15. Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor (audio) (3 stars)
14. I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg (4.25 stars)
13. Prejudice Meets Pride by Rachael Anderson (3 stars)
12. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (audio) (4.5 stars)
11. The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll (4 stars)
10. I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa De los Santos (audio) (3.5 stars)
09. My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (3 stars)
08. A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie (audio) (2.75 stars)
07. Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (4 stars)
06. The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath (3.75 stars)
05. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (audio) (3.5 stars)
04. The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys (4.5 stars)
03. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (3.5 stars)
02. Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (audio) (4 stars)
01. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (audio) (3.5 stars)

My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = Whyyyyyy?
3 stars = Eh, ok.
4 stars = Definitely worth the time.
5 stars = Perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)

Katie and The Wayne's Movie "Project"
(Wherein we alternate choices in 6 genres - Drama, Comedy, Romance, Speculative/SciFi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense, Action - and we each have to pick one in each genre before re-setting the genre list)

Watched:
2/10/23 - Rear Window - Katie pick - Mystery/Suspense
1/28/23 - Up in the Air - Katie pick - Drama
1/27/23 - The Lost Battalion - TW pick - Drama
1/14/23 - Taken - TW pick - Action
1/14/23 - Bringing Up Baby - Katie pick - Comedy

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

To begin with, Levi Fanning is my new book boyfriend,* and no, I won't share.

This book is just delightful - perfect in all the ways a romance should be (IM not-so-HO) - instantly engaging, two main characters the reader can really get behind, excellent chemistry, not too much drawn-out angst, and a swoon-worthy resolution to the conflict.

Georgie and Levi feel very real as characters - they are both flawed, but not stupidly flamboyantly flawed or so minorly flawed that there's no story there. I really loved them both, and as each chapter alternates between their two points of view, I found myself not liking one better than the other. Clayborn adroitly handles both, and the back and forth, call and response of the narrative worked really well.

Clayborn also writes female frienships beautifully, which I appreciate. I think a lot of authors write cartoonish "best friend" characters as a foil to their main character, but Clayborn seems to appreciate the importance of such relationships to many women and gives them the respect they deserve.

4.5 stars

* Mamie says I can have only one book boyfriend, so I'm giving up Captain Wentworth. Levi is THAT good.

I can't remember if I liked The Essex Serpent or not . . .
off to dig up my review and jog my memory.

Happy new one, Katie!

>6 japaul22: - I'm not very far into it, and so far, it's okay...

>7 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita!

Happy new one, Katie! As you knew it would, Georgie, All Along goes straight into the Dirty Dozen list. And if you're giving up Captain Wentworth, then that speaks volumes. (See what I did there?!)

Love the topper!

>9 Crazymamie: - I think you'll love GAA, Mamie.

I am going to start a re-watch of Ted Lasso soon, in anticipation of the next (and final) season. It's supposed to be out in the spring.

Happy new thread, Katie!

>11 FAMeulstee: - Thanks, Anita!

Happy new one!

Happy new one!

Ok, giving up Captain Wentworth is A Choice.

Also, I think Mamie is awfully strict. I think you're allowed as many book boyfriends as you want. I couldn't even tell you how long my list is.

Also also, the Ali Hazelwood I just read has a male lead named Levi and I'm currently reading Fangirl where the boy of interest is named Levi. When did Levi become such a trendy romance name?

>13 drneutron: - Thanks, Jim!

>14 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth!

>15 MickyFine: - I noted the Levi in your Hazelwood review, but totally forgot about the Levi in Fangirl. So weird. Like, I have *never* met a Levi in real life...

From thread 3, I'd just like to point out that I don't even own any shorts - it's never warm enough to wear them imo. That and I have thighs like tree trunks and shorts are remarkably unflattering!

Happy new thread.

>17 Helenliz: - TW will wear shorts whenever he can, silly Florida-raised person that he is... He also is The Human Furnace, so doesn't feel the cold like a normal person.

I have many, many literary boyfriends and they all get along just fine. Just sayin'.

I made the Nigella sausage, beans, tomatoes recipe tonight and it was so simple and delicious. Thanks for the link!

Happy New Thread, Katie. Congrats on your January reading. Bringing Up Baby is a comic classic. I need to do a rewatch.

Hi Katie,
How are you liking The Last Chance Library?
I am in a hold queue for that one (as a physical book). I can't 'do' audio books because I'm one of those readers who likes to immerse at my own speed and "live" the book. Yeah, I know, I'm weird that way.

>19 scaifea: - Ha! Good to know.

>20 japaul22: - I'm so glad you liked it!

>21 msf59: - Hiya, Mark. Thanks re: my reading. It's been a good start to the year. BUB definitely is worth a re-watch. It's so funny!

>22 SandyAMcPherson: - I'm not very far in, Sandy, but it's okay so far. You're not weird. We all experience books and formats differently. For me, I can easily be immersed in a book on audio. *shrug*

The whole point of book boyfriends is that they will never meet and cannot cause trouble...nobody should be limited to just one!

It's not cheating if they live in different states books

>24 laytonwoman3rd: - That's what I thought, but Mamie said.... :D

>25 norabelle414: - Snort! Exactly.

Well, it actually looks like winter this morning - we got a dusting of snow overnight. It's not much but I'll take what I can get at this point. It's also supposed to get very cold here by the end of the week...

Trivia was great - we came in 4th of 15 teams, and I had an excellent cheeseburger for dinner.

Today will be quiet in anticipation of a busy day tomorrow. I need to assess whether I have to hit the grocery store for anything. Our meal plan for the week has gone out the window and what I was planning to make Monday will be tonight, so I want to check that the produce necessary hasn't turned. Anyway, other than that, I plan to do some writing-adjacent work and chill with the books.

Books:
The Essex Serpent has been a bit slow to start, but I think it might finally be picking up. I'm going to give it a little longer but won't hesitate to set it aside if it remains unengaging. On audio, I've got The Last Chance Library going - so far, the main character is kind of lame, but I think that might be the point - as in she'll find her strength and her voice and finally show some agency as the story unfolds.

Viewing:
Nothing yesterday.

Gross...

Wordle 592 6/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Hi Katie and happy new thread!

From your last thread, I hope you like The Essex Serpent. I read it for book club in 2019 and loved it.

>5 katiekrug: LOL. I like the idea of a book boyfriend. Hmmm…

>27 katiekrug: Snow. Sigh. Congrats on 4th in Trivia and excellent cheeseburger too.

>28 katiekrug: But not skunked.

Morning, Katie! To be clear, I did not actually say that you could only have one book boyfriend. I just inquired whether or not Captain Wentworth was aware that he had competition.

Nicely done with the trivia showing and hooray for an excellent cheeseburger!

>29 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen!

TES is decent so far - just a bit slow to get going. I'll probably give it another 50 pages or so (I'm on p. 90).

Do you have nay book boyfriends?

Thanks re: the trivia and the reminder that a Wordle-in-6 is better than a skunk!

>30 Crazymamie: - Okay, Mamie. Good save! Heh. I can't wait until you read Georgie, All Along and we can fight over Levi ;-)

January in Review

I finished 17 books this month, a number which includes two audio books that I listened to the majority of in December, but I only count when things were completed.

11 of those books were mine, either off my shelf or Kindle or in my Audible library. I'm pleased with that, since I really want to try to focus on my own titles this year. Only 4 of the 17 titles were authored by men, so take that, patriarchy!

Other stats:
Print: 4
Ebook: 5
Audio: 8

General/Popular Fiction: 3
Literary Fiction: 2
Historical Fiction: 1
Romance: 3
Crime/Thriller: 2
Juvenile/YA: 2
Classics: 1
Speculative: 0
Nonfiction: 3

The one area I'd like to improve on is author origin - all of the authors, save one, were from the US or UK. The outlier was Irish.

Six authors were new to me.

Three titles were re-reads.

Ugh, now I want a cheeseburger.

>34 scaifea: - It also had candied bacon on it, plus lettuce and red onion. And a brioche bun. And there were tater tots on the side.

Now I'm hungry...

>35 katiekrug: Not helping...

>36 scaifea: - Sorrynotsorry.

>28 katiekrug: sorry about that Wordle, Katie.

Ignoring the cheeseburger discussion ... or trying to.

>38 lauralkeet: - What's for lunch? Apparently, not a cheeseburger!

I had chicken salad on sourdough with sliced cukes and red onion. It was almost as good as last night's dinner...

I have to say that burgers in buns don't float my boat. I have to be in just the right mood for that to work.

Smoked salmon & scrambled eggs for lunch (no toast, trying to reduce the bread intake).
Salmon fillet, mash & vege for tea.
Meal planning needs to step up a notch, methinks.

Well, now I want the cheeseburger.

I love reading through everyone's months stats. So interesting. You had a very good month. I started out strong with the female authors and then ended up with male authors leading by one. Must do better. I can't decide it I want to track genre or not.

>40 Helenliz: - I think your meal planning is on point, Helen! It all sounds delicious.

>41 Crazymamie: - I always read more female authors than male. Not on purpose, it's just how it works out. I have a love-hate relationship with tracking genre, but since I do try to read one book in each every month it seems worth recording.

>39 katiekrug: grilled ham & provolone for me!
But I admit I am about to make brownies.

>43 lauralkeet: - I love grilled ham and cheese!

And brownies, too, of course.

>25 norabelle414: Snort.

Well I'm pleased to hear Katie is able to keep both Captain Wentworth and Levi (I think I'm going to have to start numbering Levis though as Fangirl Levi is definitely a book boyfriend for me).

Mmm, a cheeseburger! I can almost taste it. My lunch today was leftovers from last night - chicken curry with vegetables and rice. It was pretty tasty, but now my mouth wants a cheeseburger in the worst way.

>45 MickyFine: - You can't have my Levi, Micky!

>46 Storeetllr: - So that's dinner sorted for you, then, Mary :)

Your lunch sounds delicious. I love curries.

Maybe tomorrow’s dinner. Tonight’s is hummus with flatbread and tzatziki and maybe some broth. I love curries too, chicken and salmon and shrimp, preferably. My daughter makes curry from scratch, but I’m too lazy. Trader Joe’s Yellow Curry Sauce is my once a week go-to.

>48 Storeetllr: - Dinner sounds good!

We use curry pastes we get at the local Asian market to make curries. We were actually just talking about making one soon, as it's been a while. Maybe this weekend...

Happy Thursday, friends! Busy day today, as TW has rented a U-Haul truck so we can consolidate the two storage units we currently rent (long story). He also wants to take advantage of having the truck to buy a bunch of dry wall for a project he's been planning. Thankfully, he found out a gas station/body shop near us rents the trucks so we don't have to drive to Newark to pick one up. Fun times ahead... *eye roll*

Yesterday was a nice day, topped off by a successful dinner I made using a new recipe (https://www.skinnytaste.com/white-bean-scampi-with-linguine/). It was quick and easy, and we both liked it. Result!



Books:
The Essex Serpent has picked up, and I'm enjoying it, along with the audio of Last Chance Library. I probably won't get much reading or listening time in today.

Viewing:
We watched the last 3 episodes of the first season of 'Jack Ryan.'

Happy new thread!

Good luck with all the moving and lifting today

Morning, Katie! That recipe looks good - I'm always looking for new vegetarian recipes, so I will give it a go.

I must say, anything that involves renting a U-Haul gives me flashbacks of clearing out house-related junk, a task I am sure we will repeat but hopefully not for a long time. Ack. You have my sympathies, Katie.

But then Chelle called it "moving and lifting" and that made me think, if you approach it with that in mind you could call it a workout. Win!

>53 lauralkeet: Great idea, Laura! You should have a great fitness day if all goes well, Katie :)

Good luck with the truck and trunk of junk.

>51 ChelleBearss: - Thanks, Chelle! I survived...

>52 Crazymamie: - I hope you like it, Mamie. I'm also trying to eat more vegetarian meals and am glad this was a winner for us.

>53 lauralkeet: - Thank you, Laura. Moving stuff is probably my least favorite thing to do - it's heavy and dirty, and that, combined with the stress of driving (well, riding in) a big truck make for not a fun day. But it was certainly a workout, so there's that :)

>54 RebaRelishesReading: - I definitely got in an extra workout this week, Reba!

>55 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen! I wish it were only a trunk, but it's done now, so yay for that.

The moving of stuff went fine - we got everything out of the one storage unit in one trip, so that was a win. But it was several pieces of heavy furniture TW's mother gave us when she moved, so it was a lot of work. Moving it into the other unit was easier, as that one is on the ground floor, so we didn't have to negotiate the freight elevator. The worst part of the day was the dry wall/sheet rock - 13 two-packs of the stuff! A nice employee at the store helped load it onto the cart and then into the truck, but he didn't want to come home with us to help unload it (ha!), so I had to help, and that shit is heavy. Luckily, it was just going into the garage, so we didn't have to carry it far. Anyway, it's done and TW is off to return the truck. I've been promised a nice dinner and a large glass (or two) of wine...

>57 katiekrug: Huzzah for a nice reward after doing a job you were dreading!

Mr. Fine took me out on an extra nice dinner date last night to treat me in advance of this weekend when he'll be spending 8-10 hours playing a board game with some of his guy friends in our basement (our house is very open plan so it means I'll be dealing with some level of noise from them most of the day).

>58 MickyFine: - Ha! I just saw your response to me on your thread :)

Very thoughtful of Mr. Fine, for sure.

>59 katiekrug: He's pretty awesome as husbands go. :)

>57 katiekrug: well that sounds like a successful day. Wine and nice dinner most certainly earnt!

You have definitely earned the wine and nice dinner. Every time I get roped into some heavy lifting endeavor, I vow never again. There will come a time when I simply cannot do it, which I hope is none too soon, but I sure do hate it.

>60 MickyFine: - Mine, too :) Lucky us!

>61 Helenliz: - Thank you, Helen. I am feeling rather virtuous now.

>62 lauralkeet: - I'm glad it's not just me, Laura... Of course, part of my aversion to this particular round was that it reminded me of all the stuff he brought from his childhood home that I really don't want and which really doesn't fit - physically or aesthetically! - in our house. So it sits in an expensive storage unit because he's sentimental about it...

Happy new thread, Katie!

Dinner and wine after all that work sounds well-deserved ;)

>33 katiekrug: Excellent stats!

I have the second book Melmoth on my shelf somewhere.

>57 katiekrug: Glad the moving went ok. It sounds like you can skip the gym for the rest of the week.

Enjoy the wine and dinner!

>64 bell7: - Hi Mary and thanks!

>65 figsfromthistle: - Depending on how much I end up liking The Essex Serpent, I might seek out Melmoth...

No skipping the gym! We meet twice a week with a trainer, so it's a firm commitment :)

Hi Katie! Happy Friday to you.

>32 katiekrug: My book boyfriends are Mr. Darcy, the Duke of Avon, his son Vidal from the Alastair-Audley series by Georgette Heyer, and any one of the Bridgerton men. Contemporary men - Jack Reacher, Harry Bosch.

>33 katiekrug: You’re like me – count it when it’s completed. Brava for an excellent January, so take that, patriarchy! With you on that one.

>57 katiekrug: Glad all the truck stuff, consolidation stuff, heavy stuff, and dry-wall stuff are now done, at least for the most part. A nice dinner and glasses of wine are a good reward.

>63 katiekrug: So it sits in an expensive storage unit because he's sentimental about it... We’ve got a bit of that going here, too, although all the crap's here in the house not in an expensive storage unit. Sigh.

Cold and very windy morning here. I don't think it's supposed to warm up much, and tonight the wind chill might dip below 0F. I have a ticket to a performance at the New York Theater Company for tonight, but I might not go. I don't think I'll feel like traipsing through the wind tunnels of the city in the cold. We'll see. I'm supposed to go with my BFF, so I'm hoping she'll just cancel and give me an excuse :)

Gym this morning and then I'm not sure what.

Last night's dinner was nice - we went to a pub and shared a few appetizers, which is my favorite kind of meal.

Books:
As expected, I didn't have much time with them yesterday, but I did manage some audio time while dropping off and picking up the dog at day care, and I read about 20 pages in The Essex Serpent.

Viewing:
Just a college basketball game (TW's alma mater lost, ending their 20 game win streak *sad face*).

>67 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen! You snuck in there while I was posting.

Your book boyfriends - at least the ones I'm familiar with - are excellent choices :)

Dinner was nice last night, and the wine went down a treat.

Yeah, we also have a lot of stuff in our house that doesn't need to be here but TW won't give it up. I was hoping The Flood would be a lesson in not hanging onto stuff, but alas, no.

Morning, Katie! Glad you got the moving of stuff done all in one day. This is why I am so thankful that Daniel still lives in the same city as we do because then I can say, Call Dan.

Hoping you BFF cancels on you - that sounds funny.

Sharing appetizers is my favorite kind of meal, too.

Craig is the same as TW - very sentimental. This is both endearing and annoying. Heh.

>70 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! I sure wish TW had someone he could call on to help with stuff like this. We need a Daniel.

I may just do the canceling and my BFF will probably thank me for it. It was stupid cold out when I let Nuala out.

Endearing and annoying - yes!

>71 katiekrug: We need a Daniel.

I'm sure Mamie would be happy to go over the steps in how she and Craig made a Daniel, Katie. ;-)

>72 rosalita: - SNORK!

How does one summon the stork to the cabbage patch?

>72 rosalita:, 73 *belly laugh* The trick is getting the stork to understand that you want the fully grown one delivered.

>71 katiekrug: I say cancel and let you both off the hook.

>74 Crazymamie: - She just canceled, so it's all good :D

*happy dance*

Indeed!

Ah the deep joy of plans being cancelled. I'm so happy for you. :D

>78 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! The show would have been good, and i'm out $50 now, but between the weather and other (lady) things, I just wasn't feeling it :)

$50 is a small price to stay home and veg. I mean, jammies and wine is always a winning combination.

>80 Crazymamie: - This is very true.

I am already 80+ posts behind again and not even trying to catch up, Katie. I want to wish you a Fantastic Friday and a Wonderful Weekend though!

Happy new thread!

>82 alcottacre: - Thanks, Stasia.

But if you had a Daniel then there might be all the more reason to keep the stuff because Daniel might want it some day...

>79 katiekrug: I so understand! I hope the cozy night in is all you need it to be.

>84 RebaRelishesReading: - Good point, Reba. I guess I'll just continue in my child-free state :)

>85 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky!

Hurray for cancelled plans! It's really cold here, too, so much so that I don't even want to walk the dog. I can't imagine being out on those NYC wind tunnel streets. Enjoy your night in!

>87 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura! I should have a very relaxed evening. The Wayne has a call from 7:00-9:00pm (whaaaaat?) with the legal group he is a part of re: getting dicked over on severence by The Dark Lord of Muskville, but after that, we are hoping to watch a movie. And we are getting pizza for dinner (I wonder who planted that idea in my head....?) :)

Happy weekend! It is currently 0F right now, but I have nowhere to be, so *shrug* Nuala, however, was not super happy about it when I let her out this morning. Very quiet evening last night, as TW was on a long conference call. I thought about watching TV but decided to read instead, so made good progress in my book. I'm not sure what's on the agenda for today - obviously nothing pressing!

Books:
I might finish up The Essex Serpent today, depending on how much reading time I have. I did finish The Last Chance Library on audio yesterday, so I'll start something new today.

Viewing:
Nope

0F? Brr! It's 12F here and that's cold enough, tyvm. Alys shares Nuala's opinion of the weather. I bet you're really glad that you didn't go into the city last night. Stay warm!

I hope you are staying warm & snug, Katie. Yikes! We are back to 40F today, after a frigid one yesterday, so hopefully this warmer weather will be heading East!

>90 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura! I've got no major plans and technically don't even need to leave the house today if I don't want to, so I'll be snug as a bug in a rug :)

>91 msf59: - I think it is supposed to warm up a bit, Mark, so thanks for sending it our way!

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

I can very clearly see in my mind my childhood bookshelf with all the Ramona books neatly lined up together. I was a big Ramona fan, being a pesky little sister myself. This is the first in the series, and Ramona is 4 years old, so a bit of a brat. If I recall correctly, she becomes more interesting as she ages. It was fun to revisit this story, parts of which I remember reading as a kid. Unfortunately, Stockard Channing's narration of the audio was not great. Her voices for Ramona and Beezus were incredibly whiny, with little warmth or charm. I have the entire series on audio in one collection, all narrated by Channing, and I am hoping her reading improves.

3 stars

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

June still lives in her childhood home, unchanged since the death of her mother years ago. She works at the same library her mother did. She does not venture far outside the confines of her small village. She always orders the same thing at the Chinese takeaway. And she never stands up for herself. She is a bit of a doormat. At the beginning of this novel, the June-is-a-drip-stuck-in-a-rut characterization wore real thin, real fast. I didn't like her. It may have taken longer than I would have liked for June to begin to blossom, but when she finally did, I happily settled into this charming story. I loved the portrait of a small town library and its patrons, several of whom provided some nice humor to what could have been a treacly story. The power of libraries, community, and friendship are always themes I am a sucker for, and this book fit the bill nicely.

3.5 stars

Wordle 595 3/6

🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

TRADE, FLINT, UNLIT

Stay warm, Katie. It has been in the single digits all week here, without counting the wind chill, but I think it's supposed to warm up this weekend. It's hard to get enthusiastic about leaving the house for anything.

Too bad the narration is not good for the Ramona books. I need to check to see if Scout has read them.

I am also a sucker for novels about libraries. >94 katiekrug: I'll check this one out.

>96 BLBera: - Hi Beth! I know what you mean about leaving the house (or not). But dummies that we are, we've decided to go see a movie :)

"I'll check this one out." I see what you did there!

We braved the cold yesterday and went to see '80 for Brady' which was not great. I expected more with such a great cast, but the acting was weak and the story predictable. Also, I hate Tom Brady, so *shrug* Still, I always enjoy seeing things in the theater. Afterwards, we stopped for a drink and then came home to order Chinese and watch TW's pick for our movie project. The food was great but I fell asleep an hour into the movie (it was the Soviet version of Solaris). When I woke up a couple of hours later, TW was watching 'Andor' and confessed he had turned the movie off. Heh.

Today will be the usual laundry, menu planning, grocery shopping. I always feel a bit do-less the first Sunday without football...

Books:
I started Don't Want to Miss a Thing on audio, and it's cute so far. Less than 100 pages to go in The Essex Serpent, so I'm going to try to dedicate some solid time to it and finish it up today.

Viewing:
As above.

Morning, Katie! The first Sunday without football always feels weird. I love that even TW turned his movie off - made me laugh.

Hoping Sunday is kind to you.

>99 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! I'm hoping TW won't try to finish the movie - or if he does, he does it without me :)

Yeah, hopefully he wasn't just waiting for you to finish it.

>63 katiekrug: So it sits in an expensive storage unit because he's sentimental about it...
The nostalgia is one of the hardest things to overcome, isn't it? We have in our basement an astonishing amount of "stuff" that Mr. SM cannot seem to move forward on donating or simply throwing out. We're looking at 15+ years of doodads and paperwork that have sat unexamined in boxes.

I believe he's fallen into that trap of feeling it is a connection to long-gone parents. I know that trap well, having taken 10 years (yes, Ten) to deal with my father's belongings. Fortunately 95% of it was historical paperwork which a university archive wanted. The rest was photos I mounted in albums and irrelevant paper-based records that mean nothing to my kids (and now shredded). So yes, it is tough.

Not that you asked, Katie, but two books really got me to look at everything differently and finally helped me to move forward on my decluttering of stuff I'd never known how to decide about what to do:
Unstuff Your Life! and Let It Go. Mellen's book comes with some caveats which I explained in my review (on the book page). Walsh's stories helped me emotionally consider how to move forward. I needed this advice to face the implications of the impulse to hoard. Both Mr. SM and I have that tendency.

>101 Crazymamie: - Fingers crossed!

>102 SandyAMcPherson: - Thanks for that, Sandy. I find it pretty easy to let go of things (other than books, but I'm getting better at that, too). If I thought The Wayne would actually read either of those books, I'd get them, but knowing him as I do, it ain't gonna happen.

Morning Katie. It's laundry day for me too. It's gray and rainy here. We need snow!

I love the movie "project" you and TW are doing. Nice (and probably critical) that you have the option to bail.

I quite liked The Essex Serpent.

>104 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen! I don't mind doing laundry - it's something that makes me feel productive without requiring much of me :)

Sorry about your lack of snow. We don't "need" it, but I'd sure like to have some!

I wish we were more disciplined about the movie project - like did it every weekend without fail, but that's not how we roll, I guess.

TES is good, but it's taking me a while to read it, and I'd like to move on to something else...

Good to see that The Essex Serpent picked up for you, Katie. I have that book languishing on my shelves. I really should pick it out to read soon.

>106 Familyhistorian: - It did drag a bit in the middle, Meg, but it's definitely worth a read.

We're up and about early (for us) here this morning. TW has a doctor's appointment (just routine) at 8:15, and I was awake anyway at 6:00. Not much on the agenda for me today - puttering, tidying, one more load of laundry... Yesterday was similarly quiet, and I managed a lot of book time which was lovely. I made that Nigella Lawson sausage and beans recipe again, and it was just as good as the first time.

Books:
I finished The Essex Serpent and started Like Water for Chocolate. On audio, I'm enjoying Don't Want to Miss a Thing.

Viewing:
After dinner, we watched Sneakers with Robert Redford, which was good fun.

Wordle 597 3/6

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

PENIS, MINTY, NINTH

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

I ended up appreciating this book more than liking it. After a slow start, the story of Cora and Will and assorted friends and family became absorbing, mostly due to the setting in the late 19th century when faith and reason and progress and poverty were engaged in a constant tug-of-war. Perry's characterizations are strong and her descriptions of the environment are exquisite, at times. The tensions among the characters were also well-done, but the pacing of the book failed me. It started slowly, then picked up, then dragged again, and then raced through the finish. Also, there was a lot of religious pondering which I find dull, heathen that I am.

An uneven read for me, but one that I didn't hate and whose merits are apparent.

3.75 stars

>109 katiekrug: Good job on the Wordle-in-3! And a lovely “Christmas tree” shape to your solution!

Karen O

>110 katiekrug: An uneven read that you didn't hate. Hmm, this one has never really called my name and now I can be confident taking a pass on it.

>110 katiekrug: It didn't really float my boat either.

I find the cover rather off-putting so glad I don't have to worry about actually reading it :)

>110 katiekrug: Well, I have that one on the shelves, so I will probably get to it at some point, but I won't hurry. Checked, and I also have it on audio, which I do not remember acquiring. Hm...

>111 klobrien2: - Thanks, Karen!

>112 lauralkeet: - Books like these are always so hard to comment on. I hate to dissuade anyone from it, since it wasn't bad. But if it's not calling to you anyway, you can probably safely skip it!

>113 Helenliz: - Two other friends on other social media basically said the same thing, so I'm glad it's not just me :)

>114 RebaRelishesReading: - I kind of like the cover, but yeah. I'm not sure it would be your cuppa.

>115 Crazymamie: - It could be quite good on audio, I think, if the narrator is skilled.

Good morning, all! I spent a very relaxed day yesterday with lots of reading and puzzling/listening time. Hoping for more of the same today, after our gym session this morning. Trivia tonight!

Books:
I'm really enjoying my current audio (a light romcom by Jill Mansell), as well as my print book, Like Water for Chocolate.

Viewing:
University Challenge, and then we checked out 'Cunk on Earth' on Netflix, and it's hilarious! We watched two episodes and laughed and laughed.

Our TV watching overlapped! UC was excellent -- another nail biter! And we also decided to check out 'Cunk on Earth' and loved it.

Have a great day!

>118 lauralkeet: - Twinning!

Yeah, UC was a fun one. And Cunk is so well done, isn't it?

Wordle 598 3/6

🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

PENIS, LAPEL, APPLE

Happy Tuesday, Katie! Sorry The Essex Serpent wasn't great for you and hope the next books are better.

>120 katiekrug: We took a very different path to get the same result.

>121 bell7: - Hi Mary! No worries about TES - I guess they can't all be winners :)

Re: Wordle, my PENIS really helped me out - HA!

>122 katiekrug: Oh jeez.

Several friends have recommended "Cunk on Earth". I will have to check it out. Have you been watching "Last of Us"?

>123 lauralkeet: - You're welcome!

>124 msf59: - It's so funny, Mark.

'Last of Us' is on our list...

Morning, Katie! Yesterday sounds practically perfect. Mine was good, too.

Sounds like we need to check out Cunk on Earth.

>126 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! I'm glad we both had excellent Mondays :)

Cunk on Earth is very silly and very funny. I hope you like it. I can see it not being everyone's kind of thing, but it's definitely mine!

Hi Katie!

>71 katiekrug: Heh. I’ve got a Jenna, and she’s strong but only weighs about 110 lbs dripping wet, so I need a Daniel, too.

>117 katiekrug: I’ve had Like Water for Chocolate on my shelves since before I joined LT in 2007. If you like it, I might tag it ‘2023 toberead’ to actually put it back into the possible rotation.

>120 katiekrug: Brava. penises are better than adieus. It took me 6.

>128 karenmarie: - Morning, Karen. I'm thinking about finding a handyman to help The Wayne with his drywall project. If I do, I'm calling him Daniel. I don't care what his actual name might be ;-)

I'm enjoying LWFC so far. It's an easy read, but it makes me hungry...

Re: your spoiler, sometimes it depends on the penis. Heh.

Well, duh. It always depends on the penis.

>131 katiekrug: - LOL!

>129 katiekrug:, >130 karenmarie:, >131 katiekrug: OMG you two ...

>122 katiekrug: SNORT!!

>110 katiekrug: Welp, that clinches it. I'm gonna skip the read and just watch Hiddleston in the show.

>132 lauralkeet: - What? *blinks*

>133 RebaRelishesReading: - :)

>134 scaifea: - Good choice, Amber!

Man, we are sucking at trivia tonight. Send smart vibes!

Happy Hump Day! Despite a less than stellar start, we managed to finish trivia in 5th place (14 teams). Today, I need to make a quick grocery run and tidy up for the cleaning lady. I'll also spend time with my books, of course. Baked stuffed potatoes and salad for dinner.

Books:
I finished Like Water for Chocolate and have started Under Our Roof, which is a memoir by a mother and son about his addiction. I heard the mother (also a Congresswoman) speak at our local literary festival last year and immediately bought the book afterwards.

On audio, I am really enjoying Don't Want to Miss a Thing. I sat down yesterday to listen and puzzle for a bit and the next thing I knew, 2.5 hours had gone by. Oops.

Viewing:
Nada

Morning, Katie! Hooray for the Trivia Night save. I'm awaiting your thoughts on Like Water for Chocolate - I loved the magical realism in that but I wanted more from the novel itself.

>138 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! Thanks re: trivia. We had a good final two rounds :)

I agree wiht you about LWFC. I'll try to actually post something about it today.

It feels like spring outside right now, so I figured I'd bring some inside, too. I love it when the grocery store starts having fresh tulips again. And you know my motto: Treat yo'self.

>140 katiekrug: Gorgeous! Tulips are my favorite flower.

>141 Crazymamie: - I should have taken the picture with better lighting. Oh well!

I love tulips too, my favorite flower is probably the peony. Or dahlia. I also love daisies... I really just love fresh flowers :)

Annoying that this took so long, but I love the oh-so-steady progress...

Wordle 599 4/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>142 katiekrug: Just putting in a vote for daffodils. They are like a ray of sunshine fell to earth and put down roots.

>142 katiekrug: I love all of those, too. And red geraniums - those always make me smile. Craig puts big pots of them around the pool every year, and it is very happy making. Tulips don't do well down here because we don't get enough cold for the bulbs. A sadness.

>144 rosalita: - Daffodils are very cheery, Julia! They are not a favorite, but I do love to see them popping up in the spring.

>145 Crazymamie: - That is a sadness. TW planted some tulips in our front yard, but he didn't do enough, so they come up and look awkward and sad. And I forgot to remind him in the fall to throw in a bunch more bulbs to fix it. *sigh*

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival

This story is Tita's, the third daughter of a Mexican family, destined for nothing beyond taking care of her abusive mother. Tita pours all her passion into the food she makes, unable to be with the man she loves. The best part of this book is the food. I wanted to eat everything described. The novel is an interesting mix of family dynamics, magical realism, and recipes. It reads a bit like a fairy tale but is grounded in a specific place and time. Some of the writing was awkward, and I put that down to the translation.

As Mamie said above, the story is a bit thin, and I wanted more. The ending felt rushed. But, oh, the food!

3.5 stars

Excellent review! I completely agree. If you posted it (no pressure), I will add my thumb.

Love the huge bunch of tulips!! I planted about 200 tulip and daffodil bulbs in fall 2021. They were great last spring and are starting to peak their heads up again. I hope we don't miss too much of them while we're gone.

>140 katiekrug: Well done, Mrs Dalloway. I went looking for flowers at my supermarket last week and there was absolutely nothin'. I'll keep checking though. We need an infusion of spring in this house.

>148 Crazymamie: - Thanks, Mamie :)

>149 RebaRelishesReading: - I hope you don't miss them in all their glory, too, Reba!

>150 lauralkeet: - Ha! I still need to read that...

A lot of the bouquets are grocery store does are hideous, but they always have lots of tulips in the spring. I usually get my flowers at TJ's because those are always gorgeous. I haven't been there in ages, though...

Tulips are my second favourite flowers (after daisies, preferably Gerbera). The bright side for your flower beds is that tulip bulbs grow larger from year to year, so your beds will eventually look fuller in a few years (fingers crossed).

>152 MickyFine: - Ah, that's good to know, Micky. Thanks!

I like daisies - what I call wild ones (white with a yellow center). They were my mom's favorite and always make me happy when I see them and think of her.

I love spring flowers. The daffodils outside the mixer shop beside the liquor store were tempting but my hands were full when I left with my wine. There's always tomorrow though and there are green shoots coming out of the ground so spring is almost here.

Enjoying your spring choice of flowers. I agree, they look quite cheerful!

>154 Familyhistorian: - wine > dafffodils!

What's a mixer shop?

>155 figsfromthistle: - Thanks, Anita! They are in a central point of the house, so I pass them often and smile.

Happy Thursday, friends! The cleaning lady is coming this morning, so I'll do a last pass of tidying things in a little bit. TW will take Nuala to daycare and I'll pick her up in the evening. In between, I'll be doing some desk work and relaxing with my books. Virtual happy hour tonight with some former colleagues.

Books:
I DNFed Under Our Roof, as I just couldn't get into it. It was kind of boring and not very well written. In its stead, I picked up The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam. On audio, I finished Don't Want to Miss a Thing, so I'll need to pick a new audio today.

Viewing:
Nothing for me. I opted to work on a puzzle and finish up my audio.

Morning, Katie! I'm interested to see what you think of The Hollow Land - I have that one in the stacks.

>158 Crazymamie: - I'm hoping to finish it today!

>151 katiekrug: I hope not too. Also hope we don't miss the camellias which are at least as early. TJ's does have great flowers including usually daffodils for crazy low prices in the spring.

>160 RebaRelishesReading: - Methinks I need to make a TJ's run. Maybe tomorrow...

TGIF, everyone! This week felt long to me...

Yesterday was good - my house got cleaned, my puzzle got worked on, my book got read... And virtual happy hour was fun. A good day all around.

This morning, we have a gym session and then nothing on the agenda. We might work on organizing the pantry a bit, but that's only if I can motivate TW to help. Or maybe not. If he's involved, he'll be reluctant to toss things. Hmmm....

Books:
I started The Alchemy of Us on audio. No, it's not a romance. It's a "popular" science book by a materials scientist, who I heard speak at a conference. It's interesting so far, and I am learning a lot. In print, I have about 10 pages left of The Hollow Land. After that, I'll start Sam by Allegra Goodman - my hold on it just came in.

Viewing:
Nada again.

Morning, Katie! Sounds like Thursday was productive. I never ask Craig to help with pantry reorganization because he does not want to throw anything out regardless of the date on the packaging. I like to point out that he has had food poisoning more than anyone I know, but he thinks this is somehow unrelated. Heh.

I bet your tv misses you.

Hoping Friday is kind to you.

>163 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! I like TW to help because he's got at organizing things (when he sets his mind to it), and I tend to get frustrated halfway through and just throw everything together. But yeah, I'd like to deep-six a lot of the stuff hanging around. Maybe I'll do that and then ask him to help.

I know, my poor TV. We'll probably watch something tonight...

Have a good Friday yourself!

Hi Katie! Happy Friday to you.

>140 katiekrug: Beautiful tulips, nice arrangement, beautiful setting.

>162 katiekrug: Stealth tossing might not be a bad idea at all. Then the game becomes to see if he notices. *smile*

>166 karenmarie: - Good morning, Karen! Thanks re: the flowers. They make me happy.

Yeah, I think stealth tossing is going to happen. And then I'll have to take the garbage out myself, so he doesn't wonder why it's so heavy *grin*

It's a beautiful day here - already in the 50s. I wish we were having more of a winter, but the sunshine is nice. Nuala is currently lying out in a patch of it on the deck. I feel like I should do something to enjoy it, but the gym made me too tired for a walk... Maybe I'll just put on some sunglasses and go read out there.

>162 katiekrug: Sam is my next book group choice. I think I read Kaaterskill Falls years ago but I have no memory of it (what else is new). Enjoy the few hours of sun!

>169 vivians: - It seems like it will be a quick read, Vivian. I'm only 20 pages or so into it...

ETA: I've not read anything by Goodman before.

Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell

This is a sweet romcom, featuring a high-living bachelor suddenly responsible for a baby, and the neighbor who helps him when he moves from London to a small village. Yes, it's predictable, but it's funny and charming, and you can just see 1990s Hugh Grant playing the male lead in a film of it. There are also some nice secondary stories that add filler to the story.

I listened to the audio of this one, and will look for more.

4 stars

The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam

In this series of linked stories, we meet local boy, Bell, and Harry, whose family is in Cumbria on holiday. The stories follow the adventures of the two boys and their families over the years, with beautiful descriptions of the landscape and a disappearing way of life. There is also Gardam's signature dry humor and keen eye for illuminating details. I just wish there was more...

3.5 stars

>162 katiekrug: >163 Crazymamie: Is that a "guy thing" -- Hubby will save and eat almost anything for any length of time. He doesn't look into the pantry much so it's mostly things in the fridge -- half a potato skin from two weeks ago "don't throw it out, I'll eat it". But, actually, he doesn't ever seem to get sick from things he eats (or maybe I just sneak them into the trash in time)

>173 RebaRelishesReading: - The Wayne thinks sell by dates are a conspiracy. And don't get him started on "best buy" ones, which I sort of agree are kind of silly.

Our fridge is mostly fine, though we have an excess of sauces, but we do use most of them... But our pantry is very narrow and very deep and things easily get lost in there.

I also have a husband who I have to keep an eye on cause he would eat anything without checking how old it is! He also never throws leftovers away - but puts them in the fridge for "later". Often 'later' never comes and I end up throwing the stuff away anyway. I know that I probably err on the side of caution but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

>110 katiekrug: I'm impressed you only found the religiouds pondering dull. I was irked by it because it never got past its assumptions that the religion was True at base. Ick.

Period appropriate but I'm very not 19th century safe.

Slowly venturing around, visited here to be sure the new thread stays on my radar. Stay well, he exhorted with feeling brcause recovery in the time of La Rona stinks. Another thing to overcome.

Morning Katie! I was just perusing Mamie's thread where you mentioned ham and cheese stuffed potatoes. Do you have a go-to recipe? I have a bunch of leftover ham in the freezer and am always up for ideas on how to use it.

Our approach to Use by dates is rather different. He think they're rules, I'm rather more blase. Hope the pantry sorting went by amicably.

>175 DeltaQueen50: - I'm with you, Judy - better safe than sorry!

>176 richardderus: - I'm so pleased to see you "out and about," RD.

>177 lauralkeet: - Morning, Laura! Here's what I do (no formal recipe, as I just recreated what I remember my mom doing):

- Bake the potatoes
- Slice potatoes in half longways and scoop out the innards. Leave a bit around the edges to hold the shape.
- Mix in some butter and a little sour cream until smooth and fluffy.
- Add whatever you want - I use shredded cheddar and finely diced ham (I actually usually use canned ham but I couldn't find any).
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Spoon filling back into potatoes. They'll be "heaping."
- Sprinkle more cheese on top and put back in the oven to melt the cheese and warm the filling through.

Obviously, you can add other stuff if you want - green onions, bacon bits, etc.

Let me know if you try it! Not the healthiest recipe, but.....

>178 Helenliz: - Even with all our different approached, we're all still alive, so that's got to count for something :)

Happy Saturday, friends! Very bright and sunshine-y here, but windy and chilly. I think it's supposed to be unseasonably warm again, though.

Yesterday was good. I cleaned out a bunch of stuff from the pantry, and TW stayed in his office, emerging only once to get a drink and muttering, "Don't look" to himself as he passed the trash can. Ha! I then put things back nice and neatly and basically ignored the back half of every shelf, so it's pretty empty but at least things won't get lost. Very pleasing. I didn't take a before picture, but here it is now.



We went out for an early dinner (fish and chips for me!) and then came home to watch some TV.

Today will be relaxed, though I need to do some menu planning and the laundry, since I won't be around much to do it tomorrow. I also need to lay in supplies for our Super Bowl watching (it's the one time a year I let myself have cheese puffs!). Tonight, we are going to a beer fest at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. I got tickets for TW for Christmas. It's a pain in the ass to get to, since we don't want to drive, but I'm sure it will be fun. At least for him - I'm not much of a beer drinker.

Books:
I'm enjoying Sam and The Alchemy of Us.

Viewing:
My movie pick, and I went with Rear Window, thanks to a lot of recent talk on Mamie's thread. I'd seen it before but didn't remember much about it, and TW had never seen it. We both enjoyed it. Then we watched 3 episodes of 'Cunk on Earth,' which I think is better experienced in smaller doses, but it was fun.

>179 katiekrug: Mmmm, that sounds tasty Katie! Great job with the pantry, too. I cleaned and reorganized our garden shed yesterday -- a very similar exercise to your pantry reshuffle. It's very satisfying!

>181 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura! Now I need to tackle the other "pantry" - shelves in our storage room where we keep a lot more stuff... But that's out of sight, out of mind for the most part. Until I can't find something. Heh.

This was pleasing...

Wordle 602 3/6

⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

PENIS, LEMUR, DEBUG

But this was even more so:

#Yeardle #326.04166666667
🟩🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔨🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
https://histordle.com/yeardle/

>173 RebaRelishesReading: This is Craig! The Girls had to make him promise to stop eating out of the countertop compost bin because he is a complete nutter.

Morning, Katie! Happy Saturdayness. Ours is gray and overcast, just like I like it with rain coming.

Love the sounds of your twice baked potato - YUM!

I recently watched Rear Window too and I consider it one of Hitchcock's best. I could also stare at Grace Kelly for hours. I am still deciding how much I like "Cunk on Earth". Sometimes it really annoys me and other times, I get a belly laugh. Just 2 eps in. Do you remember the Da Ali G show, with Sasha Baron Cohen? I think he did it much better.

>184 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie! Glad you are getting some of your preferred weather :)

The potatoes are great. I'll make them again soon, I think.

>185 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! Grace Kelly is gorgeous. Every time she came on screen, TW said, "HELLO!" I love her clothes in the film, too...

I understand what you mean about Cunk on Earth. The humor can wear thin, but then she comes out with a great line, and I nearly pee my pants laughing. We finished it up. I think I liked the second episode best...

My favourite Grace Kelly film is High Society, which is a musical adaptation of The Philadelphia Story. Again, all her costumes are gorgeous and she wore her real engagement ring in the film (IIRC it was the last film she made before marrying Prince Rainier). Plus Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong are all in it too.

>187 MickyFine: - I know I saw that as a teenager, but I don't remember anything about it. I'll look for it.

I love her in To Catch a Thief....

>180 katiekrug: So thats how an organized pantry is supposed to look like! Heh.

I have been slowly organizing my walk in closets. Trying everything on and making different piles. The closet is looking empty but now there is room to fill it with new goodies :)

Happy weekend!

>189 figsfromthistle: - It probably won't stay that way for long, Anita!

Oof, closets. We have lots of them, but they are all small, so things end up spread out and in weird places. It's very annoying.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Morning, Katie! One of the things I love about our current house is that the master bedroom is HUGE, and it has two equal sized walk-in closets, so Craig and I each have our own space. The Deep South is weird and so no coat closets, which I really miss. I know it doesn't snow down here, but you still need a place to keep all of the rain gear.

Good work on the pantry, and you were so smart to just leave the back space empty - those are indeed very deep shelves. Our pantry has to share space with the laundry, which is not horrible but also not ideal.

Hello, friends! We had a good day yesterday - lots of relaxing and then we went to the beer fest. We ended up driving, because I don't much like beer so I knew I'd be able to drive home :) It was a cool set-up in a science museum, so there was stuff to look at in between tastings. They had a big line-up - over 50 breweries, mostly local and semi-local. (Mark's probably the only one interested, but the line-up is here, if you scroll down: https://www.brewsology.com/jerseycity).

Today, I'm going to a friend's birthday get-together at a distillery, funnily enough very close to where we were last night - I could have just slept in the car! Another friend is picking me up and then she'll either bring me home or I'll get a Lyft. And then TW and I will be watching the Super Bowl, mostly hoping for a good game, but with a slight bias towards the chief because ew, Eagles (rival of my team).

Books:
Really liking Sam by Allegra Goodman, and I'm almost done with The Alchemy of Us, which is also good. I'm also almost done with my current jigsaw puzzle, so I'm going to try to finish off both this morning.

Viewing:
Nope

>191 Crazymamie: - I miss the walk-in closets we had in Dallas (maybe the only thing I miss - heh). Our master has two closets, but neither is walk-in, and one is only single-sized. I use the 4th bedroom in the attic as a dressing room - it has two double closets and my dressers and shoes and all that are up there. It's kind of a pain, but doable.

We have more pantry shelves down on the ground floor where the laundry is, but in a separate room. That's the part of the house that got flooded, and things are still at sixes and sevens (don't ask) but we can keep canned goods and stuff down there, which helps.

Sounds like a fun evening and fun day ahead, too. Despite having lived in Eagles territory for most of my adult life, I don't really care who wins and respect your right to diss them.

If your pantry is so deep, you might consider pull-out trays or clear boxes, putting like or reserve stuff behind the same. Or stuff like paper goods?

>194 lauralkeet: - LOL, Eagles fandom is The Worst so I'm glad you don't count yourself among them ;-)

>195 ffortsa: - Hi Judy - yeah, we have bins we use - you can kind of see them in the photo. I was going to look into getting some pull-out trays, but we want to eventually re-do the kitchen, so I don't want to make a huge effort.

>192 katiekrug: Super Bowl solidarity, though I'll be mostly putting it on as background noise and reading, while checking to see if I won anything on the work Super Bowl squares.

Re: Eagles fandom, when I was at the game with my brother and dad, my bro was mocking the people around us seeing the fight song asking them if they could also spell "Philadelphia".

>197 bell7: - My best friend and her family went to a NY-Philly game in Philly when she was little and she was traumatized by the Philly fans verbally abusing them. She was about 8 years old...

Welcome to Monday! Yesterday was a good day - the distillery was really cool, and I'll definitely be going back with The Wayne some time. They had a jazz band playing, tasty cocktails, and a very chill vibe. Once I got home, we watched some pre-game coverage and started eating. It was a relaxed time, and we enjoyed the game.

Today I need to run to the store to pick up a few things TW forgot yesterday (he lost the shopping list somewhere between our house and the produce aisle :-P ). I also want to stop in at the homemade candy place to get him some of their amazing peanut butter cups for Valentine's Day. Other than that, I'll be tidying up the kitchen, spending time with my books, and maybe doing some writing. Tuscan farro soup for dinner tonight.

Books:
I am almost done with Sam and should finish it this morning. Not sure what will be next, but probably a romance in honor of Valentine's Day. Yesterday, I finished The Alchemy of Us on audio, so I need to choose a new book to listen to.

Viewing:
Just the Super Bowl. Good game, lame ads.

Hi Katie! Happy Monday to you.

>171 katiekrug: es, it's predictable Almost all romances are predictable. The ones that aren’t are usually the ones with two good suitors, but I like the predictability and actually crave it these days. 🙄

>173 RebaRelishesReading: There’s a book of Gardam’s stories, The Stories of Jane Gardam that I just brought into the Sunroom, haven’t read it yet. The stories are not identified as groupings. It’s in Kindle form on Amazon for $11.99. I don’t know if it includes the stories in The Hollow Land. If you still have this book available could you list one or two of the stories so I can see if they’re included? I can’t seem to find a list of the stories in The Hollow Land.

>174 katiekrug: Jenna told me just this morning that she saw something on one of her feeds about Himalayan Pink Salt being used for thousands of years yet showing a label with an expiration date. *smile* I agree with TW about some expiration dates, just not very many for food. “Best By” dates are different, and I always keep them for a while. Once we get to 6 months or a year though, they’re out of here.

>179 katiekrug: Your recipe is basically my twice-baked potatoes, although I always make them the same ‘cuz we like predictability. I mix in butter, S&P, a bit of milk just like for mashed potatoes, and some mozzarella cheese. I then use more mozzarella on top and get ‘em warmed and the cheese melted and lightly browned in about 15 minutes or so.

>180 katiekrug: Congrats on getting the pantry cleaned out! and TW stayed in his office, emerging only once to get a drink and muttering, "Don't look" to himself as he passed the trash can. Awww, how cute.

>200 karenmarie: - Happy Monday, Karen!

Yes about romances. They need to have a HEA; the interesting part is how it gets there, of course.

I'm trying to remember some titles from The Hollow Land, as I'm too lazy to go downstairs and take it off the shelf to look. Let's see - one was "Bell and Harry" and another was called "The Egg-Witch." And the last one was something like "Tomorrow's Arrangements." I just saw that THL is on sale for Kindle for $1.99.

I'm going to try to be more disciplined in not letting things sit around much beyond a few months after their date (pantry items, I mean, not perishable refrigerator type things...).

Mozzarella, eh? I mostly only like mozz on pizza or baked pasta things. It doesn't have enough flavor for me...

TW is very cute. Most of the time.

Morning, Katie! I agree with your Super Bowl summary. The ads were very disappointing.

The distillery trip sounds fun. Sorry that The Wayne lost the grocery list.

Yes to romances. I need to pick up one soon.

>202 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie!

I suggest picking up something by Kate Clayborn for your romance itch, if you want to go contemporary. She's my absolute favorite right now.

>203 katiekrug: Thanks for that. Trying to decide contemporary or historical...

>204 Crazymamie: - For some reason, historicals haven't been great for me lately. But Tessa Dare is always reliable. Have you read her "Girl Meets Duke" series? I love those. There are 3, with a 4th expected.

This made me laugh.

>206 katiekrug: Ha!

I have read some Tessa Dare - I'll have to check about that series. Thanks!

>198 katiekrug: 😬 that's awful. My dad refused to take me to an away game in Philly when I was a kid.

Anyway, hope today is a good one.

One of my nephews went to an Eagles/Vikings game in Philly and was assaulted, so, yeah, the Philly fans are obnoxious.

>207 Crazymamie: - I think you'd like it. It's full of humor.

I just started Romancing the Duke by Dare. It's the first in the "Castles Ever After" series.

>208 bell7: and >209 BLBera: - I do feel the need to point out that there are some lovely people who are Eagles fans, of course. And the teams I support have not-nice fans, too. But yeah, in general, I think especially native Philly fans are among the most obnoxious.

>210 katiekrug: I have that one in the stacks - I read and enjoyed Do You Want to Start a Scandal?, which is book 4 in that series and book 5 in the Spindle Cove series. I loved Any Duchess Will Do, which is book 5 in the Spindle Cove series. Apparently, I just read randomly in here series?! I have no idea.

My Daniel is among the lovely Eagles fans, but of course he is a Hoosier by birth. Heh.

>210 katiekrug: - I don't usually feel the need to read romance series in order, personally. I loved Any Duchess Will Do and think I've read one other in the Spindle Cove series, also out of order. I read the Girl Meets Duke series out of order too.

Daniel was, of course, one of the Eagles fans I was thinking of :)

Compared to other large cities, Philadelphia has both low educational attainment and low income, and this has a marked influence on the culture. Not all Philly sports fans are awful, but there is a certain combination of "we are awful but we don't care" accompanied by a chip on the shoulder, which some long-time residents take pride in. It is prevalent enough to give Philly sports a bad name.

ETA: Hi Katie!!

>213 lauralkeet: - Boston has a similar chip on the shoulder, I think. I don't know about it's educational attainment and income stats, though. But for Philly and Boston, it must be hard being cities so close and overshadowed by The Greatest City in the World ;-)

>199 katiekrug: Cool! It's always great to find a new place that feels comfortable. Good jazz is always a bonus.

Happy Tuesday!

>215 figsfromthistle: - Good morning, Anita! I do like discovering new places; I am not so good about getting back to them :-P

Hi all - not much to report here (not that I ever do...). Yesterday was fine - did what I need to do, relaxed a bit, made a good dinner, etc. etc. Today is the gym and then some admin-y stuff. Trivia tonight.

Books:
I started Romancing the Duke on my Kindle. It's a historical romance by Tessa Dare. On audio, I started His Favorites by Kate Walbert.

Viewing:
University Challenge and an episode of 'From Scratch.'

Hi Katie! University Challenge was a bit of a rout last night, wasn't it? I didn't realize the second round was nearly complete: just one more match and then we'll be in the quarter finals. I'm looking forward to seeing some of my favorite teams again.

Have a great day!

>192 katiekrug: Wow! The Brewsology Beer Fest sounds great. What a cool idea. Most of these breweries must be from the East Coast, because I had not heard of them. Starting at 8pm is bit late for me. We do very few beer fests these days. They are expensive and just too much drinking.

We also like a good distillery.

>218 lauralkeet: - That Southampton team is GOOD! We are really enjoying following the competition.

>219 msf59: - We got the early-bird tickets, so it started at 7pm for us and we were done by 9:30. I didn't realize it, but you could buy a cheaper "Designated Driver" ticket - wish I had done that! Anyway, it was fun. I've never heard The Wayne say, "I'm beered out..."

ETA: They were mostly Jersey breweries, with a few from PA, CT, etc.

>217 katiekrug: Based on my review, I enjoyed Romancing the Duke, so I hope you do too. :)

>221 MickyFine: - I am so far!

Morning, Katie! I love that we are both reading Tessa Dare. I think we also had very similar yesterdays.

Morning, Katie! I am battling TW in LL today — a very hard set of questions to defend against him!

>223 Crazymamie: - Morning, Mamie!

Well, it was Monday so one can't expect much. I'm happy if I avoid disaster :)

>224 rosalita: - I shall be as Switzerland and remain neutral.

*whispers*
Go Julia! Go Julia!

>225 katiekrug: :-D

"I'm happy if I avoid disaster." Same.

>226 rosalita: - Just don't tell...

>227 Crazymamie: - You taught me well!

Today's Dordle made me laugh. The two words were SHAFT and SEMEN.

Dordle?

>228 katiekrug: *Grin*

>229 katiekrug: Oh. My. Word. LOVE that!

>230 RebaRelishesReading: - It's like Wordle but with two words simultaneously. There are lots of such games.

https://dordle.online/

>231 Crazymamie: - IKR?!?

>232 katiekrug: Ah, thank you -- I should get out of my box and go look for things like that I suppose but not right now for sure.

Hiya Double Entendre Dordle-woman".

Have the loveliest early-spring day!

>233 RebaRelishesReading: - I don't know about "should," Reba. 'Tis just a game. I don't play every day, just when the mood strikes.

>234 richardderus: - I'm still mad about this weather, but I shall endeavor to enjoy it, just for you. *smooch*

The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another by Ainissa Ramirez

This was an engaging look at several inventions and scientific breakthroughs which fundamentally changed how people lived and experienced the world. From a new mode to keep time to steel rails to silicon chips, Ramirez mixes the science with actual stories to illustrate how these advances changed people's ways of life, for both good and ill. Some of the science went a bit over my head, even though it was dumbed down for the lay reader, but I understood enough to appreciate the points she was making. The audio was a nice companion while I worked on a jigsaw puzzle ("Cocktails Across America" - much more my area of expertise!).

4 stars

Sam by Allegra Goodman

I don't know quite how to describe this novel. Most reviews call it a "coming of age novel," which it is, but there are so many of those and this one is different. I can't articulate exactly how, but Sam is such a great character and the journey we follow her on from 7 years old to 19 is compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring. She's a character who often frustrates the reader, but one never loses sympathy for her. I know she will stay with me for a long time.

4.25 stars

>237 katiekrug: Glad to hear this - I'm looking forward to it.

>238 vivians: - I hope you like it as much as I did, Vivian!

Good morning! I had a lovely sleep last night and could have kept going except the dog decided to come clickety-clack into the room to check on us. I really need to get a rug... Anyway, I've got coffee in hand so all is not lost. Last night's trivia was not great - we ended up tied for 8th of 17 teams. We had a really slow start, as we often do because we suck at music, but managed to finish quite strong. Anyway, it was fun, and the MC took requests for Valentine's Day songs, so I got to belt out The Wayne's and my song :)

I don't have much to do today, but I am hoping to make some progress on some organizational projects. We still have a ginormous box of DVDs sitting in the dining room that I need to sort and find places for. We are having a little social get-together a week from Friday, and I'd rather not have that box in the way. Other than that, some reading and puzzling will surely happen. The Wayne is making Ants in Trees for dinner tonight - yum!

Books:
I should finish up my audio today (it's short), and if I get some solid reading time, it's conceivable I could also finish up my (e-)print book. We shall see.

Viewing:
Nothing.

>235 katiekrug: We're getting April weather, and I'm not thrilled about that, but it is pretty! Just at the wrong time.

>240 katiekrug: Sorry about your trivia result but glad you got to celebrate the Day with "your song". Made me think, I don't think Hubby and I have anything you could call "our song" -- after 34 years of marriage maybe we should figure one out :)

>241 richardderus: - It is lovely out, I just want some winter. Ah well. Still beats summer :)

>242 RebaRelishesReading: - I count our wedding reception "first dance" song as our song, Reba, but the runner-up is our recessional song after the ceremony.

The former: https://youtu.be/6zN4_7hq77g
The latter: https://youtu.be/acvIVA9-FMQ?t=48

Thanks for the links. I didn't know either of those songs but I really like "Lucky" -- perfect choice (and maybe I'll suggest to Hubby that we adopt it as "ours" too) :) We were married on Kauai (in the chapel that appeared in Elvis' Blue Hawaii) and had music by a Hawaiian guitarist. Cake and champagne afterwards with the couple who "stood up" with us. Not really anything to be "our" song.

>243 katiekrug: We left the church to Widor's Toccata & Fugue. Not exactly a danceable tune, nor one the DJ is likely to have to hand! And we had a Cèilidh at the reception, so no first dance (phew!). The first dance may well have been to something as random as Paddy McGinty's Goat - I really don't remember.

Widor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px-KGmXWezo
It's not trivial, the organist was vetted on their ability to perform!

>244 RebaRelishesReading: - I'm happy to share :)

My other "The Wayne and me" song is "All of Me" by John Legend, because it's so honest and really captures how I feel about a good relationship. If it had been around when we got married, I might have chosen it for the first dance...

>245 Helenliz: - Thanks for the link! I love the start of it and can just imagine it as the perfect recessional from a church. No church here - we got married on the front porch of an old house :)

Hi Katie! Finally repaying your visit to my thread. I love pub trivia but my husband HATES it, so I have to find my trivia companions elsewhere :) Luckily I have plenty of friends who enjoy it! You hit me with a BB for Georgie All Along :)

>247 curioussquared: - Hi Natalie! And thanks for coming by!

If you ever find yourself in Northern New Jersey, we'll take you to pub trivia with us. We play every Tuesday night.

I hope you like GAA - I can't imagine anyone not being charmed by it :)

I must not have a romantic bone in my body because I have absolutely no idea what music was played at our wedding. Heh. Craig's and my song is Take My Breath Away by Berlin, which has a very funny story behind it. Craig and I started dating the summer after my freshman year of college - I had just turned 19. We were both back at campus early for different reasons - Craig was an RA and I was on the move-in squad that helps freshman move in. (Freshmen got to move in the week before returning students and they had a bunch of orientation stuff going on. Anyway, we had dated over the summer, but Craig forgot that I was returning early. There was a campus dance that everyone back on campus was invited to, and my roommate and I attended. Roommate had been dating a friend of Craig's. So first dance and these morons ask two different girls who were standing like four feet away from us to dance. Craig says they did not see us, and had forgotten we would be back to campus early. Mmhmm. Roommate and I asked two different guys to dance and then left after that. The song? Yep. You Take My Breath Away by Berlin. Craig's and my first dance as a couple, but we did not dance it together. Heh.

>246 katiekrug: that looks lovely.
Here's ours.

>249 Crazymamie: - I love that story, Mamie! Thanks for sharing it.

The first song The Wayne and I ever danced to was "Brown Eyed Girl." It was at the wedding of the daughter of a co-worker of his a month or so after we started dating. It can't be our song, though, because I have blue eyes. Heh.

>250 Helenliz: - Oh, that's gorgeous, Helen. Grand without being overwhelming or impersonal.

>243 katiekrug: Lovely choices each. Mraz's duet says it all, doesn't it?

>253 richardderus: - Thanks, RD! I think that the fact that they both still speak to me means they were good choices :)

Our first dance song (which is as close to an "our song" as it gets, I think) was instrumental: Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade

Like both of your choices, Katie.

>255 MickyFine: - Oh, classic! I love it.

Happy Almost-Friday! I had a good day yesterday with lots of book time and I even accomplished what was on my To Do list. Granted, there were only two things but still... It also turned into a Double Book Turnover Day, which is always fun. And I started organizing the DVDs. Currently, I'm in a holding pattern until The Wayne goes through his to see if any can be donated. I'm not sure he needs two copies of the director's cut of Das Boot?

Today, I have a couple of appointments to make (online! no phone calls!) including one for a hair cut because we've reached the point where it's annoying me. Ha! The weather continues to be crazy - it was 62F yesterday. WTH? Anyway, I waited too long to book Nuala for day care and they were full, so I think I'll take her to the dog park to work off some energy. Pasta for dinner.

Books:
I finished both His Favorites and Romancing the Duke yesterday and began Darling Jim in print and A Room with a View on audio. I've read the latter before but felt like revisiting it.

Viewing:
We watched the first two episodes of 'Full Swing' on Netflix - it's about professional golf, by the producers of 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' and just as interesting.

PSA
The next book in the Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty will be released in August! Woot!

Sweet Thursday, Katie. I wanted to stop by and warble about a show, I just started- "Single Drunk Female". Have you heard of it? It has been really good. A perfect balance of comedy and drama.

ETA- Ooh, Das Boot. I should do a rewatch of that one. Great film. Hooray for a new Sean Duffy. I hope to read one or two more before years end.

>258 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! I haven't heard of that one, but I will check it out. Thanks!

>257 katiekrug: Hi Katie! I had a haircut yesterday so we are once again twinning. Sort of.

About the next Sean Duffy: will that be book 7? Just wanna update my spreadsheet ...

Morning, Katie! I love A Room With a View.

"I'm not sure he needs two copies of the director's cut of Das Boot? " This made me laugh.

I'm doing the happy dance about a new Sean Duffy coming out in August! Most exciting!

>260 lauralkeet: - Morning, Laura! Yes, it's #7, titled The Detective up Late. Weirdly, when I put the title in brackets, the touchstone that comes up is "Cold Water" by Adrian McKinty which LT lists as #7 in the series. I wonder if the title was changed?

>261 Crazymamie: - I love ARwaV, too, Mamie! Also the film.

With the new one coming out, I can finally read #6. I had been saving it....

You will LOVE #6. I might have to re-listen my way through the series just for fun before the new one comes out. I would guess (and hope) that the title to the upcoming one will be Cold Water because so far all the other titles have been Tom Waits songs. Please don't disappoint me now, Mr, McKinty!

>263 Crazymamie: - Someone asked McKinty on Twitter if "Detective Up Late" is a Tom Waits song, and he said "What do you think?" Heh. I looked it up. It's a lyric from "Bad as Me" apparently.

>264 katiekrug: Oh, interesting! Well then maybe that would be the better title since "Police at the stationed they don't look friendly" is one of the lyrics in Cold Water.

>265 Crazymamie: - The man is certainly committed to his theme!

>266 katiekrug: *grin* LOVE Tom Waits, so I am totally onboard.

>267 Crazymamie: - I don't know Waits' music that well, but I do appreciate the unique titles for sure.

New thread!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/348686#