MickyFine Is in the Corner Reading, Thread 2

I'm Micky, 37 years old, librarian, and generally bookish nerd. I usually have a good mix of reads going on every year with strong doses of romance, sff, historicals, and a dash of non-fiction. I'm largely kicking around without any goals this year beyond a list of 12 books off my own shelves that I want to (re)read. We'll see where my reading mood takes me!

I do my best to be chatty on my own thread and in addition to my reading, I'll also discuss highlights of my craft projects (check out my NeedleArts thread if you like more details), board games, what we're watching, and general life goings on often featuring my husband, Mr. Fine, and our two cats, Ash and Smee. Posters and lurkers alike are welcome.

January
1. Word to the Wise - Jenn McKinlay
2. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (adapted by Anna Lyse Erickson)
3. No Words - Meg Cabot
4. The Hooktionary - Brenda K.B. Anderson
5. The Confession of Henry Jekyll, M.D. - David Rambo
6. The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
7. Ten Thousand Stitches - Olivia Atwater
8. A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas
9. Like, Literally, Dude - Valerie Fridland
10. The Road to Roswell - Connie Willis
11. Fantastic Four: Whatever Happened to the Fantastic Four? - Ryan North et. al.
Favourite(s):


February
12. The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
13. Longshadow - Olivia Atwater
14. A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas
15. The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood (re-read)
16. The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
17. The Imaginary Corpse - Tyler Hayes
Favourite(s):


March
18. A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas
19. At First Spite - Olivia Dade
20. The Untold Story - Genevieve Cogman
21. The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan
22. Squirrel Girl: Universe - Tristan Palmgren
23. A Court of Frost and Starlight - Sarah J. Maas
24. Other Birds - Sarah Addison Allen
25. The True Love Experiment - Christina Lauren
Favourite(s):

April
26. An Unexpected Peril - Deanna Raybourn
27. Cat + Gamer Vol. 4 - Wataru Nadatani
28. Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe - Carla Larueano
29. Teach Me - Olivia Dade
30. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
31. A Cup of Silver Linings - Karen Hawkins
32. Cat Massage Therapy - Haru Hisakawa
33. Novel Advice - Jay Bushman
Favourite(s):

May
Favourite(s):

June
Favourite(s)

My rating system:

/ = Ran screaming in the other direction (aka did not finish)
* = Suffered through it for reasons I'm still not sure of
** = Had far more flaws than virtues
*** = A read I don't regret but could use some improvement
**** = A good, solid read that I might revisit
***** = Loved it beyond reason and will probably re-read in short order

My only goal for myself this year is to read these books off my own shelves. I'll be aiming for one a month but we'll see how it goes.

From My Shelves
The Galaxy and the Ground Within
Any Duchess Will Do (re-read)
Lost in a Good Book (re-read)
The Love Hypothesis (re-read)
Molly of the Mall (re-read)
Babel
The Switch
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (re-read)
To Say Nothing of the Dog (re-read)
The Dark Is Rising
The Golden Key (DNF)
Squirrel Girl Universe

This thread is officially open for business. And as an opening topic, sound off on whether you are also getting this latest blast of winter we're getting in my neck of the woods or whether spring is starting to arrive for you?

Book 18



As the High Lady of the Night Court, Feyre faces her greatest challenge yet as all of the courts must face the oncoming invasion force of Hybern.

The politics and worldbuilding are still on display here and the plot continues to keep me interested enough. There are a few character moments here that I cared about but I'm still sending a lot of snarky texts to my friend as I read. Enough plot threads are wrapped up here that depending on how much you care, you could stop the series here and feel satisfied. I'll continue my journey with series, while likely being just as snarky about it as ever.

Rating: ***

Happy new thread, Micky!

I'm slightly interested in some of your snarky thoughts 😁

What's been going on lately: Hmm, what has been happening lately? I had a full week at work last week with a lot of the usual tasks. It felt a little extra quiet as my manager was off sick 3 days and then had Friday off.

The proposal vote I spent a couple weeks last month discussing was approved by the Labour Board, so city members of the union started voting on that today (the vote ends Thursday afternoon). There are things planned for after that vote (provided it goes the way the union hopes) that were outlined in the union meeting I attended last night, but I can't discuss them publicly yet. I'll likely have a bigger update on the strike front next week.

I went to craft circle for the first time in a little while last Monday night and plan to attend this evening as well. When stress levels are high, I don't always feel like peopling (even virtual peopling) but its always lovely to see what everyone in the group is working on.

Date night last week was lovely and included a visit to one of those weird restaurants that does a little bit of everything (and a lot of fusion foods) but that is very tasty. I had their beef deep with garden salad, which was delicious and then Mr. Fine and I walked over to the nearby ice cream shop where I had watermelon ice cream with Nerds mixed in (in a cone).

I've had a long weekend this weekend as I had an EDO today. Saturday was church, followed by a worship committee meeting to discuss Easter plans, and then a chill afternoon and evening at home. We got a decent dump of snow from Saturday through Sunday morning (probably 6-8 centimeters?) that necessitated shoveling twice. Sunday morning my friend A came over for breakfast and then we watched a few episodes of A Discovery of Witches while trash talking it (as usual). In the afternoon, Mr. Fine and I started the annual spring cleaning. We tackle one room/space per weekend for most of March and April, which takes a little longer but makes it seem more doable when you're only doing one room. This weekend we tackled our bedroom and closet. In the evening was the aforementioned union meeting, which sent my stress levels up significantly (I had a stress dream about it last night and was awake well before the alarm this morning - boo).

Today was my EDO and Mr. Fine played hooky so we could have fun day hanging out together. We went out for breakfast to one of our favourite places and then ran a few errands. Went shopping for a new winter coat for Mr. Fine as the zipper on his old coat gave up the ghost on Friday. He had amazing luck as his coat was on end of season clearance, with another discount on top of that because it was on clearance. So he got a new coat for less than $50. I picked up wind/rain pants at the same place (full price, le sigh) because with... things, I want to make sure I'm equipped for being outside for long stretches. Then we popped by a local charity shop to drop off some clothes donations. Afterwards we headed into town as my watch needed a new battery and there's only 3 Fossil stores in my area. Sadly the face on my watch shattered while they were changing the battery. Because it happened while they were working on it, I had my choice of having it sent for repair or getting to pick any watch in store as an exchange replacement. So I got a new watch and it's pretty. Then we headed home where I did a bit of crafting and then we played a board game.

What I'm crafting: I officially finished the sweater today! It's currently drying after being handwashed and, while I'm bummed out by the cold weather we're currently having, I'm delighted that it means I can wear my new sweater before it goes in storage for the spring/summer. Next up will be a cross-stitch project which will probably go on the wall in the guest room.

What we're watching: Started season 5 of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which are the new to us episodes), continuing our viewing of season 3 of Castle, season 2 of X-Files, season 14 of Supernatural (I'm feeling pretty meh about this one at this point), season 2 of The Muppet Show, and we're nearly finished the first season of Only Murders and season 3 of DS9. This weekend's double feature was Rocky V and the animated Beauty and the Beast (the Disney movie I watched repeatedly as a child and still love).

My current read is At First Spite and while I've only read the prologue and the first chapter, it's off to a solid start.

>8 bell7: Lol. I can PM them to you if you truly want to see my live reactions.

>10 MickyFine: I would love that, actually 😂

Happy new thread, Micky!!

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Micky.

I'm sorry for all the stress you're experiencing related to the union.

Wow, what a great update! The union situation has take a long time, with lots of uncertainty. I can see how that would be stressful. Mr Fine's new coat was quite a find. Plus you finished your sweater, and have a brand new watch! All good things to offset the stress, which I hope resolves to your satisfaction.

Happy new thread! We had some snow here over the weekend, but yesterday it was unseasonably warm, so I put out some deck furniture and sat outside for half an hour.

That is some impressive incompetence for a watch store to shatter the face while changing the battery! I'm glad you got a new watch out of it.

Happy new thread! Sorry the union stuff is stressful. Congrats on the clearance coat -- I love a good bargain!

I also meant to say, we are getting very spring-like weather here. Hope it comes your way soon!

I have crossed everything I can that the vite goes the union way...and new-thread orisons, Micky.

>11 bell7: Snort. I'll work on it.

>12 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

>13 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Figs.

>14 katiekrug: Thanks for the sympathies, Katie.

>15 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I'm glad you enjoyed the update. I promise photos of the sweater as soon as it finishes drying (I'm hoping to wear it tomorrow as it was still damp this morning.

>16 _Zoe_: Bright side of the prairies is that even if it's cold, it's often sunny so if I can find a good window spot, I can still soak up some sun (my cats and I may all jockey for spots in the sun some days 🤣). And to be fair to the watch place, there was a chip/small feature on the inside of the glass face (I dropped it years ago) that was a likely contributing factor.

>17 foggidawn: Thanks for the sympathies, Foggi. I was very stoked for Mr. Fine getting such a deal. Getting a winter coat at the end of season can always be tricky. In theory we're supposed to be back to highs above freezing by Thursday. Currently it's still quite wintery though.

>18 richardderus: Much appreciated, RDear. *smooch*

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Micky!

>21 quondame: Thanks, Susan.

As I mentioned in my last update, I finished the sweater on Monday! We still had wintery weather today so I got to wear it before it spends the spring and summer in a drawer.

I really love the drape of the fabric in this one and it's wonderfully cozy. Huzzah for my second sweater ever!



Pattern: Distant Fog Sweater Dress
Designer: Janine Myska
Yarn: Drops Air in Pink
Hook: 3.75 mm

WOW! Congratulations - that looks so beautiful! And happy new thread!

The sweater is so cute!! Glad you got to wear it before it got too warm 😊

Nice sweater, Micky. I love the colour.

The weather here has turned cold too so I actually hard to get my winter jacket out and the other morning there was snow - only 2 cms or so, but still! It's confusing the flowers.

>23 MickyFine: Lovely sweater in a great color!

Your sweater looks great, and you look great wearing it!

Nice job on the sweater!

>23 MickyFine: Love the sweater. Glad you got to wear it before the warmer weather starts. i am sure that you will find a few more opportunities until then :)

>23 MickyFine: What a lovely jumper (as we call them here in UK!) it looks very comfortable and cosy.

>23 MickyFine: Beautiful! The dress ain't bad, either....

The sweater looks great! You look so happy in it, and should be after accomplishing that project.

I'm so impressed by that sweater! I also enjoy the glimpse of your bookshelves :)

The sweater looks so pretty and so comfy! Glad you got a chance to wear it.

>6 MickyFine: Happy new thread, Micky! It's been spring here in NC for a month already. I like spring, but the warmer temperatures are a month too early here, which has me concerned for what's to come. So I haven't been able to really enjoy the nicer weather.

>9 MickyFine: Congrats on Mr. Fine's new coat and your new watch. I hope for a good result, whatever would be best for you, for the strike vote.

>23 MickyFine: Nice sweater!

Beautiful new sweater, Micky!

>24 AMQS: Thank you on both counts, Anne.

>25 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

>26 Familyhistorian: Snow in your neck of the woods is always a little confusing for the residents, isn't it? :)

>27 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

>28 lauralkeet: Aww, thanks so much, Laura!

>29 katiekrug: Thank you, Katie!

>30 figsfromthistle: We'll see what kind of spring we have, Figs. Being a baby alpaca and wool blend fibre it's pretty warm but if there's more cold days, it'll come out again.

>31 CDVicarage: Thank you so much, Kerry!

>32 richardderus: *blushes* Thank you kindly, Richard.

>33 bell7: Thanks, Mary. I'm really happy with it. Especially as it's only my second sweater ever.

>34 _Zoe_: Thanks, Zoe! I figured the shelves might draw more eyes than the sweater around here, lol.

>35 foggidawn: Thank you, Foggi!

>36 atozgrl: I hear you about the weather concerns, Irene. We largely had a very mild winter with not nearly enough snow so unless we have a very damp spring (which is possible?), we're looking at potential drought conditions this summer. And, thank you for the sweater compliment!

>37 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deb!

Book 19



At First Spite - Olivia Dade

When Athena Greydon bought the Spite House in the small town of Harlot's Bay, she intended to gift it to her fiance as a wedding present so that he could finally knock it down and expand his townhouse. But then said fiance dumped her two weeks before the wedding and Athena had no choice but to move in since she'd sunk every last penny of her savings into the down payment. Now the Spite House is living up to its name as she's next door to her ex-fiance, and even worse, across the alley from her ex-fiance's brother Dr. Matthew Vine, who played a major role in convincing her fiance to end the engagement. And now Athena keeps bumping into Matthew everywhere and while she'd planned to spite and despise him until the end of time, he keeps on doing the kindest things...

I think I can officially be labelled an Olivia Dade fan now. This newest romance is an utter delight. Both Athena and Matthew are wonderfully crafted characters who have flaws and baggage but whom you can't help but root for. The community Dade creates in Harlot's Bay is also charming as heck, with plenty of supporting characters who are quirky but endlessly entertaining. The steam level here isn't as high as some of Dade's other novels, as Athena and Matthew's romance is a slow burn enemies to lovers. However, to tide you over there are several sections when characters listen to monster erotica audiobooks (largely used for comedic effect - most effectively). My only caveat is that (as mentioned in Dade's content awareness note at the beginning of the book) there are some pretty vivid descriptions of a character dealing with depression, so keep that in mind when picking it up. An excellent contemporary romance that I highly recommend.

Rating: ****

This was already on my list; otherwise, you would have put it there 🙂

What's been going on lately: Work has been steady with ordering, a few webinars (ALA's Core Interest Groups were giving free webinars this week so I attended a couple of those), and a couple meetings as well.

The results on the City's proposal vote came through on Friday with nearly 88% of City members voting and nearly 88% of those voting no. So the ball is back in the City's court. The union has said they're open to returning to the bargaining table but both the City and Library units are planning to give strike notice on Monday, so we'll see how that goes. No one particularly wants a work stoppage but I could be on the picket line this coming Thursday.

On top of the stress from all the strike stuff, I got a ticket from the Calgary Parking authority for not my car (the license plate on the car in question was scratched/obscured and very close to my own). So I had to fight with their form to file an appeal (it was not mobile friendly and ate my first attempt to complete it) and was eventually successful in getting it go through. I happily received notice only a couple days later that they cancelled the ticket. Huzzah!

This weekend is a little bit full. This morning was church as usual. This evening I get to go back for a church business meeting. Our church building is on property owned by the neighbouring care facility (which is run by the medical arm of my denomination), who has received funding from the provincial government for an expansion. That means the current church building will be coming down to make way for said expansion. There will be a church/chapel included in the expanded care facility but we're making a decision on whether to buy property for a new independent church building somewhere else in the county. The meeting will probably be a contentious one, so I'm only staying for a couple hours tops (one of the previous meetings on this topic that happened earlier this year (that I didn't go to) was 6+ hours).

Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend I haven't seen in a while for brunch. Crossing my fingers we can get a table at the restaurant we picked as all of the reservations spots were full two weeks ago when we made these plans. If it's too crazy, there's sure to be a Tim's somewhere, lol. When I get back, I'll spring clean my library and, depending on how long that takes, I might also tackle our taxes.

What I'm crafting: I've started a cross-stitch project that will go on the wall in the guest room when it's done. So far I'm really enjoying working on it as it's very different from the tree skirt. Much smaller in scale, obviously, but also a much simpler colour palette. It'll be coming with me to the business meeting tonight so I'll have something to keep my hands busy.

What we're watching: Our viewing together includes continuing season 5 of Mrs. Maisel (I really love the flash forward bits in this season), season 3 of Castle, season 2 of X-Files, season 6 of The Rookie, season 14 of Supernatural, and season 2 of the Muppet show. We finished season 1 of Only Murders and are on to season 2. On my own, I've watched a few Golden Girls (I'm into season 3 now) and a single episode of One Day. Depending on when I get home from the meeting tonight, we might watch Rocky Balboa (we definitely won't have time for a double feature).

I'm currently reading The Untold Story.

>40 MickyFine: Oh, I think I have to give At First Spite a look-see! Thanks!

Karen O

>41 katiekrug: Huzzah! I hope you have just as good a time with it whenever you pick it up.

>42 MickyFine: I'll be interested to see how you enjoy it, Karen.

>40 MickyFine: Ooh, this is a book bullet for me!

Best wishes with the potential strike and the probably contentious church meeting! And with finding a table at brunch tomorrow :)

>40 MickyFine: That looks like a lot of fun! On the holds it goes!

I hope it does not come to a strike. If it does, I hope the sides reach a fair agreement to end it quickly. *smooch*

>45 curioussquared: Thanks on all counts. Church meeting was happily pretty low on conflict and we only had to wait 15ish minutes for a table at brunch.

>46 quondame: Hope you enjoy it, Susan!

>47 richardderus: Thanks so much, Richard. *smooch*

>42 MickyFine: Goodness, that is a lot going on for one weekend!

Belated happy new thread, Micky. I hope things improve for you.

Was there a strike?

Ohh strike. I found walking a picket line was always a nice break but then the strikes I was involved ended quickly. It would be best if things were dragged out until there was warmer weather though.

You got me with a BB for At First Spite.

I'm keeping an eye on your strike news...you did mention it was the whole city but I didn't realize quite how big it was! Hopefully it doesn't last too long and you have some nice weather for the picket line.

>49 foggidawn: Yeah, I prefer a quieter weekend but they don't always line up that way.

>50 ArlieS: Thanks so much!

>51 The_Hibernator: Stay tuned.

>52 Familyhistorian: Happily the weather is a little warmer although in the Canadian way where you need 3-4 different coats over the course of the day, lol. Hope you enjoy At First Spite, Meg.

>53 norabelle414: Updates on this below.

Mini update: The strike has been postponed by 24 hours. There were joint issued letters from both the city manager and the library's CEO with our union head this morning saying that the strike will be postponed for 24 hours while they negotiate today. Prayers, good thoughts, and positive vibes that this negotiating actually goes somewhere are all greatly appreciated (by me and ~6000 other members of the union).

>55 MickyFine: best-result *whammys*

>55 MickyFine: what >56 richardderus: said!

Thanks, Richard and Mary.

Another mini update: Strike averted! The City had a memorandum of agreement just before lunch yesterday and the library had ours around 8:30 p.m. last night. We'll get details of the deal later today and we'll vote to ratify on March 27. *massive sigh of relief*

>59 MickyFine: Huzzah!

Congrats!

Excellent news, Micky! I'm happy for you that this major stress point will now be in the rear view mirror.

Very happy for you, Micky!

>59 MickyFine: BIG LOUD YAY!!!

Hurrah for no strike!

So glad the strike was averted!

Thanks all! I'm very pleased to not have to go on the picket line.

Book 20



The Untold Story - Genevieve Cogman

In the final (for now) Invisible Library book, Irene must come to terms with her new knowledge about her parentage. At the same time, a new threat appears to be lurking as entire worlds are disappearing. As Irene and her friends attempt to determine what's happening they'll have to dig into the origins of the library, a feat which might destroy everything as they know it.

A solid final outing for this series, which I've so thoroughly enjoyed. There's plenty of adventure as usual (although not quite as breakneck as some previous entries) while also resolving several major plot points that have developed over the course of the series. Fans of the series should be pleased with this resolution.

Rating: ****

Book 21



The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

Jason wakes up on a school bus with no memory of his life before but two friends who seem to remember him, Leo and Piper. When the trio are attacked by weird supernatural creatures, Jason knows just how to fight them, and then three of them are whisked off to Camp Half-Blood where they learn they're demigods and that a major quest is about to start which will require the skills of Jason, Leo, and Piper.

A fun start to a new series set in the same world as the Percy Jackson books. As an adult reader, I predicted most of the major plot points but that didn't take any of the fun away from the experience. There's plenty of action and humour and it was a delight to get to know three new characters while getting some time with a few familiar faces as well. A solid read.

Rating: ****

What's been going on lately: As you can probably tell from my mini updates, it has been A Week. Work was weird with a lot of acting like everything was normal while at the same time being aware that we were supposed to be walking off the job Thursday morning. A lot of meetings that were supposed to happen were cancelled (unsurprisingly) and so I spent a lot of time doing my regular ordering.

Happily, as mentioned above, the library union has a tentative deal that we'll vote on near the end of the month so hopefully stress levels will drop accordingly. I've definitely slept much better the last couple nights. There were a lot of stress dreams earlier this week.

No craft circle for me this week as I had massage booked for the same time. My massage therapist definitely had some tense knots to deal with. Date night was at our local Mexican place for what we thought at the time would be our last date night out for a while. I had their fish tacos, which have officially become my favourite dish there. Thursday evening I got a haircut and took off probably 3-4 inches (?) so at least my hair thinks it's spring.

This weekend we skipped church as I was not up to a lot of peopling after all the stress of the week. This evening we have our monthly game night with friends. Tomorrow Mr. Fine has a game day with a group of guy friends (he has two groups he plays the same game with, if you're getting a sense of deja vu). I didn't do any spring cleaning last weekend (although I did do taxes), so I'll be doing my regular cleaning and maybe spring clean the library as well.

What I'm crafting: Made some solid progress on my cross stitch project this week and have finished the top row of squares (check out my Needlearts thread for details).

What we're watching: Still on the go are the last season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 3 of Castle, season 2 of X-Files, and season 2 of Only Murders. On my own, I blitzed through a bunch of episodes of One Day, which is really doing a great job of adapting the source material. On Sunday night we watched Rocky Balboa and last night I pulled out the Emma Thompson Sense & Sensibility as a comfort watch.

Just started Eyeliner: A Cultural History today.

>59 MickyFine: >70 MickyFine: I am so glad to hear that the strike was averted and you can return to normal! I hope you can do some calming, stress-reducing things for a while. The massage must have helped.

>71 atozgrl: My massage therapist definitely had her work cut out for her, lol. I had two nights of nine hours of sleep over the weekend, which was lovely after many short nights of waking up due to stress.

A note that I have abandoned Eyeliner: A Cultural History after reading the prologue and about half of the first chapter. Hankir is a talented writer and I love the idea of this book, especially as it focuses on how people of colour have used eyeliner in their cultures. But I'm discovering a microhistory of something I'm not personally interested in, isn't really working for me at the moment. Plus the journalistic style of writing, with minimal references cited, was starting to bother me. So cutting ties with it, but don't let me discourage you if the book sounds of interest.

>73 MickyFine: I *so* identify with the experience of seeing a book come across my desk and thinking, "There's a book about this? Whoda thunk? I must know more!" Only to find out that my own interest won't sustain me past a few chapters. And still thinking it's cool that the book exists. I think it's an occupational hazard of library work.

>74 swynn: Oh I'm glad I'm not alone in this!

>75 MickyFine: A thousand-page-plus tome on the Cantacuzenes, hugely influential family of Greek politicians who, as late as the 1920s were meddling in royal lives and ruining monarchies, taught me not to buy but to borrow.

Happy Friday, Micky! I really must get to The Invisible Library series at some point.

>76 richardderus: Oof, yes. 95% of my reading comes from the library. If I love it, then it might get some of my dollabucks to live at my house permanently. :)

>77 curioussquared: I think you'd have a fun time with them, Natalie.

What's been going on lately: Work felt a little boring this week. While I'm never out of things to do (publishers insist on publishing constantly so there's always ordering to do), I just wasn't feeling it this week. Beyond the ordering, I did attend a free mini conference hosted by the iSchool at San Jose State on AI and Libraries. My manager started vacation on Thursday (she has school-aged kids and spring break started Friday, I think) so it'll be on the quieter side until she's back after Easter.

I did attend virtual craft circle this week and it was lovely to chat with everyone and see all the projects. Date night this week was a stay in night and we ordered take out from our favourite donair and shawarma place. I love their garlic sauce even if I still have garlic breath the next morning after I eat it. *heart eyes*

Thursday evening, Mr. Fine got up from the couch and managed to give himself a muscle spasm in his lower back. So he was off sick from work Friday and watched a bunch of TV while I was working. He's still pretty uncomfortable today although I did manage to convince him to do a few stretches to try and loosen it up a bit.

Since Mr. Fine wasn't feeling amazing, I opted to stay home with him rather than go to church, so we watched a sermon online this morning instead. This afternoon, H dropped by for a visit with K in tow (sigh). It was really good to see her but I only did a so-so job at being civil with K. Must work harder on that. The rest of the weekend should be chill. Depending on how Mr. Fine's back is doing tomorrow, I might end up doing all the regular Sunday cleaning solo. If that's the case then I'll be putting off spring cleaning again (I was not feeling it last weekend so I baked cookies instead).

What I'm crafting: The cross-stitch project continues. Nearly did a whole row of squares in a single week (although this row is only 5 squares instead of six so it's a bit quicker).

What we're watching: We wrapped up a bunch of things this week. Finished the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (I was very satisfied with how the show ended), as well as season 14 of Supernatural (these last few seasons have been tough to slog through for me but as long as Mr. Fine enjoys it, we're in it until the bitter end), and season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. We also continue to watch season 3 of Castle, season 2 of X-Files, and season 3 of the Muppet Show. Plus we've started season 3 of Only Murders. Last night's movie was Mr. Fine's pick of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I was obsessed with this movie as a teen and the amount of dialogue that still resides in my brain is... not a small percentage. I'm leaning towards trying Spielberg's West Side Story for my movie pick tonight, although I've never made it through the original film (I just cannot take the dance fighting seriously and never make it more than 15 minutes into it). Still pondering a back up if West Side Story remains not for me.

I just wrapped up a book this afternoon. Next up on the nightstand stack is Other Birds.

Book 22



Squirrel Girl: Universe - Tristan Palmgren

When Doreen Green, better known as Squirrel Girl, faces down with a villain who's attacking New York, her efforts to stop him land her and her friends on the outer edges of the universe. While they soon meet a telepathic space whale who's happy to try and help them get back to Earth, there are larger conflicts looming that Squirrel Girl can't keep herself from getting involved in.

Long-time visitors to my threads will know how much I loved the Squirrel Girl comic series by Ryan North, so you can imagine my delight when my husband gifted me this novel, whose existence was a surprise to me. Tristan Palmgren does a great job of retaining the quirky narrative voice of the comics, complete with the fun footnotes, in this case from both Squirrel Girl as well as her editor, The Hulk. There's plenty of humour, action, and Squirrel Girl remains true to her comic roots, overcoming most odds with the power of friends and friendship. My only quibble is that the book could have used a more thorough copy editor as there were a few sentences I stumbled over that needed easy fixes. That said, if you loved the comics like me, I highly recommend this novel.

Rating: ****

Book 23



A Court of Frost and Starlight - Sarah J. Maas

It's the winter solstice celebrations and Feyre and her family and friends gather to celebrate.

By Maas standards, this book at 230 pages is a novella, and not a ton of major plot stuff happens. As I snarkily texted to my friend, this book desperately just wants to be a fluffy AU fanfic where everyone goes Christmas shopping but all the typical Maas angst just gets in the way. Also, let's not forget the horrifying description of Fae menstruation that gets dropped in here. Less annoying than the previous volumes but then again there's just less of it. One more book to go!

Rating: ***1/2

Other Birds was a solid read for me last year. Not my favorite of hers, but I enjoyed it.

I keep forgetting to put The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel back in the rotation. I petered out around season 3 (maybe the start of 4?) but want to get back to it...

>82 katiekrug: I see over on your thread that TW is away early next month. Mrs Maisel would be perfect viewing during that solo time. 😊

Good to see that the strike was averted and you can get back to regular life, Micky.

>84 Familyhistorian: Still another week and a bit before I can feel completely secure as membership vote on the offer is this coming week.

>85 MickyFine: Still crossing all my crossable parts that all will be well, Micky. It's starting to hurt....

>86 richardderus: I voted this morning and we're supposed to have results by Wednesday sometime. So not much longer. :)

Happy Monday Micky! Hope the results go well.

>79 MickyFine: I was also pretty happy with how the last season of Mrs. Maisel turned out :)

>88 curioussquared: I really enjoyed it overall. And I want at least half of Midge's wardrobe.

Tiny update: Our membership voted in favour of the deal! I can slide into my long weekend with that off my mind.

>90 MickyFine: All the YAY!!

>90 MickyFine: Hooray!!!!

>90 MickyFine: yay!

>90 MickyFine: Phew!

Hurray for the membership vote! I'm glad the strike saga has ended satisfactorily.

What a relief! Enjoy the return to days of normal wear and tear!

>90 MickyFine: That's great news! I'm glad you don't have to worry about that any more.

Great news!

Thanks everyone for joining in my joy. ❤️

What's been going on lately: I only had to work 3 days last week as I tacked my EDO on to my Easter break. Yay for a 5 day weekend! Nothing hugely exciting happened in those three days either.

Thursday, Mr. Fine still had to work and was on early shift so I still had to get up at 5. Had a largely lazy morning playing video games and scrolling through crochet patterns on Ravelry. After lunch I did some running around which included visits to the yarn store, a shoe store for new runners, Bulk Barn for Easter candy, and Sephora for a blush brush. Then I picked up Mr. Fine and we did grocery shopping (Costco close to Easter is a little bananas, do not recommend).

Friday we did a bit of cleaning and then went to the board game store to pick up Mr. Fine's pre-order of Wyrmspan. He walked out with two other games on top of that and I came out with one (My Shelfie, which I feel might have extra appeal to the LT crowd). H came for a visit in the late afternoon, which was lovely. Then I had a practice at church before having a chill evening at home.

Saturday was church and I was the lead for singing during the service, which went well. I finished a book while Mr. Fine went to the gym. We played a couple of the new board games and watched a movie.

Sunday was a lazy start but I did spring clean my library. My parents came over for dinner and a visit. After they left we watched a cheesy rom com.

Off today for Easter Monday and have no firm plans. Had considered some more spring cleaning but I'm leaning towards a laze around day at the moment. We'll see what actually happens.

What I'm crafting: Cross-stitch continues. I'm about halfway through the third row of squares.

What we're playing: So far this long weekend we've played Sushi Go, My Shelfie, and Sail.

What we're watching: Tried the first episode of the new Percy Jackson series and am pleased with it so far. We're also watching season 3 of Castle, season 2 of X-Files, season 15 of Supernatural, season 3 of Only Murders, and season 3 of The Muppet Show. Movies viewed this weekend include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Little Italy. Plus I had Sound of Music on in the background while spring cleaning yesterday.

I'm 2 reviews behind and currently reading An Unexpected Peril.

My Shelfie sounds like a fun game, Micky. I'm glad you enjoyed your long weekend. Your mention of spring cleaning reminded me that I'm currently procrastinating on doing my weekly cleaning. Best get started. Maybe I just need the right music?

>101 lauralkeet: It's a fun one and on the short side, which is bonus as some of the games Mr. Fine and I like are in the 60-90 minute range, which is a substantial commitment.

Hope you found the right cleaning jam to get you motivated. :)

Book 24



Other Birds - Sarah Addison Allen

On a small island in South Carolina, buried behind the highly tourist-focused main street is a building made up of five condos. When Zoey Hennessy moves into her deceased mother's old condo, she has hopes of both connecting with the mother she barely knew and making some new friends. What she doesn't expect is that the death of one of the other tenants in the condo building will unravel the secrets of several of her new neighbours.

This was a really charming piece of magical realism with a strong theme of found family. All of the characters Allen crafts are deeply sympathetic and there are several reveals that occur over the course of the book that surprised me (although several I saw coming). If you're looking for a soothing read, that provides similar vibes to sinking into a warm bath, this might just be the read for you.

Rating: ****

Book 25



The True Love Experiment - Christina Lauren

Fizzy Chen has always been super open to sex and romance, particularly as a prolific and popular romance author. But for the past year, she's been unable to write and her interest in sex, nevermind a relationship, has been non-existent. Then she meets Connor Prince, a producer of environmental documentaries whose been pushed by his employer to produce a reality dating show, and is offered the position as the lead in his new project. Fizzy isn't that interested in the idea and intends to scare off Connor by giving him a ridiculous list of criteria for the men she'd date on the show. But then he manages to fulfill her every demand and now Fizzy and Connor are spending a lot of time together. But as Fizzy tries to find a love match in front of the camera, the real sparks might just be flying behind the scenes.

I ADORED this romance, which is a sequel to The Soulmate Equation. Fizzy is a fantastic protagonist and her brash and open personality along with the dating show scenario offers plenty of opportunities for the humour I love about Christina Lauren's books. Connor is also a compelling a character and I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two fall for each other. Also the ending made me so happy I cried (yeah, I'm that sap). Highly recommended for romance fans.

Rating: *****

>103 MickyFine: - I liked that one, too.

>104 MickyFine: - Is it important to read TSE before this one? This one is available from the library but TSE has a really long queue.....

I have missed this entire thread, Micky, but I hope to keep up better from here on out.

Have a marvelous Monday!

New-week *smooch*

>105 katiekrug: It's pretty typical of romance series in that you can read it out of order. The only spoiler you'll get is that the main characters of the previous book end up together. 😆

>106 alcottacre: Wishing you a lovely Monday as well, Stasia.

>107 richardderus: Highly relaxed smooches for you, Richard.

>108 MickyFine: - Excellent. I figured as much but wanted to check :)

Off to borrow it!

>109 katiekrug: Enjoy!

The True Love Experiment-related question: Are Ella and Ash featured in an earlier Christina Lauren book?

Have a great day, Micky!

>111 katiekrug: Not to my knowledge. The only characters who appeared as the main characters in one of their romances were Jess and River.

>112 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. Same to you!

Okay, thanks. They just seemed to have that vibe of "you already know our story."

>104 MickyFine: That looks like a fun one, Micky.

>115 Familyhistorian: It was a very good time.

What's been going on lately: Life has settled back into normal after a relaxing long weekend and my stress eczema has almost completely dissipated. Yay!

Work was good although we had the nuisance of our website, app, and customer-facing catalogue provider (Bibliocommons for those in the biz) having major issues for a chunk of the week that meant intermittent, glitchy access. Meant I couldn't get into customer suggestions for half of the week but I still had plenty of other tasks to keep me busy.

Date night we went to a pizza place that wasn't bad but didn't quite replace the Neapolitan place we like but has not had great quality on our last few visits.

This weekend is a little full by our standards. Church this morning as usual and this evening our friends D&B are coming over for dinner and game night. Mr. Fine is making lasagna for dinner, which I'm looking forward to. Tomorrow, Mr. Fine has one of his board game groups coming over. I'm considering deep cleaning at least one of the bathrooms. We'll see how ambitious I get.

What I'm crafting: Cross-stitch piece continues apace. Another row of squares completed this week.

What we're playing: Since my last update we've just played a single game of Wyrmspan. Not sure what we'll play tonight.

What we're watching: Blitzed through a bunch of episodes of Percy Jackson, continue watching season 3 of Castle, season 2 of X-Files, and season 3 of The Muppet Show. We also finished season 3 of Only Murders (enjoyable as the rest). Last night instead of a movie, I opted for a rewatch of the first episode of the first season of Sherlock.

I owe 2 reviews and will probably start Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe today.

Glad life is back to normal, Micky! Hope the game night was fun.

I'm glad you're enjoying Percy Jackson! I thought it was really good.

>100 MickyFine: Ooh, definitely bookmarking My Shelfie for Christmas....

Eclipse-darkened *smooch*

Hi Micky! Glad the eczema has subsided. I had that pretty bad until hormone changes at about 12 years old. Still have no pigment on my ankles from when it was really bad. I use it to tell how tan I get now. LOL. Enjoy life-back-to-normal and happy reading!!

How's the Percy Jackson show? I'm tempted to watch it with Aaron when we finish Supernatural. We have one season and one episode left, so maybe in a couple of months! 😂🤣

>117 MickyFine: Glad your stress induced eczema has cleared. For me when I am stressed, I break out in hives.

I have not watched Sherlock yet. Sounds like a good series.

Happy mid week

>118 curioussquared: It was a good time.

>119 norabelle414: We had a great time with Percy and I'll definitely be watching the second season whenever it drops.

>120 richardderus: We had only 25ish% coverage here so it wasn't even noticeably less bright here. Saw photos from the totality zone though and it was very cool.

>121 Berly: I had eczema as a kiddo too. Funnily enough, when I was a kid it was on the insides of my elbows and the backs of my knees. Now when I get stress eczema, it's on the outside of my elbows and the fronts of my knees.

>122 The_Hibernator: Percy Jackson was a good time. Pretty faithful to the books and all the changes they made were improvements, I thought. Also, really solid cast all around.

>123 figsfromthistle: Oof, hives are no fun either.

I'm a big fan of Sherlock. It's been a few years since I rewatched it but I was mildly obsessed with it when it first came out. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it (although be warned the last season is disappointing).

Hope you're having a good weekend, Micky!

>125 bell7: I had a lovely weekend, Mary. I hope yours was relaxing at least some of the time. :)

I am ridiculously behind here and will peek my nose in maybe tomorrow?

Just a note that I abandoned Meg & Jo yesterday. Modern retellings are tricky and this one did not work for me. I nearly threw the book across the room when the author made Laurie's contemporary nickname "Trey." Blech. The choices for Meg and Jo as modern women were also a little strange (more Jo than Meg) and when I skimmed the end to see how that went, I was particularly infuriated. Consider this a warning if you have this one on the TBR. As always though, YMMV.

>127 MickyFine: "Trey" is enough to keep me far away from this 😂

>127 MickyFine: I tried to read that one a year or so ago and washed out, as well. I'm not sure I even got far enough in to count it among my DNFs.

>128 curioussquared: I fully endorse this decision.

>129 foggidawn: Glad I'm not alone.

Two DNFs in two days. *looks around suspiciously*

Abandoned The Lending Library after only a chapter and bit because I could not believe that any library (no matter the size of the town) would "close indefinitely" for asbestos abatement. There would definitely be a timeline and if it were long, a library would make alternate plans. A member of the town wouldn't have to start her own small library in her home. *grumble* Others might find this a cute premise but my professional brain could not handle it.

>131 MickyFine: Oooh, that's so true. The library would find some way to provide service. We sure did during our major renovations, even though staff were in some pretty uncomfortable office arrangements. But we managed, and we survived. And ended up with a better service point. Sounds like The Lending Library is not for me either.

And I'm also well warned off of Meg & Jo. Since I love the original so much, those "updates" sound pretty off-putting to me too.

>131 MickyFine: Yeah, that's a fantasy too far, Micky! Hope your next reads are better.

>131 MickyFine: Oh dear. That ain't great. "Trey" doesn't repel me, since I grew up among men called "Trip" and "Trey" because they were Dudebro Guystuff III. Better Trey or Trip than that.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads!

>132 atozgrl: I've worked in two library systems during major moves/renovations and both found alternate ways of providing service. As a profession we tend to be very good at improvising.

>133 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. They have been!

>134 richardderus: Thanks, RDear. I hope the books are treating you well and spring is sproinging in your neck of the woods. *smooch*

Book 26



An Unexpected Peril - Deanna Raybourn

While helping to put together an exhibition on a female mountain climber who recently died, Veronica and Stoker stumble across evidence that indicate that what was assumed to be an accident may have been murder. Of course, Veronica can't resist investigating, even when it pulls her into European royal circles.

Not a terrible outing in this series but this entry felt a little less charming than usual. The mystery felt a little ho-hum as did the exchanges between Veronica and Stoker. I'll give the series one more book and then I may be done with Miss Speedwell.

Rating: ***1/2

Book 27



Cat + Gamer Vol 4 - Wataru Nadatani

Riko decides to level up her cat owning prowess by adding another cat to her household. Hijinks featuring Musubi and the new kitten ensue.

The stakes in these manga are super low and it's really just a cute and cozy reading experience. If you like cute cats being cute and a nerdy gamer gaming while also caring for said cute cats, this might be the series for you.

Rating: ****

Book 28



Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe - Carla Laureano

Pastry chef Melody Johansson hasn't always made the best choices for her career in the past and she's paying for it at the moment, stuck in a boring bakery job she really dislikes. At least she dislikes it until chance and a snowstorm bring airline pilot Justin Keller to the bakery door. The two quickly hit it off and start pursuing a relationship even knowing that Justin is in the midst of a deal that might move him to Florida and Melody has a new opportunity that will firmly settle her roots in Denver.

Second in an inspirational/Christian romance series that had me feeling meh about it overall at the end. The descriptions of Melody's desserts are delicious sounding and have great appeal. However, the many ups and downs of Melody and Justin's relationship are due to them not talking to each other (le sigh) and while I was pleased that the ending didn't require Melody to give up what she wanted, it didn't particularly feel like a happy ending for Justin.

Rating: ***

Book 29



Teach Me - Olivia Dade

Rose Owen makes it a point to never show emotion or form any bonds with her co-workers, in her role as a high school history teacher. But when Martin Krause is hired into her department and one of her favourite classes is given to him, it's hard to say completely detached. But it's also pretty hard to hate Martin as he's so consistently nice. As Rose and Martin work to engage students, they discover that there may be other ways they'd enjoy spending time together as well.

A cute romance and I was particularly delighted that the main characters are in their 40s (always nice to see wider age representation in romance). There's some excellent humour here and Dade does a solid job of developing the characters and their romance. However, I can tell that this novel was self-published as it lacks the polish and sparkle of her other traditionally published works that I assume was created in collaboration with her editor(s). Of course, it's also an earlier work so some of the rough patches might also be attributed to her writing skills not being as well-developed as they are now. A decent read but not where I'd recommend starting if you're trying Dade for the first time.

Rating: ***

Book 30



The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (re-read)

Just as perfect on the re-read as it was the first time I experienced. Sweet, beautiful, heartbreaking, and cozily joyful all in one book. Could you ask for anything better?

Rating: *****

Book 31



A Cup of Silver Linings - Karen Hawkins

Ava Dove has enough on her plate with her landscaping business, her teas, and her soon to open tea shop. She doesn't need the secret she's been keeping under her bed for years to finally decide it wants to break free. Meanwhile, Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to take custody of her teenage granddaughter, Kristen, after the death of Ellen's daughter Julie. Ellen just wants to take Kristen back to Raleigh but Kristen has other ideas. When some Ava's teas get added to the mix, Ellen finds herself thinking about things differently.

The second in this magical realist series, I enjoyed it just as much as the first. The ton and its residents remain quirky and charming, and the abilities of the Dove sisters continue to fascinate. Hawkins also deals deftly with the issue of grief and how it can manifest for different people. A lovely read.

Rating: ****

Book 32



Cat Massage Therapy - Haru Hisakawa

A man stumbles into a massage parlour run by cats. The cats are adorable.

A friend recommended this after I talked about reading Cat + Gamer. This volume is cute but there's even less plot and the translation/writing and art didn't completely work for me. However, if the premise appeals to you, don't let me dissuade you from giving it a try.

Rating: ***

Book 33



Novel Advice - Jay Bushman

Agony aunt Antigone provides advice to a wide range of characters from classic works of literature.

I really enjoyed this collection of imagined letters from characters like Anne Shirley, Hamlet, and Mrs. Bennett seeking advice. Bushman crafts letters that offer plenty of winks to readers familiar with the works while also writing really excellent responses in Antigone's voice. A mixture of humourous and truly thoughtful, this is a great collection for both book nerds and those who enjoy a perusal of an advice column.

Rating: ****

All right, now that I'm caught up on reviews...

What's been going on lately: I haven't been crazy busy but other interests have been taking up my time and I just haven't made it on to LT much recently.

Work is ticking along. I'll have some extra work on my plate for the next month-ish to help out a co-worker who has some big projects with firm deadlines currently on hers (there's a lot of bigger departmental things involved as well in this issue, but I won't get into that). And we're starting to prepare for our embedded project (each of the collection librarians will be spending up to 3 days at 4-5 branches in the latter half of the year), which this introvert is preemptively exhausted by as it's going to be a lot of meeting and presenting and general peopling with strangers (none of my favourite things). Sometimes work is a lot of work. :P

Last weekend we had our monthly game night with M&A, which was a good time as usual. On the Sunday, I had a friend date with A. We went to the new romance bookstore that recently opened in our area (I picked up a copy of Bringing Down the Duke). The bookstore is in the attached upstairs space of a cafe/cocktail bar so we had some chill time with flights of lemonade and scones while I read and she worked on edits of her novel.

I had Monday off for my EDO and had a pretty perfect day with a little bit of productivity, a good mix of all my favourite leisure activities, and a massage. *chef's kiss*

We started off this weekend by having H and K over for dinner on Friday evening. Mr. Fine made French onion soup which turned out really great and I managed to be civil the whole evening to K. Of course, it's lovely to see H and we're going to try and make dinners with her (and K, I guess :P) a monthly thing.

Today we went out to my brother's farm to celebrate my oldest niece's birthday. I can't believe the kiddo who made me an aunt the first time is going to be 9! We also belatedly celebrated my brother's birthday, which was at the beginning of April. There were a lot of kiddos there and noise levels were high, but it was lovely to see the family and friends who were invited.

Tomorrow we've been invited for brunch by one of Mr. Fine's friends. There will be a few of our friends there so it should be fun. After brunch, A along with her co-worker/friend will be using us as guinea pigs to do a test run of the streamlined D&D for kids they're planning to do as part of summer programming this year. After that, I might attempt deep cleaning the bathrooms (I still haven't managed to get around to that yet). We'll see what energy levels are like after all this peopling. :P

What we're playing: I'm not going to remember it all but we've played Wyrmspan, My Shelfie, and Dungeon Madness recently.

What I'm crafting: I'm almost at the halfway point in the cross-stitch project. Yay!

What we're watching: Again, probably going to forget a few things but here's what's currently on the go:
-finished Percy Jackson, which was highly enjoyable
-have started Downton Abbey. I watched the first 2 or 3 seasons back when the show was still airing and never got around to finishing it. Started it from the beginning and so far Mr. Fine is ok with it (he hates Thomas and O'Brien as everyone should :P)
-on to the 4th season of Castle
-just started the 3rd season of X-Files
-making our way through the final season of Supernatural
-the new episodes of Bluey have been So Good. Did I cry 3 times during the extra-long episode? Of course, I am not made of stone
-we have made it through 3 Pirates movies
-watched 1.02 of Sherlock, which is my least favourite of the season (a weird sentence when the season is only 3 episodes but still true)

If I pick up a book this evening, I'll be starting Truly Devious. Otherwise, I'll start it tomorrow.

The new romance bookstore sounds awesome! Interested to see your thoughts on Truly Devious; I've enjoyed Johnson's books but haven't tried this series yet.