Thornton37814 Reads 75+ in 2013 - 5th thread

Time for a new thread! The Apple Barn in Sevierville is one of my favorite places to go in the fall. I love stocking up on dried apples and fresh ones too. I also love eating their fried pies, stack cakes, apple dumplings, and drinking their cider!

138. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny

Date Completed: 19 Sept 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #7: Read a book that is ninth or higher in a series

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Chief Inspector Gamache is called to Three Pines when Myrna's expected guest does not arrive for Christmas. When he and Inspector LaCoste arrive at the person's home in Montreal they find her murdered. It's out of his jurisdiction but the Montreal investigator hands the investigation over to Gamache since it's Christmas, and they are short-handed. He discovers that she is the last of a famed set of quintuplets born in the 1930s. Meanwhile, Jean-Guy Beauvoir has been brainwashed by Surete head Francoeur, who is really only using him to get at Gamache for a long-standing grudge. Francoeur and his men have basically rendered Gamache's homicide division useless by transferring out most of Gamache's team. It's a race against time for Gamache to conclude his investigation into Francoeur's wrong-doings and avert a disaster before Francoeur achieves the ultimate victory over Gamache.. I've always disliked the police politics and corruption issues in the previous installments of this series, but this particular book kept me on the edge of my seat. I really can't say a lot about the plot for fear of giving away spoilers, but I will say that Penny has managed to carefully weave in things that have happened from the beginning of this series to this installment to achieve one of her finest works to date. If you have not read the first eight in this series, I encourage you to go back and start with the first, working your way forward to this one so that you don't miss any nuance.

New genealogy show -- look forward to that! Also really looking forward to How the Light Gets In -- I've ordered it from Amazon and it should be waiting when I get home (which I'm sure someday I will -- although right now I have no idea when that will be, sigh)

Reba> You are going to love the new Gamache!

139. The Maine Coon Cat by Liza Gardner Walsh

Date Completed: 20 September 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #18 - Read a book whose title or author contains a rarely used letter (e. g. "Q" or "Z")

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Walsh has compiled a book about the Maine Coon cat breed that is somewhat repetitive in places. The book could use slightly better organization, but it's certain to be a hit with those who love this popular breed. It's a quick read, full of photographs. The book would work well for readers as young as middle school. This book was received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program with the expectation that a review would be written.

Happy new thread, Lori!

Happy new thread, Lori.

I am eager to plunge into the new Louise Penny book soon, but I want to do it at a time when I won't have a lot of other distractions.

New thread, yay!

Hi Lori, How the Light Gets In is next up for me so I'm happy to see it was a 5 star for you!

Happy new thread, Lori! Your review of the new Louise Penny books reminds me of how far behind I am in the Tree Pines series! I have been meaning to get back to it...hopefully soon...

Migrating over to your new thread, Lori! Happy Saturday!

Congrats on the nice new thread, Lori! I like your great review of the new Three Pines installment.

I wonder if I should give Three Pines another chance. I accidentally started in the middle of the series with A Brutal Telling, which I liked. But I went back and read the first, and struggled to stay interested. So I kind of dropped the series off my wishlist. But all these later books get such good reviews. I am tempted.

Yeah. I'm going to order the second Penny book. I wasn't all that impressed with the first, but the reviews of the following books are so good.

ETA: Okay. A Fatal Grace has been reserved as the library. I'm 11th in line. Popular book! And I read the summary and it sounds very interesting.

Susan> Thanks.

Linda> You'll love it when you get to it, but you definitely don't want distractions--at least not by the time you get to the last 40% or so!

Leah> Thanks.

Joanne> I actually think it may have been my first five star read of the year. I haven't gone back and checked that, but I can't remember giving five stars to anything else unless it may have been something non-fiction.

Rachel> I hope you find time to catch up with the series--but don't skip any of them!

Lori> Happy Sunday to you. I didn't have a lot of time to check in here yesterday.

Terri> Thanks. It's actually hard to say too much in a review without giving spoilers so I had to stick with the "minimal" approach.

Carol> I would vote "YES." I enjoyed the first three, but they really started being "must reads" after about the fourth in the series.

Morphy> Don't give up on the Gamache series too soon. Think of it as a writer honing her craft. By about the fourth or fifth installment, she's arrived!

I missed that you'd started a new thread Lori, congratulations.

I have heard tell that Gamache comes into his own after Louise Penny settles into her oeuvre. I started Still Life an didn't continue but I'll be going back to it if the later books gan generate 5-star reads.

Paul> You definitely should get back to the series!

It's actually hard to say too much in a review without giving spoilers

I have that problem with a lot of books, Lori. Sometimes it's frustrating when I can't quite explain why I did or didn't like a book without putting in spoilers. (It bothers me more with books I don't like, that I can't figure out how to say why without giving too much away.)

It's actually hard to say too much in a review without giving spoilers

Isn't that the truth? Just in the past few weeks or so, I've started reviewing on Amazon. Even though well over half of the books I read are mysteries, I have a tough time reviewing them properly. It's a lot easier for me to review nonfiction or even non-mystery fiction.

Terri> Glad I'm not alone.

Linda> I'll have to look at your Amazon reviews. I tend to not bother to review stuff there.

140. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

Date Completed: 27 Sep 2013

TIOLIChallenge: Challenge #16: Read a book set in a British Commonwealth Country prior to 1950

Rating: 3 stars

Review: In this novel we see warriors returning from the Crusades, a love story, and the trial of a young Jewess for witchcraft. This book's dated wording does not make it a particularly fun read for 21st century readers. Lady Rowena is supposed to be the leading lady of the book, but Rebecca, the Jewess, is a far more interesting character. Richard the Lionhearted plays a role in the book as well. I wanted to abandon this lengthy tome in many places, but I forced myself to keep plugging along.

141. The Intolerance of Tolerance by D. A. Carson

Date Completed: 28 Sept 2013

TIOLI Challenge: None

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Carson has tackled the topic of tolerance and how its definition has changed over the years. Whereas many Christians would not be accused of intolerance under the older definition, they are being called intolerant because of their strict adherence to their religious beliefs under the new definition. Carson also shows inconsistencies in the application of the new definition of tolerance. There were a few grammatical issues in the opening chapter with mixing of tenses and with beginning sentences with words like "And" or "But." These issues seem to not be present in the later chapters, making one wonder why the first chapter was not polished as the remainder of the book. The sentence structure is more geared toward an academic audience with fairly lengthy and complex sentences, rather than shorter, less-complex sentences found in books designed for popular audiences. The book itself is a book that is going to lend itself well to discussions in many religiously-affiliated colleges and universities, but possibly also in many other publicly and privately funded universities. The book will also be embraced by other readers with an interest in the topic, particularly well-educated Christian leaders.

Last weekend, I went to the Scots-Irish Festival in Dandridge for a brief time. Once you got to the area around the main stage and all the way down to where the food was, it was so packed that it made it difficult to get anywhere.



I did, however, manage to enjoy a little bagpipe music in an open area.

Oh, how nice! My mother loves bagpipe music. We should be looking for a venue for her to enjoy.

The Minnesota State Fair is a huge event here that I've never gone to because of the huge crowds. I hope you enjoyed the festival despite the crowd!

Cindy> I was glad that I got to hear them at least!

Morphy> I read that this was the largest crowd they'd ever had so they probably weren't quite prepared for it. It was okay, but I didn't stay that long because of the crowds. I also wanted to go to the Apple Barn to purchase some apples for something I'm making for our choir party this weekend.

142. Dead Creek by Victoria Houston

Date Completed: 4 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge # 5 Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Retired dentist Paul Osborne finds four bodies in a frozen cage in a northern lake. With Chief Lew out of town, he calls the dispatcher to get her temporary replacement Sloan out to gather evidence until Lew can get back. He and Ray Pradt are deputized by both Sloan and Lew to assist with the investigation. One of the bodies has a piece of dental work that Osborne is certain he performed himself, but he's equally certain that it was a visitor to the area instead of a resident. He has to search his dental records to locate the identity of the victim. It's an interesting read, but it's also one that you can put down. Most of the recurring characters are likeable to a certain extent. Fishing enthusiasts will probably love that aspect of this series.

Wow that was one brooding sky over the Scots-Irish festival - maybe it was anticipating the coming of the English and the Welsh!

A bit late for the weekend Lori, but wishing you a lovely week ahead.

Paul> Thanks. It's really funny because that cloud produced nothing. I do have English and Welsh ancestry though!

What did you end up making from the apples for the party?

I made my "Apple Brownies." They are really more blondies than brownies. It uses the apples, pecans, and butterscotch chips.

Sounds delicious!

Morphy> They are quite yummy. I took the leftovers to work so I wouldn't gain a million pounds!

143. The King's Grave by Philippa Langley and Michael K. Jones

Date Completed: 11 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Philippa Langley was behind the discovery of King Richard III's body under the car park in England. This book gives an account of Richard's life, showing differences in the real Richard III and the Tudor version of Richard III, as well as the account of the discovery of his resting place. The authors alternated between the two portions of the story, and that particular arrangement did not work well for me. I was far more interested in the events leading up to the discovery and the archaeological dig and testing done to determine this was indeed Richard than in a reconstruction of his life which has been the subject of numerous other histories. I felt that more details of the dig itself and of the testing and results could have been presented if the authors had left parts of the story of Richard which had no bearings on the forensics presented in the volume to other histories. I was quite interested in the DNA analysis and was disappointed that there was not more on that presented in the book and that there was no appendix presenting detailed findings of the mitochondrial match. Although I was disappointed in some aspects of the book, it was interesting to read about the discovery and understand a little more of what drove the team and of the cooperation they had from others to make the discovery. This review is based on an advance e-galley received from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation that a review be written.

Lori, you started your new thread off with a great book. I agree that How the Light Gets In is the best in the series...so far. We used to have an apple orchard that was very busy this time of year. It had a restaurant attached with a lovely gift shop. I think the orchard is still in business but they closed their auxiliary businesses because their location didn't attract as many customers as they needed. Your apple brownies sound delicious!

Donna> I think Bury Your Dead may still be my favorite, but How the Light Gets In ranks right up there. I suspect my apple brownies are gone. I forgot to check my pan before I left work Wednesday, but I'd taken the last half of the pan to work with me that day. Between the librarians, support staff, and student workers, I'd say they are gone!

I haven't read How the Light Gets In yet but Bury Your Dead is definitely my favorite of the rest.

Reba> It's definitely a good one! I think you'll enjoy How the Light Gets In when you get to it. It will be interesting to see which one you prefer when you do.

144. Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

Date Completed: 18 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Merry Wynter has inherited a castle in upstate from New York and is leaving New York City after a bad experience. When she arrives in Autumn Vale, she finds a town full of quirky characters, and at least one person who believes her uncle was murdered. She had only come to take a look at the property and try to fix it up after it had not sold on the market. She discovers that someone has been digging giant holes on the property. Another man has gone missing as well; she finds irregularities regarding her uncle's business adventures with this man. In the midst of this her best friend from the city (Shilo) comes out to lend a hand and falls in love with the local realtor. This initial installment is a bit light on the mystery as characters are being introduced and such, but it's very readable. This is also not one where everything is wrapped up neatly at the end. The reader still has questions about what will happen, motivating the reading of additional books in the series. I felt there were a couple of questions that probably could have been answered for the reader without ruining the rest of the series that left me with an "incomplete" feeling at the end. I just kind of kept looking for the additional couple of paragraphs that would answer those little things. This review is based on an electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation that a review would be written.

145. The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough

Date Completed: 19 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: McCullough has written an outstanding account of the creation the Panama Canal, starting with initial discussions as to whether the canal would be located in Panama or Nicaragua, proceeding to the France's failed attempt to build it, America's discussion on its location and subsequent resumption of the French efforts, its construction and the headaches and triumphs that came with it. He's managed to make his narrative quite readable and withstand the test of time. There are a lot of things that I find interesting in the narrative. I found the parts detailing Gorgas' fight against tropical diseases fascinating. I also particularly enjoyed the glimpses into the cultural and social life of canal workers fascinating. He paints fascinating pictures of both Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. A very readable history of a remarkable feat in engineering!

Lori. The McCullough certainly appeals. I have two on my Kindle but sadly not that one. The era is an interesting one as it presaged American supremacy and full entry onto the world stage.

Have a great weekend.

Paul> Yes. I'm sure you can get around to it at some point. Hopefully the maps and photos will come through on the Kindle. I know they work sometimes and don't at others.

The news from that Richard III dig just keeps getting more interesting. Ran across this in my Facebook feed today: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/New-twist-mystery-lead-coffin-near-Richard...

Is Bran New Death a new mystery series based on cooking?

Thanks for the Richard III link. I am currently reading The Daughter of Time and find more and more references to Richard III all the time. There was even a question on Jeopardy about what was the other name of the Duke of Gloucester and I was able to answer Richard III right away.

It is a new mystery series. It's got cooking in it. The lead character is baking muffins for the assisted living home residents because the person who owns the bakery refuses to bake anything that common. The bakery operator was a very prominent supporting character in the first installment. She should figure into at least the next one, I would think. The "Bran" came from the first type of muffin she baked for the residents. I really think that the culinary aspect was almost a tangent to the story. It may figure more prominently as she "settles" (and to avoid a spoiler I'll leave it in quote marks) into life in Autumn Vale.

I found the Richard III story interesting. There is quite a bit of good historical fiction set in that era.

Lori, continuing the saga of Richard III and the discovery of his bones, you might be interested in this article about the battle to have him buried somewhere else: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24578625 The "Plantaganet Alliance" has just won costs protection for their judicial review claim. In England, if you lose a court case then you generally have to pay the costs of the other side, which I think is different to the position in the US. But anyway, if you have little or no money, you can apply for costs protection which means that you are just responsible for your own fees and the other party (in this case the Secretary of State for Justice) doesn't get reimbursed so the taxpayer picks up the bill. I don't know why a judge thinks that public money should be wasted on this, but it should be interesting to see what happens with the claim.

Susan> Interesting article, Susan. I guess we'll see what develops. They may have to come out with a second edition to that book before long to cover all these developments. I hope they include more data in it!

The article about the "Plantagenet Alliance" is a very interesting. Isn't it amazing the special interest groups that come out of the woodwork in events like these.

Meg> It really is. Of course, I don't think it is any secret that I find the genealogical aspects of DNA very interesting. I think the DNA units were always my favorite sections of science courses. I just didn't know back then how much I would be studying it as an adult!

Bran New Death sounds interesting except that I prefer a bit more closure. Perhaps if you read the next book and give it a good rating, I might consider it.

David McCullough is such a fine writer. I've loved everything I've read by him. He did a wonderful 2-part interview with 60 Minutes a while back that I really enjoyed.

Terri> He is a great writer.

I had to sing at a funeral today. I somehow managed to step in a hole at the cemetery. I injured my hip and am now in a great deal of pain. I have to ice it down and take Advil tonight.

Ouch! I hope the injury isn't anything more serious than aches from the misstep - hopefully nothing broken or torn. Thank goodness for Advil!

Oh Lori, so sorry! I've been on a trip and all binge lately so I know how you feel. Hope the Advil does it and that you feel better soon.

Sandy & Reba> Thanks for the comments. I dislocated it, but it's back in the proper position now. It just hurts from bruising at the moment so the pain is not nearly as great. I'm still walking a little funny (and probably will until it completely feels normal), but not nearly as funny as last night.

Yikes! Hope it's all better soon.

Wow, a dislocated hip -- that must have been awful! Glad it's back in place and hope the bruising gets better quickly.

Leah> Thanks. Me too.

Reba> Yes. It's definitely feeling better. I left the ice upstairs while I type for a bit, but I've had it on there most of the day. I get to start alternating ice and heat tonight. Since the temps are supposed dip down tonight, I suspect that the heat will feel great!

146. Eastern Europe! by Tomek Jankowski

Date Completed: 24 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book whose title’s first word has 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 letters

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This is a highly readable history of Eastern Europe from medieval times to near the present-day. The author has done an incredible amount of research and provides the reader a look of the region as a whole and by country within that region for several periods of history. I read an e-galley version of this book on my Kindle, and there were formatting issues present in the book.
Severalsentenceswereruntogetherlikethis -- often for 1.5 lines or so, making it difficult to read. There was text that was in languages other than English, but it was always translated later. One of my biggest issues with reading non-fiction in electronic book format is that end notes are not very accessible. Such was the case here. I have sometimes seen publishers who provide hyperlinks in the text to the end notes, but this one, at least in its e-galley format, did not do so. The author did insert humor into his narrative from time to time. I found his comment regarding bibliographies (with the bibliography) entertaining. The book is well-indexed. Of course, it is almost impossible to use that index in the electronic version of the book without additional formatting which was not present in the e-galley. This review is based on an e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation that a review would be written.

I just logged into my public library's website to see if they had added a fairly recent book yet. I was kind of surprised when I got to the site and started looking for the tab for the online catalog which wasn't where it was even earlier today. I looked on that main page and discovered that they had a new online catalog. It was giving details on accessing it, logging in with your library card, etc. I haven't quite figured out why they removed the tab for the online catalog because it's almost hidden in all the text on that page, but at least I found it. I will like not having pop-ups when you are checking to see if a book is available or checked out, but it was kind of a surprise since I'd logged in only a couple of hours ago and the site looked like it usually did! By the way, they had managed to get a copy of that book since I'd last checked so I'll probably be grabbing it soon!

Changes in websites can be disorienting. I do not like our library's home page now -- if you don't know the name of the circulation system, you'd never find the catalog! I suggested adding some clarifying text so patrons can find it.

Worse, the state did a makeover of our web portal to ACCESS PA Powerlibrary (educational databases and state library catalog for ILL) without a word of warning -- and we'd been to a training session just a week before. It took us days to find our way into the ILL system through the new portal! And the new format places a huge, dark (ink-eating) heading at the top of the page when we print out copies of our requests for books.

Terri> I've said for a long time that our library needed a new online catalog. Finally we have it. They are actually using what they use for the statewide library catalog. Now they need to revamp the entire web site.

Abandoned Book:



Miracle Road by Emily March

My thoughts: I abandoned this book at about the 50% mark. I really wanted to abandon it earlier, but I kept hoping it would improve. The publisher's blurb compared it to the work of Debbie Macomber, but the characters are not as developed as Macomber's and the writing is not the same quality as Macomber's. I just couldn't continue. This review is based on an advance e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Phew...thanks....bullet dodged.

I'm definitely adding Eastern Europe! to my list, but I think I'll skip the e-book version.

Tina> Glad I could keep that one from hitting you. I love Debbie Macomber's Christmas stories, but this one just didn't work for me.

Rachel> I think it will work much better in print!

147. The Advent of Murder by Martha Ockley

Date Completed: 26 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 4 stars

Review: It's almost Christmas in Little Worthy, and Faith Morgan, the local vicar, has it busy just trying to keep the Christmas pageant together. In fact, that's what she's doing as she happens upon her former colleague Ben Shorter and his investigation team on the property of a parishioner. It seems a body has been found on his property under suspicious circumstances. Faith finds herself helping the police with the investigation, asking questions as she goes about her business and just being observant. Some persons who still don't know that she is the local vicar mistake her for a cop because she still has that "aura" about her person. This is a great follow-up to the previous installment in the series but would work well as a stand-alone for those who have not read the previous installment. The writing and characters are stronger than in the earlier installment as well. While this is technically a work of Christian fiction, Faith is not "preachy." Her caring acts for parishioners and for those who are in need speak for themselves. Although the setting of this story is around Christmas, it can be enjoyed any time of the year. This review is based on an e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

148. The Vanishing Evangelical: Saving the Church From Its Own Success by Restoring What Really Matters by Calvin Miller

Date Completed: 26 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Calvin Miller, a well-known author, takes a look at the decline in membership in Evangelical churches and recommends an increase in intellectualism and the arts to restore its vitality in the 21st century. Miller seems to treat the subject fairly. I am impressed by the amount and variety of popular works of the day as well as literary works such as those by Jane Austen that he uses to make his points. He encourages his audience to read the Bible regularly and in an organized plan such as those that emphasize reading the Bible through in a year. He encourages reading a Psalm and a hymn each day. He encourages his readers to study the lives of martyrs and great heroes of the faith rather than spending their time reading the latest materials available in their local Christian bookstore. Miller did a very good job pointing out how Christianity was in the early 20th century, drawing examples from the reaction against liberalism and from the religious debates that were quite popular and well-attended that pointed out denominational differences. While he is not necessarily encouraging a return to the way things were done in that era, he is encouraging a return to the intellectualism that accompanied the era. This should be a popular book with those in Evangelical churches, particularly lay leaders and clergy. This review is based on an e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

It's fall break at our school. I'd planned to spend most of the day reading, but I ended up with a headache. While I've read a bit, I also needed to go pick up a few things at the store. I decided to do my "shoebox" shopping while I was out and about.

149. Daughter of the God-King by Anne Cleeland

Date Completed: 28 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #17: Read a book with a cover that is the color of autumn leaves

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Hattie Blackhouse has never been close to her parents. She receives word that they have disappeared from their excavation in Egypt. She needs to travel there to make estate arrangements and to try to locate her parents or their bodies. She is uncertain whom she can trust. The timing of the novel is shortly after Napoleon has been exiled to Elba, and the novel's plot involves the governments of France, Britain, Egypt, and a few other countries. I believe that the author is trying to mimic prose of the regency era although she is not very successful in her efforts. It just kind of reads like a cheap imitation of it and does not flow well. The plot of the novel seems similar to something I read probably 30 years ago or more, although I can't put my finger on the novel or the author. It's not a bad read, but it's not a particularly good one either. This review is based on an advance galley received by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

You have a fall break! We only get a winter break and I could use a break from school just about now - I'm jealous!

Meg> It's only 2 days, but it makes a 4 day weekend. It was later than usual this year.

Louise Penny's The Beautiful Mystery is only $1.40 for Kindle today (or at least for awhile today). Just thought I'd let folks know in case they want a copy. I read a library copy but decided that for $1.40 that I'd purchase the Kindle version so I could re-read at a later date!

150. Murder at the Castle by Jeanne M. Dams

Date Completed: 31 Oct 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Read a book where letters from the title can spell words related to Halloween

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review:Dorothy and Alan are attending a music festival at a castle in Wales in which their friend Nigel is performing. Ten years before, the conductor had been in a boat incident in which his first wife was believed to have been drowned. One of the performers goes overboard in a boating incident on this ship. It isn't long until a second accident claims the life of a diva no one liked. Although both have been ruled accidental, Dorothy and Alan can't help but suspect foul play. With the conductor's blessing, they set out to investigate. There are plenty of red herrings to keep a person second-guessing their theory. It keeps things interesting for the reader. I really wish that the castle's atmosphere had come through stronger than it did in this installment. Still, it was a fun read in an enjoyable series.

70: I think Samaritan's Purse is a fun and worthwhile project to take part in. It's amazing what you can find to fit in a shoebox that will delight a child.

Lori, I hope your hip is all better. That must have been a shock to step in that hole and dislocate your hip. Ouch!

I made note of your excellent review of the McCullough book. Each year is begun with the goal of reading more nonfiction. I can't say that I succeed as fiction is my first love. But, after reading Truman last year! I know that McCullough can make any topic interesting. The Path Between the Seas is on my wish list. Thanks!

Donna> I'm sure you'll enjoy it (the McCullough book). We had a big group read of it on the Category Challenge. My hip is doing much better!

For a geographical challenge, some folks were asking where they could go to get lists of books set in various locations around the world. Although there are a few out there, I don't think that they touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what is available. I thought it would be a good wiki effort here on LibraryThing and thought I'd create one. There is probably still a lot of detail as far as countries and even regions of countries which could be created, but I've got an outline up and folks can begin adding individual books or series set in various locations around the world -- or even add some detail as far as breaking it down further by region. The wiki is at http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/FictionLocation.

Judi - what a fantastic help for people doing geographic challenges. I've been doing the 50 states one and have been reduced to using a tag cloud to find states I'm missing. At least it's made me more cognizant of using useful tags. I'll try to remember your Wiki and add to it as part of my record keeping for each book I finish. Good job!

#78 - What a great idea, Lori. I've added a link to the Wiki to my profile page and I will start adding books when I get some extra time. This could be a real help next year when we are digging around for GeoCat ideas, not to mention the Commonwealth Challenge I am working on.

I thought it would be useful. Adding it to the profile page is also a great idea!

As always some very interesting and mixed reading over here, Lori.

The cover of the Jeanne M. Dams really appeals as does the history of Eastern Europe.

I managed to spot a few more David McCullough books to add to the two I have on Kindle (Truman and the one on the Panama Canal were there for sure).

Have a lovely weekend.

Paul> I'm glad to hear you are going to try a few of McCullough's works. I've got some more here in the house that I will probably get to next year since I enjoyed that one so much.

151. Winter Chill by Joanne Fluke

Date Completed: 3 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts with A,E,F,H,I,K,L,M,N,T,V,W,X,Y,Z

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Readers of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson mysteries have come to expect a cozy atmosphere with lots of baked goodies sprinkled throughout the narrative. This work is completely different. The atmosphere is dark. Readers feel a combination of sympathy and outrage at the two main characters, the parents of a girl killed in a snowmobile accident. The father was actually paralyzed in that same accident. The mother has somewhat lost touch with reality, finding notes left for her by her deceased daughter. It's not long until there are more accidents in the small community. Are they accidents, or is there a serial killer on the loose? Readers who enjoy psychological suspense will love this book. Although I won't give it away, the ending of this book was fitting. It reminded me of other works I'd read in the past, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it until I saw another review that likened the ending to an Alfred Hitchcock ending. That described it perfectly. Technically I received this book from NetGalley, but somehow the book was archived by the publisher between the time I hit the send to Kindle button and the next time I was connected to wifi and could receive it. I ended up waiting until my library got a copy, and I used their copy.

Here are two links to help you with locations - at least in the states:

Most Famous Books Set in Every State
http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52580c0deab8ea7e0257f2f2-1200-/most%20f...

The United States of YA
http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-united-states-of-ya/

Morphy> I remember that list of "famous books." I don't necessarily agree with all their choices. I'll try to add them if they are not already on there.

The location index is a great idea, Lori. As you know I'm a 50 state challenge addict, and will add my reads to the Wiki.

Swynn> Great! I hope others will add their 50 state challenge reads to the wiki also!

152. Katie Gale: A Coastal Salish Woman's Life on Oyster Bay by Llyn De DaNaan (touchstone won't work) - completed 5 Nov 2013

Date Completed: 5 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a nonfiction book about change (Note: List the change)

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This is a look at the story of a Native American woman, Katie Gale, who married a white man and lived a very hard life in the Puget Sound (which has recently been renamed the Salish Sea by the USGS Board on Geographic Names according to the author). It takes a look at her family history and adds some social history to make the narrative come to life. I found the organization of this work to be a bit awkward at times. I felt that the author tried to personalize the book too much by placing too much of the current landscape into the narrative when a straightforward historical narrative would have served better. As a genealogist, I felt the author did not document every statement or remark that should have been. When I look at the bibliography, many of the items are there in terms of a general group of records, but the specific details of the record used to support the statement are not in the end notes, making it difficult for persons to locate the specific item. I do, however, believe this is an important work on Native American life for women in that region and time period. The book, however, does not live up to the qualitative standard of other recently published microhistories such as The Notorious Elizabeth Tuttle.

I just had to research the Puget Sound vs. Salish Sea thing at the USGS Geographic Names Information System (Geonames) site. I found both there, but apparently the author is a bit off in his description. The Salish Sea is a broader term than Puget Sound and covers additional areas.

Salish Sea: 5,500 square miles; extends from the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca eastward and northward to include Puget Sound and Georgia Strait, and their associated bays, coves, and inlets.

Puget Sound: Bay, with numerous channels and branches, extends 144 km (90 mi) S from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Olympia; the N boundary is formed, at its main entrance, by a line between Point Wilson on the Olympic Peninsula and Partridge on Whidbey Island; at a second entrance, between West Point on Whidbey Island, Deception Island, and Rosario Head on Fidalgo Island; at a third entrance, the S end of Swinomish Channel between Fidalgo Island and McGlinn Island

Great wiki, Lori! Looking forward to playing with it.

Interesting notes about Puget Sound and Salish Sea. We spent a week in Tacoma last summer, visiting our son and his wife, and found quite a few opportunities to visit the Sound. Beautiful setting, there!

Hi, Lori! You've done some great reading lately.

Re: lists of books by state setting, LT member Littlemissbashful has a great list of MYSTERY books by locale. It started as a state-by-state list, but has evolved to include various countries. Note: it can be slow to load, especially with a slower connection.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/123240

I like your idea of a wiki, Lori, as members can neatly add items to it themselves.

Cindy> Thanks.

Terri> WOW! I've never seen that list. Maybe some folks can gradually add some of that list on. I'll try to add a link in the meantime.

Hi Lori, Katie Gale: A Coastal Salish Woman's Life on Oyster Bay sounds interesting. What time period does the story take place in?

Meg> It's late 19th century!

153. Shadows of Death by Jeanne M. Dams

Date Complete: 8 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Rolling read-a-brightly-colored book challenge

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Dorothy & Alan are once again vacationing. This time it is on the Orkney Islands. The benefactor of an archaeological dig on a remote island is found dead at the site. Alan is asked to assist in the investigation as the local constabulary are tied up with a terrorist threat. It's a small pool of suspects. Alan and Dorothy realize that someone is planting red herrings to try to deter them from the investigation. One key person goes missing. No one knows for sure if he's dead or alive. They also get assistance from the vicar's wife. While the mystery is pretty good, it didn't quite work for me on the plausibility level. I would love for the author to let Dorothy and Alan stay at home in Sherebury for the next installment in this series. It's beginning to seem like they never stay at home, and I do miss the locals there. This review is based on an electronic copy received through the publisher from NetGalley with the expectation of a review.

Sounds interesting. Now that I've finished (or at least caught up with) the Gamache series perhaps I should start this one.

Reba> The Dorothy Martin series isn't great literary fiction, but they are fun reads.

>78 thornton37814:: Thank you, Lori, for setting up that geographical wiki. I appreciate the work that went into it and have it bookmarked. I look forward to seeing it grow as members find it and add to it.

Lori, I wonder if other cozy authors are writing/planning to write more hard-boiled books. At Murder and Mayhem in Muskego, a mystery conference in suburban Milwaukee, yesterday, Julie Hyzy, author of the White House Chef cozy series, as well as the manor house series, spoke more about her darker books, written under NC Hyzy (for Not Cozy Hyzy). Joelle Charbonneau, author of two cozy series, also spoke more about her darker YA book.

Donna> Thanks.

Linda> Interesting. Apparently Fluke wrote these before her others--at least from what I've gathered. The other in the series is Video Kill, I think.

I have been so busy that I've had little time for reading this week. I have made very little progress on the book I'm reading. I've had very little time to check in here at LibraryThing also. I'll try to catch up, but it may take awhile to get caught up on everyone's threads! I'm hoping things slow down a bit!

154. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

Date Completed: 11 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #4: Read a book whose title contains 15 letters or more

Rating: 1 star

Review: Jane Withersteen is a Mormon woman who has inherited her father's ranch. She dares to defy the church and faces opposition in more ways than one from church leaders. The book has the elements one would expect in a typical Western novel. I just don't really enjoy the genre, and I never really enjoyed Westerns on television. My inability to get into this book and enjoy it is probably more of a reflection of my dislike of the genre than of the quality of writing. If you enjoy Westerns, give it a try in spite of my dislike. I made a comment to a friend of mine as I was reading the book that the negative comments one heard about Mormons during the Romney presidential campaign paled in comparison to the contempt for Mormons in the novel. I really only stuck with the book because of the group read.

I'm going to have to buckle down and pick up this book soon. So many lukewarm reviews have made me lose interest in it. I will still give it a try as I do love westerns and often like Zane Greys, but it sounds as if I am going to have to grit my teeth to get through some prejudical material.

Nice, honest review of Riders of the PS, Lori. It did not paint an attractive picture of Mormon's, did it?
I finished it for the very reason you did and that it's been on my shelf for at least 15 years. Adios, Zane Grey!

Judy> If you like Westerns, you should like it better than I did.

Lynda> I'm done with Zane Grey too. No. It didn't paint a pretty picture of them at all.

Note about the next 3 books. These are all very short Kindle books that were offered free by Unanchor.com on November 14 and 15. A friend of mine posted information about their availability at the "free" price on Facebook, so I decided to get one from a location with which I was familiar, one that was more of a specialized tour, and one that was a destination that I really wanted to see. I think that this first review will tell you why I didn't download more of their guides while they were free!



155. New Orleans 3-Day Itinerary by Hwayen Lin

Date Completed: 14 November 2013

TIOLI Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: The biggest problem with this guide is that it presupposes what people might want to do and gives very few options of other things to do in the area. Instead of offering a variety of options for three days in the city, the reader is pretty much stuck to what the author of the book has found to do or might like to do. Being quite familiar with this city, I would have thought the author remiss if she had not included Cafe du Monde as a breakfast stop and Central Grocery as a lunch stop for their muffalettas. She did include those, but on one of the days all of her dining choices were quite pricy. She also failed to mention places such as Mulates which offers Cajun cuisine and entertainment. Very few things to do outside the Quarter and Riverwalk areas were included. Pass on this one and get your guide from AAA instead.

156. Brooklyn, NY 2-Day Foodie Tour by Kelley Gudahl

Date Completed: 14 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: While the author did offer a few options, this guide was not very detailed and really didn't provide the variety or the details to help a person make informed decisions about their 2-day food tour. I suspect that most people can find better information by Googling or using a AAA guide.

157. Best of Prague: Three-Day Itinerary by Monica Hogan

Date Completed: 14 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: None

Rating: 2 stars

Review: I knew almost nothing about what Prague has to offer tourists, but after reading this guide, I still know almost nothing. The traveler is limited to the sights that the author has chosen to include here. Prague is a city that I hope to one day visit, but I think I would do better to rely on my American friends living in the city for advice than to rely on this guide. I'm also certain that there are better travel guides offered from companies such as AAA and Fodor's that can offer more insight than this one did. While the author did acknowledge that some people might want to spend more time in some places and adjust the timing accordingly, the tourist has limited knowledge of other options that he might prefer to what the author chose to include.

After I started my laundry today, I decided to go ahead and pull out the Christmas tree boxes and decorations.

As you can see, Brumley couldn't wait until I got the tree up to start playing in it!

I finally got MOST of the decorations on Brumley's tree. There's a bag that should have a few more handmade ornaments in it that wasn't with the others. I think I've brought that bag from Mississippi to here in the last year. I thought I'd put it with the other ornaments in storage, but it must be in a drawer or closet. I'll look for it next week. I'm sure it will turn up.

Nice tree, Lori. Does Brumley help with the decorating..... or just sit back and observe? ;-)

Brumley has his(her?) own tree? Our cat, Sally, has to make do with our tree but the ornaments were bought or made with her in mind - lots of wooden and home made ornaments, a legacy of when she tried to climb the tree as a kitten!

Lori> Sometimes he tries to help. He'll be knocking a few ornaments off so they can be rearranged to his preferred spots, I'm sure.

Meg> Brumley thinks it is his. He just makes me decorate it! I get to enjoy it. I have a tiny one that I purchased for my office at work that I guess I'll have to claim as mine.

We bought a new tree a couple of weeks ago and have it out on the balcony. I'm not really sure when I'm going to have time to get it up but hope to before we leave for AZ for Thanksgiving. We weren't home last year or the year before (at our son's in AZ) so haven't had the tree up for three years so I'm really looking forward to it. We collect ornaments when we travel and have several given us by friends so it's always fun to decorate.

NoooOooooOooo! Christmas - you're doing it wrong! *sobs* Trees don't go up until AFTER Thanksgiving!

Brumley's tree looks lovely, Lori, but all of a sudden I am reminded that Christmas is just around the corner and I haven't even begun to think about it yet!

Reba> I also usually get ornaments as souvenirs. I have something that brings back a happy memory as I hang it (and take it down) each Christmas.

Morphy> I used to say that until I had a cat. He loves the tree so very much. I'm always gone at Thanksgiving so by the time I get back, there are two weeks at most usually before I leave to go to Mississippi which makes very little time for him to enjoy it. I gave in to the cat's love of trees! At least I didn't put the tree up in September like one of my friends. I have others who have been putting up a tree a week since the beginning of October. I did at least wait until mid-November.

Judy> I haven't done a great deal of thinking about it myself. I've still got to purchase gifts or gift cards for the folks on my list!

158. Not a Creature Was Stirring by Jane Haddam

Date Completed: 17 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: Read a book with a holiday theme

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Gregor Demarkian is ex-FBI. He lives somewhere in the Philadelphia area. His priest asks him to attend a dinner at the large country estate of a wealthy man. The priest has been promised a large donation if he can get Mr. Demarkian to attend. When he arrives, the estate is a crime scene, and Demarkian encounters an investigating officer that is not his favorite. However, the police need his help on this one, and as the death toll mounts, his ability to make sense of things becomes invaluable. Although this book has a Christmas setting, it is one which could be read any time of the year as Christmas is very marginal to the plot. It's a pleasant way to spend a few hours. I found the plot seemed to drag in a place or two, but overall I continued to care about the outcome and kept plugging away. As far as the family members are concerned, the only one that was likeable in any manner was the sister who wrote novels. It was a nice start to a series. I have the second one already on hand to read next year.

I've had that last one on my list for a while, and the county library has it. Maybe I'll try it this Christmas.

Terri> Hope you enjoy it. I was fortunate enough to find a copy for $1.95 at a used bookstore recently, and I think it may have been 40% off everything in the bookstore that weekend!

I read a bunch of Jane Haddam books years ago. They were ok but I haven't read one in years. At least 15 years, I'd say.

That was an old one, Linda. It was the first in series. It seemed a bit familiar, so I may have read it back when I lived in Cincinnati. They had a wonderful library. I'm just not positive if I had or not. I don't think she'll ever be a favorite author, but it's okay.

159. Bosnia's Million Bones: Solving the World's Greatest Forensic Puzzle by Christian Jennings

Date Completed: 19 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #17: For Veterans' Day: Read a book about a veteran, a conflict, a war etc.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Journalist Christian Jennings has documented the Yugoslav War from 1991-1995 and the acts of genocide committed by Serbian leaders and their troops toward the conclusion of that war. They attempted to hide the bodies in mass graves, often burying individuals in more than one. A group of forensic scientists came up with a method using DNA testing to identify the bodies and get them back to their families for proper burial. They had a high degree of success which has since been used in disasters and other mass grave situations throughout the world, especially by the International Commission on Missing Persons which was established, in part, as a result of this Bosnian genocide. It's a very interesting story of how DNA is being used for identification on a wide-scale basis. This review is based on an advance reader's edition provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation that a review would be written.

This was always my least favorite topic in my Anthro classes, but there is a lot of amazing work being done around mass graves and "disappeared persons" (as they are known in Central America). I can recommend The Bone Woman by Clea Koff if you want to read more on the topic.

Brumley is adorable! And your tree looks amazing! Ours will go up t-day weekend.....maybe sooner if my husband has made getaway weekend plans.

Leah> I was really more interested in it from the DNA angle since I really have an interest in forensic genealogy.

Lynda> Thanks. Most of my ornaments are from travels or something similar. A few are handmade by people special to me. It's quite the eclectic tree. You'll have to post a picture of yours!

Great review of Bosnia's Million Bones. That sounds really interesting.

Terri> It was interesting. It held together better than many books written by journalists also.

160. A Fatal Thaw by Dana Stabenow

Date Completed: 20 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts with A,E,F,H,I,K,L,M,N,T,V,W,X,Y,Z - letters with straight lines only

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: There's a mass murder in the Alaskan park area where Kate Shugak lives. She, with the help of Mutt, captures the suspect. When ballistics gets back the report, it is discovered that one of the shots that killed was fired from a different rifle. Kate helps investigate. She knows who the person who did it was almost from the beginning and most readers will also suspect that person from the beginning. The author, however, does a good job in describing the area. Not exactly the best in the series. It is a short and quick read. I enjoyed the earlier installment entitled A Cold Day so I'll probably give the next one a chance based on the strength of the first.

For those of you who enjoy Christian "Amish romance" novels, specifically those of Beverly Lewis, you might be interested in an article that appears in the current issue of Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies, an open-source publication. Link to the issue is: http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/57691.

161. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Date Completed: 22 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: Read a book with a holiday theme

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: When her editor tells her she can cover any story she wishes if she can get an interview with a sensational Alaskan reclusive author, Carrie heads off to Alaska to try to find him. She finds a friend of the author, Finn Dalton, who flies her to his cabin. What happens under the stars is magical. Finn urges her not to publish her story. Will she give up her dream job or her man? This is a nice Christmas story that includes some reconciliation. It may not be my favorite Christmas story by Macomber, but I did love the Alaskan setting.

162. The Monastery Garden Cookbook: Farm-Fresh Recipes for the Home Cook by Victor-Antoine D'Avila-Latourrette

Date Completed: 23 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Rolling read-a-brightly-colored book challenge

Rating: 3 stars

Review: While browsing the new book shelf at our public library, I stumbled across this cookbook. The introduction told about monastery gardens and specified that the book showed the use of vegetables (and fruits) and did not include meats. The way a statement was worded in the introduction, I thought the meat ban extended to meats, but since a couple of recipes included tuna, it must not have. The star vegetable ingredient is arranged alphabetically from artichokes to zucchini. Each vegetable (or vegetable grouping) has an introductory text which discusses the history and use of the vegetable. Some recipes have further explanations such as a description of the Saint for whom the dish was written. Some vegetables are grouped together. For example, cabbages, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower are all grouped under cabbages because they are members of the same family, but I doubt that most persons would not think to look under cabbages for them. Fortunately, they all follow beets alphabetically so the placement would be the same. Most of the recipes are characterized by a simplicity that one would expect from a monastery, but they definitely would give taste to the dishes. The use of various cheeses such as parmesan or stilton enhances the flavor of many dishes. I found very few recipes that I would actually want to try that were not similar to dishes that are already in my cooking repertoire. I would have appreciated photographs of prepared dishes although I did enjoy the line drawings which often had almost nothing to do with the recipe at hand. This book will probably be most appreciated by those who primarily eat vegetables and fruits.

163. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels by N. T. Wright

Date Completed: 23 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #4: Read a book whose title contains 15 letters or more

Rating: 3 stars

Review: N. T. Wright takes a look at Jesus' purpose on earth by taking into account the Old Testament as well as what Christ revealed of His own purpose in the Gospels. It reveals truths about the Kingdom of God. He emphasizes the need to look at all of the Gospels. Somehow much of what the author was trying to stress was lost to me as I cringed every time there was a sentence fragment, a sentence beginning with a conjunction, or other poor grammatical constructions. The book needed much additional editing, not only because of the grammatical errors, but also because the author repeated points or rambled unnecessarily in places.

By my imperfect reckoning Dana Stabenow is the most popular author on LT born in the state of Alaska. It looks like she is so because the opposition is not that hot given your lukewarm reception to her series thriller.

Have a lovely weekend, Lori.

Paul> I think overall (for Alaskan settings) I like the Jessie Arnold mysteries written by Sue Henry better than the Kate Shugak or Liam Campbell ones written by Stabenow. However, they aren't perfect either.

Lori, of the Alaskan series you mentioned, I like the Liam Campbell ones the best. Not my favorite series but I've read a few. They were ok.

Linda> I have only read the first Liam Campbell which I gave 3 stars. To be honest, all of them pretty much fall in the 2.5 to 3.5 star range for me, with most being a 3. I think I identified more with the settings for some of the Sue Henry ones though which may make me remember "liking" them slightly better. There was one where she went RVing. There was another where she was on the inside passage.

Abandoned Read #4 of 2013:



This Book Is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson

Comments: As a librarian, I expected to like this one. It's been on my to be read list for awhile, and I finally picked it up at the public library. Unfortunately, I really never could get into the book. I think it was partly due to a writing style that did not work for me and partly because the sketches themselves did not really appeal to me. I took advantage of librarian Nancy Pearl's advice and abandoned it after about 50 pages.

164. Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens by Robert Gottlieb

Date Completed: 24 Nov 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #6: Read a book where a title word or author name starts with A,E,F,H,I,K,L,M,N,T,V,W,X,Y,Z - letters with straight lines only

Rating: 3 stars

Review: The author takes a look at the children of author Charles Dickens. It depicts Dickens as a father who enjoyed was a good father during their early years when they were playing but as one who was eager to get them out of the house and self-sufficient too. It also shows that he was a bad husband, with a marriage resulting in separation. The author divides the look at each child into two sections -- their life before Dickens' death in 1870 and their life after (if they survived to that point). Unfortunately this made for some awkwardness in the flow of the novel. It would have been better to have treated each child as a separate chapter individually, both before and after Dickens' demise. Several of his children died young. Others lived to middle age. Only one or two made it to an expected age of death. Some of his children took positions in India; some in Australia; one in Canada. One was an artist. Another was an attorney who became a judge. While the book is interesting in places, it bogs down in others. I would have preferred better citation of materials used in the form of footnotes or endnotes instead of as a general word about the sources. I think the book's usefulness in academic circles is somewhat limited because of the lack of proper citation.

Lori, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving, Lori!

Happy T-Day, Lori! Hope you're having an enjoyable day!

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Judy> Thanks. Hope you had a wonderful day up in Canada too.

Joe> Thank you. I haven't seen those little people in 30 something years. My nephew used to play with them! Hope your day was happy!

Lynda> Thank you. It was enjoyable but busy! Hope yours was enjoyable too.

Reba> Thanks. It was a pretty good one. I had spent all day Wednesday doing prep, cooking the turkey, and the pies. I was able to finish everything off and have everything on the table by noon!

Lori, I am thankful amongst many other things for your friendship via this wonderful group. Have a lovely Thanksgiving weekend.

Paul> Thank you! I didn't have a lot of time this week to read or for checking LibraryThing. I'm reading a book by a favorite author, and it's taking me forever even though I'm loving the book.

I hope to be back to my normal posting (and reading) this week. I went to Mississippi this week to visit with my dad. I did spend the better part of a day and a half cooking and/or doing prep work for the Thanksgiving feast. Every time I would sit down to read, Dad would interrupt and want me to do something for him. I spent another half day taking Dad to his house and going out to the cemetery where Mom was buried to place flowers on family graves (hers, aunt & uncle, and grandparents from both sides of the family). We played family games one night. Sometimes it was just too noisy to concentrate. I managed to read a little over half of one book the entire week. It is a very good book, and I'm quite interested in it. I simply didn't have time to read it. I had taken 5 or 6 books to read. So much for plans! I think I'll spend the rest of this evening reading until I head to bed.

Tease! So what are you reading?

Morphy> The next C. J. Sansom (for me).

At the rate I read last week, I probably should not have checked out anything when I returned the books at the library earlier today. One of the books is a book I intend to re-read so I can officially complete my 2013 Category Challenge. I've well-exceeded my minimum in most of the other categories, but I've had trouble motivating myself to do re-reads. Another book is a children's book that I saw in someone's reading last year. Our library only had it in a collection with 3 other short books by the author. I may read just the one or all four. At least two of the others are pretty short. One is a collection of short stories. There is one other one which I think is normal length but should be quick reading. I've also got a stack of books at home that I'd already set aside to read. Somehow I feel like I've been on a book-buying splurge when I only went to the library. I also downloaded two freebies for Kindle. One is a well-rated book of Christmas devotions. The other is a short story, I think. 8 books in one day between the library and the Kindle freebies. Maybe I have been splurging!

Nice to see that you were able to spend your Thanksgiving with family but sometimes it is good to get back to your own space as well. The book about Dickens' family sounded like it had an interesting premise - just the kind of book for a family history hunter - too bad it didn't live up to expectations.

Meg> It's not really a bad book, but it's just arranged rather awkwardly. The method of citation was also not great. The author definitely didn't follow Elizabeth Shown Mills' citation standards!

I think geneaologists may use a higher standard than many writers when it comes to citations. We expect that another genealogist will come along and follow our trail to find their own mother lode. We are like a cooperative of researchers!

Meg> One of the reasons genealogists do so is to make certain that they are taken seriously in the research field. There was a time when genealogy was marginalized. There are some who still like to marginalize us. Fortunately our contributions have been recognized in the narrow field of microhistory which is leading to respect in other circles as well. Having a set of recognized standards in the field has also helped. Of course, one of those standards has to do with citing sources. Actually the trail is so we can find it again if we needed to do so, not so much for the benefit of the other genealogist. That's more of a by-product!

165. Sovereign by C. J. Sansom

Date Completed: 3 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #14: Read a book (or books) from a previous month's TIOLI Challenge that you did not complete...or read at all!

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Barak are sent by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to see to it that a prisoner in York who is destined for the Tower in London and eventually will face hanging will be treated well. It is at a time when King Henry VIII's Progress is visiting the area with the anticipation of a visit by the Scottish king. A man is killed who is in possession of a box of important papers needed by those who wish to dethrone Henry VIII. It is stolen from Shardlake's hands. Soon attempts are made on his life. There are plenty of officials. Which ones are corrupt and which are not? How do certain events fit together? Which are important in the puzzle and which are not? These are all questions the reader ponders. With that said, I had figured out the solutions to both the murderer and thief aspects of the novel fairly early on. I still enjoyed the historical context and Sansom's writing tremendously. I suspect about 50 pages could have been trimmed in all from this novel (which would have still made it long in comparison to many) by tightening the action and getting rid of some of the slow action that had little bearing on the outcome. It's still an excellent read in a great series.

166. In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story by David McCullough

Date Completed: 4 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Solstice Challenge: Read a book with a word related to heat/light in the title or a related image on the cover

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This short book documents the visit of Winston Churchill to the United States in Christmas 1941. It contains photographs from that era as well as the speeches that Roosevelt and Churchill made at the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Christmas eve. It also contains the stories of two Christmas carols, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." I enjoyed this glimpse into a Christmas past. I was struck by the words of Roosevelt's speech which expressed faith in God, something that many in the 21st century would certainly criticize if included in a speech of today. It's a very quick read, but definitely worthwhile. The book is accompanied by a DVD of McCullough's performance at the annual Christmas Concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City. They sing the two carols.

167. The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden

Date Completed: 4 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #2: Read a book with a word in the title or author's name representing something you would find on a holiday table

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Delightful Christmas story of an orphan (Ivy) who is not adopted and a doll (Holly) left behind on the shelf at the toy store after all the Christmas has been done. They find each other, and Ivy finds her "grandmother". This is an oldie, but goodie.

A big thank you to Ivy (Ivyd) who read this last year and put it on my radar!

The Story of Holly and Ivy sounds like one I'd enjoy, but I think it will have to wait another year, as I already have a lot of holiday books to read for this Christmas! On the list it goes!

Lori, I could've sworn that I read that McCullough book but it's not showing up as read. Maybe I read something similar.

At any rate, I need to find a copy asap. Maybe the library has it.

ETA: I knew it. Last year, I read Stanley Weintraub's A Pearl Harbor Christmas, which is on the same topic.

Rachel> I'm over-committed with Christmas reads this year myself. I think I knew I wouldn't get to it when Ivy read it last year. I just made sure I'd remember to grab it to read this year. It has actually held up well.

Linda> I will have to see if I can find Stanley Weintraub's book. Sounds like a good one for next year!

I don't seem to have one Christmas read lined up for this month. There is a story in the new Kindle book by James Hilton that I will read. I usually reread A Christmas Carol and may yet get to it when it's closer to Christmas.

Lori, you may not have gotten much reading done over Thanksgiving, but I'm sure your father appreciated your spending time with him. Not to mention cooking a big Thanksgiving dinner. Time well spent. And you had that lovely Christmas tree to come home to. Are you getting any snow today. It looks like a Christmas card outside my window right now...our first snow of the season.

Donna> Yes. I don't really regret the lack of reading, but it's just strange for me to not make that much progress. We're just now beginning to get rain -- no snow. They predict heavy rains for us instead of the ice or snow in other parts of the country (and state).

168. Candy Floss by Rumer Godden

Date Completed: 5 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #11: Read a book whose title finishes the sentence "All I want for Christmas is . . ."

Rating: 3 stars

Review This book by Rumer Godden has not held up quite as well over time as some of her other stories. This is the story of a doll who is the good luck charm for the boy who runs the ball throwing event at various fairs. I find it interesting that the doll's owner was a boy yet he made clothes for her so she could twirl around, attracting customers to his venue.

169. Impunity Jane by Rumer Godden

Date Completed: 5 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Rumer Godden has an ability to make dolls have feelings in her story. This is the story of a doll who wished very much to be a pocket doll rather than one which sat in a doll house. Unfortunately she was purchased by someone for a dollhouse. She kept wishing for a home in a pocket, but every time she changed owners, she ended up back in the same dollhouse. One day she finally gets her wish. Will it last? I'll let you read it to see how the story turns out.

170. The Fairy Doll by Rumer Godden

Date Completed: 5 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #11: Read a book whose title finishes the sentence "All I want for Christmas is . . ."

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: A fairy doll tops a tree for a family where the youngest girl is struggling in her achievement. When great-grandmother declares that Elizabeth needs her own fairy, the doll becomes hers. With the power of the fairy doll, the girl is able to achieve. What happens when the fairy doll goes missing? You'll have to read to find out, because I'm not telling! There are some aspects to this story that are dated, such as lighting candles on the tree and having a cedar chest. It's probably not a story that modern children would enjoy, but I found it enjoyable.

171. Living Into Focus: Choosing What Matters in an Age of Distraction by Arthur Boers - completed 6 Dec 2013

Date Completed: 6 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Arthur Boers is a college professor who in this volume challenges Christians to spend a little less time with technology. Although in some places he does mention that doing so provides more time for prayer and Bible study, he hasn't really developed that thought as fully as he could have. He does, however, develop the additional time to spend with family, mainly through discussions of Amish life. Here again, in a book published by a Christian publisher, I would have expected more Biblical references in making his point. I agree with much of what the author has to say about the way that technology has caused us to lose our focus on the things that matter and has made us spend far too much time in our jobs and in communicating in non-face-to-face situations; however, nothing he has really said in the book is really unique. It is mainly a rehash of the research of others. Since the book is not preachy, I think the book is a good fit for any person who is interested in simplifying their life, but it is likely to appeal mostly to an Evangelical lay audience interested in reducing stress in their lives caused by technology.

172. Village Diary by Miss Read

Date Completed: 6 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: This installment takes look at a year in Fairacre through the eyes of the head teacher from January to December at a time when many schools were being consolidated. It's also a glimpse of village life, and especially, of the poverty of some village residents. It's a delightful re-read from days gone by.

173. A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry

Date Completed: 6 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #11: Read a book whose title finishes the sentence "All I want for Christmas is . . ."

Rating: 2 stars

Review: After a cruel remark is made by Isobel which drives Gwendolyn to commit suicide, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould accompanies Isobel on a Medieval style redemptive journey to deliver the last letter written by the girl to the girl's mother and to accompany the mother back to London. The story was a bit boring as there was really no mystery involved in it. They journeyed several places to eventually reach the mother, but even the locations really did not make up for the lack of plot.

That last one sounds like a huge disappointment. Thanks for the warning, Lori!

It looks like your past week has more than made up for the lack of reading while in Mississippi with your father! Several of the Christmas books sound good, especially the McCullough.

I really must try the Sharlake series.

Terri> I love the Shardlake series. The McCullough is probably my favorite Christmas book so far. Many of the books I've read this week are short or written for younger folks, but that's okay, they are still books. I'm in the midst of reading two others right now--one is a collection of short stories, the other is a Homer Kelly Christmas mystery. I'm not sure if I'll finish the Homer Kelly one tonight or not, but I'll definitely finish it this weekend.

174. The Shortest Day: Murder at the Revels by Jane Langton

Date Completed: 7 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title

Rating: 2 stars

Review: In this installment of the Homer Kelly series, there is no doubt of the identity of the murder/serial killer from the beginning. What is strange is that he isn't caught before he commits so many murders. It begins with an actor from the play at the Revels being run over. Then slowly, others from the play are killed or harmed. In the meantime there is a homeless encampment at Harvard University which is drawing attention. This is definitely not Langton's finest work, and besides being on the set of the play from time to time, Homer really plays a very minor role in the mystery. It just resolves itself, although Homer does play a slight role in the resolution. Perhaps the author is trying to make this more of a psychological portrayal of a killer, but if so, she is not as successful as other authors such as Ruth Rendell. The thing that I probably enjoyed most were the quotes from poems and plays that preceded each chapter.

175. Jesus by Anselm Grun

Date Completed: 8 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #19: Read a book with an object or character which are in a Nativity Scene in the title

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: The author of this volume tried to take on too large of a story to tell in a short picture book. He tries to cover Jesus' life from birth until the resurrection. There are just so many stories that he could not tell them all, and his choices of which stories to include and which to neglect seem a little off. There are some words that seem a little difficult for young children. We don't tell children a woman is "pregnant"; we tell them she is going to have a baby. While children who go to church may be familiar with some of the Christian "jargon," other children are not going to know some of the terms, and some of them were not explained well enough for children. I'm also not sure why the story stopped at the resurrection. Why wasn't the ascension and the promise that Jesus would return included? The illustrations are the bright place in the book. They are very appealing and well-done. If a parent or teacher practiced and came up with work-arounds for the problems with the vocabulary of the text, this book might be useful. I think most would prefer to use other books that deal with one story in the life of Jesus and treat that story well than to use this overview that has quite a few problems.

176. The Little Amish Matchmaker: A Christmas Romance by Linda Byler

Date Completed: 9 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title

Rating: 1.5 stars

Review: This story, written by an Amish woman, tells the story of the schoolteacher through the eyes of Isaac, the younger brother of Simon, who has a crush on her. Readers are given a rather choppy narrative, written at a very low reading level. This book was in the adult section of our library, but the narrative is written more at a third or fourth grade level with a smattering of Pennsylvania Dutch words which makes it a bit more advanced. If the book had not been so short, I would have abandoned it.

I've been tied up most of the evening in dress rehearsal.



Our Living Christmas Tree performances are this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (December 13-15) at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time each night. It will also be streaming live each evening at http://www.fbcmtn.com.

Besides what's going on in the tree, there is drama, dancing, etc. on the stage.

Of course, it could change, but I'm in the fourth row just to the left side of the center (stage right, I guess). I've got the first head of dark hair!

Wow, Lori, that is really neat!!

I'm reading a marvelous book with a genealogical angle. Don't be put off by the title. I'm not sure why it was titled Annie's Ghosts -- it's NOT a ghost story, though it is about a woman named Annie. Her unseen presence is like a sort of ghost haunting the family history, I guess. Author Steve Luxenberg, a journalist, learned that his mother -- who always insisted she was an only child -- had actually had a sister. The sister, Annie, had spent most of her life institutionalized. Luxenberg decided he needed to learn about this aunt he never knew, and why her existence was kept such a secret. He began trying to find and trace any record he could find of her existence. Part of that was tracking down other folks in the family tree to see what they knew. (His parents and grandparents were dead by this time.) I picked the book off my TBR shelf a couple hours ago just to look at it, and I'm already to page 75 (of really tiny print -- why do they publish in such small print?) This man is an investigative journalist, not a genealogist, so it's interesting to see how he starts to go about it, and I'm eager to read on and see how his search progresses.

ETA to addOops! I was just quickly browsing through the reviews of the book, and see that you already read it and liked it.

#175 - Wow! That's impressive and sounds like quite the production! It looks like you have a pretty intense organ there as well.

I've never seen a living Christmas tree like that. How awesome!

Terri> That was a wonderful book. I snagged a copy through Early Reviewers when it came out. The genealogical community really loved that book in general too.

Kerri> We do have a wonderful organ (and organist)!

Amy> It is awesome until you've been standing in it for awhile. Then you are just dying for the production to end! Feel free to tune in at the link provided earlier if you want to see it live!

177. Deck the Halls with Murder by Valerie Wolzien

Date Completed: 12 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #10: Read a book with a predominantly blue cover

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Josie Pigeon owns a construction company on an island. All of her employees are female. She's hired a couple of new employees for a project where they are fitting a home for a quadriplegic man. One of those employees dies on the worksite of poisoning, and another of her employees is arrested by the incompetent island police officer. Josie and her boyfriend/attorney Sam must investigate since she's certain that her friend and employee didn't commit the deed. This one started a bit slow for me, but it may be because I have not read the earlier installments in the series. Once the employee died and the investigation commenced, it was not such a chore to read. A pleasant holiday read!

Lori, what an amazing picture! I couldn't see the people at first (maybe it's time for new glasses) but I think I see you now. I'd love to see a production like that. Have fun!

Susan> I know it's late for you all in the U.K., but I'll try to post the link to an "archived" version when it is available. It is streaming live at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time tonight through Sunday at http://www.fbcmtn.com/

One night down, two to go on the Living Christmas Tree. We had the cast party tonight. I'm hoping I can hold my eyes open long enough to read a few chapters in a book tonight.

Best wishes for the remaining two nights of the Living Christmas Tree!

Lori, I always loved the Valerie Wolzien mysteries. Isn't she the one whose character had a done named Gretzky?

Anyway, I read them all and met her a few times at conferences but she seems to have stopped writing. Not sure why but I loved that series. Among my favorites.

Lori, I have to admit that I have never heard of Valerie Wolzien and don't see any of her books available in the shops here.

Have a lovely weekend.

Lori, what a beautiful gift to the community. Your living Christmas tree is a delight to see. I think I found you in the picture! I hope you are still holding up well. A production like that takes much time and energy. I wish I could see it in person!

Terri> The last two nights went even better than the first night. We did have a glitch on Saturday night with the banners not making it down the aisles fast enough so they weren't all there when the song ended. However, it still went amazingly well both nights.

Linda> If she had a character named Gretzky, he wasn't in the Christmas book. I may try some more books in the series. I'd had that book for years and years and never read it.

Paul> As I mentioned above, I've had that book for years. I don't think she's still writing. I'll probably try to find a couple of others in the series in used bookstores. The rest of my weekend went well.

Donna> We do it every year about the same time. It is very exhausting each year. I've been so tired when I get in each night that I'm really too tired to even think about reading. I should have some time to read while the cheesecakes are baking this afternoon and then later. I want to cook them this afternoon so that they have time to cool before putting them in the refrigerator so they can be chilled when we need them late tomorrow afternoon.

178. Manhattans and Murder by Donald Bain

Date Completed: 16 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #18: Read a book which has two words in the title starting with the same letter

Rating: 3 stars

Review: It's always fun to visit with an old friend, and Jessica Fletcher seems like one of those because of the Murder, She Wrote television series. This particular installment in the book series was an episode or a movie because I could completely visualize most of the plot as it was taking place, including the building. Jessica has gone to New York before Christmas to promote her latest book when she happens upon a Santa who looks a lot like a person from Cabot Cove who had entered the witness protection program. He asks her to meet him the next day, but when she does, she witnesses a shooting. Almost immediately officers and a narcotics detective are on the scene. Suddenly she's getting more publicity than she wants. Even though this one is set in New York, it features appearances by Dr. Seth Hazlitt and Sheriff Mort Metzger of Cabot Cove. It wasn't my favorite episode when it aired, and it's not my favorite book in the series either, but it is a comfort read and enjoyable when you want something a little lighter for the holidays.

Lori, that last review certainly brings back memories! My Mom and her sister used to get together every Sunday night to play Yahtzee! and watch Murder She Wrote, and I usually joined in. Those were good times! I think I remember that series installment, too.

I'm glad your Living Christmas Tree went well every night. What a blessing to your community!

Terri> I have quite a few of the Murder, She Wrotes on DVD. I need to work on finishing my collection of the seasons.

Oops, typo. I think Wolzien's lead character had a dog named Gretzky. Or maybe it was Clue and another series had a Gretzky.

They still play Murder, She Wrote on one of the TV stations that I get. I watch it if I am home from work as I still enjoy it even if I have seen the episode a few times before.

Angela Lansbury + Christmas + Manhattan will always bring to mind going to see Bedknobs and Broomsticks with my grandmother at Radio City Music Hall and seeing the Rockettes when I was six.

Linda> No dog in this one that I remember. Of course, she didn't spend much time at home in this one so maybe that info wasn't included.

Meg> I watch it if I come across it, but I really don't pay much attention to TV. I watch sports and that's about it these days. Most of what is on is not fit for viewing.

Morphy> I remember reading that book as a child and watching the TV movie too. I didn't get to see the Angela Lansbury version though. I'm sure it would have been great!

179. Ringing in Murder by Kate Kingsbury

Date Completed: 18 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Christmas at the Pennyfoot Hotel means one thing -- murder. As Cecily and Baxter are preparing for Madeline's New Year's Eve wedding, a member of Parliament and his wife are killed in an explosion in the hotel. Was it a gas leak or murder? The local constable rules it accidental before heading off on his vacation. Cecily, however, uncovers other evidence which seems to point in another direction and takes up the investigation. Meanwhile, Gertie and another maid Pansy keep spotting a walking and moving snowman. Gertie is convinced that the snowman is after her children. While this will never be my favorite series, I do think this one was a bit better than some of the others I have read. I am, however, at the end of my stash of these from a used booksale and probably will not go looking for others in the series.

Bad news & good news --
First, the bad: When I went to the library this morning to get The Secret River by Kate Grenville, it was nowhere to be found although it was supposed to be on the shelf. I looked through all of the G's hoping to find it misshelved. I pulled out books and looked behind them. I looked in the new book section. I looked in the large print section. I couldn't find it. Then the clerk at the desk went and did most of the same searching I'd done. She had no better luck than I did.

Now, the good news: The library director was standing there. I had told her that I was really hoping we'd find it because it was at the top of my wish list and that I'd seen two five star reviews by different people in the last week on LibraryThing. She is ordering another copy (and maybe even two) which will hopefully be here when I return after the first of the year.

I did check out five others:

Roseanna by Maj Sjowall
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
English Experiences by by Susan Briggs

The last one was an impulse checkout from the new book shelf. It's a fairly short travel book and looked like it might have some interesting narrative in it about the British culture.

Does anyone know about OysterBooks.com? I had an ad in my Facebook feed about this site that is supposedly a "Netflix for books". It is supposed to cost $9.95/month for unlimited books. I just wanted to see whether anyone has used it and what their experience has been. There is a "free month" offered.

I was wondering the same thing, Lori. I had an ad for it pop up on FB. I took a look. Sounds good but I've never had good luck with these "all you can read" book places.

For one thing, it sounds like it's limited to iPhone/iPad apps.

That might not be too bad for me if I get what I think I'm getting under the Christmas tree, Linda. However, I don't even want to enter a trial without knowing more. After all, I can keep pretty busy with just the local library and their print and e-book collections. These don't cost me $10/month.

I looked at their website and they have no current plans to add Kindle devices. It sounds like their own app. I don't like to read on my iphone and my tablet is a Kindle Fire HD. Wouldn't work for me.

Linda> I can keep pretty busy with my library which doesn't cost a thing. It's not very tempting to me at this point. I've also been told that the statewide e-book program is pretty responsive to suggestions so if I can request that one be added to their collection and get it that way, why should I pay $10/month? They are missing a market if they don't support Kindle, but then Kindle is somewhat proprietary. I'll keep using my Kindle, but I am looking forward to having access to some of the other formats via iPad.

Hi Lori,

Diana> Merry Christmas back to you! Cute snowmen!

180. Mad as the Dickens by Toni L. P. Kelner

Date Completed: 23 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter

Rating: 2.5 stars

Review: Laura and her husband Richard have traveled from their home in Boston to Byerly, North Carolina so can Richard can direct a production of "A Christmas Carol" for Vasti, one of Laura's relations. When Scrooge turns up dead, Laura and the local police chief, a woman named "Junior," know that it is murder, but since Junior is on vacation, she turns the investigation over to her deputy after securing the scene. Someone is playing practical jokes on the play as well, but after the murder investigation is underway, the mischief seems to intensify. I might have enjoyed the characters in a different story, but this one just had some issues with the plausibility of the plot. Add that with what for me was a pretty obvious resolution to the case, and it's a pretty mediocre read. I probably won't be picking up others in the series anytime soon although I am somewhat curious as to whether the author does a better job with her stories in non-Christmas installments of the series.

Happy Holidays to you and your family, Lori!

Lori, I hope you get hold of The Secret River. At my library I would also check SEC, RIV and KAT as well as GRE but I like to hope that other libraries are better :-) Mine has cut down the number of "new book" displays, because at one point there were about half a dozen of those.

How exciting about the iPad! I hope Santa turns up trumps. Happy Christmas and all the best for 2014.

Best wishes to you, Lori!


glitter-graphics.com

Kerri> Thanks for the holiday greetings.

Susan> I'm sure that the library will call me after I get back when it comes in. I'm looking forward to reading that one. I'll be glad when Santa gets here. I'm looking forward to playing with a new toy!

Terri> Merry Christmas to you also!

Lori, this tree isn't as special as your living Christmas tree but it's the best I could do. Merry Christmas to you!

Lori, thank you for all your visits to my thread in 2013. It has been as always a pleasure to visit your own and marvel at your reading prowess. Have a wonderful Christmas. xx

Thanks for your input this year on this newbie's thread. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Lori.

Donna> The book tree is wonderful!

Paul> What a wonderful card! It reminds me of early 20th century cards. Hope you have a great Christmas day too.

Meg> Thanks. Have a great Christmas.

Because we have a house full of people and are getting ready for a wedding later in the week as well as Christmas today, I don't have time to visit everyone's threads to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'll just have to get by with a generic wish to all who visit my thread on my own, so . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Have yourself a merry little book-filled Christmas!

Merry Christmas Lori!

Morphy> Thanks. No books yet, but I'll probably get some with money I received and from SantaThing!

Leah> Thank you.

181. Holmes for the Holidays edited by Martin Harry Greenberg

Date Completed: 24 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #18: Read a book which has two words in the title starting with the same letter

Rating: 4 stars

Review: This is a collection of short stories written by contemporary authors featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famed detective Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson. This is a much more enjoyable short story collection than many are, particularly than those in the mystery genre.

"The Watch Night Ball" by Anne Perry - A woman begs Holmes to prevent her sister from killing their father at Christmas. I guessed the ending of this one, but it was still a fun read.

"The Sleuth of Christmas Past" by Barbara Paul - A local chemist fears someone is robbing the charitable Christmas Fund. A young woman is suspicious of her fiance's recent actions. She calls upon Holmes for assistance. I enjoyed this story by what was a new-to-me author. I'll be looking for her other books.

"A Scandal in Winter" by Gillian Linscott - This story is told from the voice of a young girl who witnessed an accident the previous year at the Edelweiss. Those present the previous year have returned. Holmes & Watson are there too to investigate what occurred and to perhaps clear the deceased's wife of the popular belief that she was responsible for his death. This was the only story in the collection that was not narrated by Watson, and it really would have worked better from his voice.

"The Adventure in Border Country" by Gwen Moffat - A many from Cumberland hires Holmes to locate his neighbor's missing husband. An interesting puzzle with some psychological problems.

"The Adventure of the Three Ghosts" by Loren D. Estleman - Sherlock Holmes & Watson in a remade version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

'The Adventure of the Canine Ventriloquist" by Jon L. Breen - A writer is tormented by a picture and a dog.

"The Adventure of the Man Who Never Laughed" by John H. Watson, M.D. - A woman wants her brother found. This one deals with mental health issues.

"The Yuletide Affair" by John Stoessel - Watson solves a case of his own involving a stabbing.

"The Adventure of the Christmas Tree" by William L. DeAndrea - A Scottish Duke's forester tells Holmes and Watson about a marked tree's disappearance and reappearance. He seeks their helping in explaining it.

"The Adventure of the Christmas Ghost" by Bill Crider - Ebenezer Scrooge's nephew sees ghosts. Holmes resolves the reason behind the sightings for Ebenezer and for his nephew.

"The Thief of the Twelfth Night" by Carole Nelson Douglas - An emerald went missing some years ago. Holmes makes Watson guess what happened.

"The Italian Sherlock Holmes" by Reginald Hill - Holmes listens to an Italian man deduce the guilt of a man.

"The Christmas Client" by Edward D. Hoch - Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) is being blackmailed and seeks Holmes' assistance. I enjoyed this one.

"The Adventure of the Angel's Trumpet" by Carolyn Wheat - Holmes helps an opponent defend a woman accused of murdering her grandfather.

I think that my favorite is probably "The Sleuth of Christmas Past."

I will continue to post my 2013 reads here, but my 2014 thread is up at http://www.librarything.com/topic/162723.

I have a couple of abandoned reads to report:



Murder for Christmas edited by Thomas Godfrey - abandoned about 20 Dec 2013

I decided to just resume this one next year. Most of the stories I'd read just weren't cutting it for me. Maybe they'll start improving at the point I pick it up next year. I've got notes on the ones I did read. It was a library book.



The Merchant of Menace by Jill Churchill - abandoned 26 Dec 2013

After 58 pages, I abandoned this book that wasn't working for me. I was almost 20% into the book. No murder had been committed. I failed to connect with any characters.

Christmas may be over, but I've still gone one NetGalley title that is a Christmas book that I have to review. I'll get to it soon, but I need a break from Christmas books for at least a book or two!

Hi Lori - Stopping by with belated Christmas wishes and to wish you a

Lori> Thanks for the Boxing Day wishes!

182. English Experiences by Susan Briggs

Date Completed: 26 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #18: Read a book which has two words in the title starting with the same letter

Rating: 3 stars

Review: I saw this on our library's new book shelf and thought that the prospect of finding about places that are known to locals seemed like an interesting premise for a travel book. While the author provided some insights, ultimately this book just didn't really deliver fully on its premise. Part of that is due to the fact that it's too short to do the job properly; part of it is because the narrative just isn't that engaging. I'd rather find a guide that tells more about some of the places that I'm going to visit so that I can fully appreciate them when. It's not a bad guide, but if you are using it, I'd recommend finding a more thorough guide as a supplement.

183. Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Date Completed: 27 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #3: Read a book by an author from a different country than the three previously listed books

Rating: 4 stars

Review: Martin Beck leads an investigation of the murder of a woman found in a lake. She had been a passenger on a cruise. There appears to be evidence of a possible sexual assault as well. This book was written in the 1960s, and the police techniques definitely correspond to that era rather than the present-day era when the Internet and digital photography would have radically altered some of the things in the investigation. I really enjoyed this mystery and will probably look for others in this series. It is not as dark as much of the present-day Scandi-crime.

I got really tired of the Jane Jeffry series from Jill Churchill and gave up on that one. I think I read just about all of them though (not sure why).

Linda> I haven't read very many of them, but apparently I've picked the wrong ones. They just don't resonate with me.

One thing that bugged me is that they were set in Chicagoland but it was a very generic Chicagoland. It could've been anywhere.

Linda> Definitely could have been anywhere. There was no strong sense of place. I didn't really picture them in that area.

184. The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat

Date Completed: 31 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: Amabelle is a Haitian woman living in the Dominican Republic at the time of the conflict between the two countries in 1937. She was orphaned when her parents were swallowed by the river separating the two countries. She was taken in by a wealthy Dominican family, but it is no longer safe. She and her fiancee Sebastien are separated by the war. Yves helps see her back to safety in Haiti. Over the years, she clings to the hope of a reunion. I won't say more for fear of giving away the plot. This is a well-written novel that is touching. The author does a wonderful job building characters and in description. A very touching story.

I'm now ready to name my top 5 for 2013. If I complete another one, it will be a short one that is on my Kindle and will definitely not affect my ratings. I am, however, glad that I waited to name my top 5 because the last read made the cut!

Without further ado, here are my top 5 for 2013:

#1 - How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
#2 - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
#3 - Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
#4 - The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
#5 - The Path Between the Seas by David G. McCullough

To round out the top 10:

#6 - An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
#7 - The Angola Horror by Charity Ann Vogel
#8 - A Murder in Passing by Mark de Castrique
#9 - In a Dark House by Deborah Crombie
#10 - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I've found a few short things, mostly Christmas Kindle shorts or picture books, that I decided to fit in quickly before the end of the year. I'm going to begin posting the ones I completed last night to my thread. I'll probably also have a Christmas NetGalley read to report before the day is over.

185. A Lonely Dog on Christmas by Patrick Yearly

Date Completed: 30 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #5: Solstice Challenge: Read a book with a word related to heat/light in the title or a related image on the cover

Rating: 1 star

Review: A dog takes a look at the holidays from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. Bad prose and boring for the most part although there was an occasional line or two that made you smile.

186. The ABC's of Christmas by Ray Pritchard

Date Completed: 30 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #19: Read a book with an object or character which are in a Nativity Scene in the title

Rating: 3 stars

Review: This is a nice set of daily devotionals for December 1 through December 26 for those interested in devotional insights related to the Christmas story. Unfortunately not all of the devotions correspond to the Advent Calendar used by most churches because of the alphabetical arrangement of the letters. The author often uses a lesser known word related to the story than a better known one. For example, sign is used instead of shepherds for the letter s. Still it accomplishes its purpose as an Advent devotional.

187. A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schultz

Date Completed: 30 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #4: Read a Book Whose Title or Author's Name Contains the Word Secret(s) or Lie(s)

Rating: 5 stars

Review: It's a classic! Charlie Brown hates the commercialization of Christmas. Linus tells Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas.

188. The Mouse and the Christmas Cake by Unknown author

Date Completed: 30 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #2: Read a book with a word in the title or author's name representing something you would find on a holiday table

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: What happens when you find a mouse in a Christmas cake? Read it and see. It's a cute children's book with illustrations reminiscent of a bygone era.

189. Squidge: Little Elf, Big Trouble by Andrew Thomas

Date Completed: 30 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #16: Read a book with an embedded word in the title

Rating: 2 stars

Review: An elf who breaks a machine decides to ride along on a Santa's journey to deliver toys by hiding in Santa's sack. It does teach responsibility. The illustrations are flat as is the story in most places.

Nice top 10, Lori! I liked your top 3 a lot, need to read that McCullough, and need to read me some Edwidge Dandicat.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2014.

Joe> Thank you. I had a pretty good reading year. I do think you'll enjoy both the McCullough and Danticat books.

2013 End of the Year Book Meme

Describe yourself: Daughter of the Loom

Describe how you feel: Rotten to the Core

Describe where you currently live: The Family Mansion

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Most Beautiful Country Towns of England

Your favorite form of transportation: Hearse and Buggy

Your best friend is: The Postmistress

You and your friends are: Mad as the Dickens

What’s the weather like: Winter Chill

You fear: Lotions, Potions, and Deadly Elixirs

What is the best advice you have to give: Books Can Be Deceiving

Thought for the day: Dead Men Don't Crochet

How I would like to die: Buried in a Book

My soul’s present condition: Silent in the Sanctuary

Oh, Lori, I love that meme! I did it a while back, but it's a great idea to do it as an end-of-year exercise! Maybe I'll do it now with this year's books, too.

I love your choices.

Your "how I would like to die" is very similar to mine: Lost in a Good Book!

Terri> Yes. I saw it over on the other Lori's thread. I think someone else had started it this year, but I'm behind on most of the threads. Hopefully I can catch up this evening.

Carrie> I actually had Buried in a Bog down until I spotted Buried in a Book. It was definitely a superior way to die.

190. A Christmas Gift for Rose by Tricia Goyer

Date Completed: 31 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #19: Read a book with an object or character which are in a Nativity Scene in the title

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Rose has grown up in the Amish community of Holmes County, Ohio. She was upset when her beloved Jonathan enlisted in World War II to serve as a medic. How could she forgive him for participating in a war, even if he never fired a shot? She discovers that she was born English and that the Yoders adopted her when her parents, struggling in the Great Depression, could not support all their children and moved to California to be near other family members. They left her with the Yoders, knowing she would have a better life. How can Jonathan accept her? This is a touching story which should appeal to fans of Amish fiction. Although this is marketed as a Christmas book, it can be enjoyed any time of year. I received an advance electronic galley of this from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation that a review would be written.

191. A Very Holly Christmas by Sheila Roberts

Date Completed: 31 Dec 2013

TIOLI Challenge: Challenge #1: Read a book with a two-word tag in which both words start with the same letter

Rating: 2 stars

Review: Ambrose the Cat is in the process of using his 8th of 9 lives when the story begins. It seems he's been driven up a tree by a dog. When a man comes by and rescues him by chasing the dog off, he decides to follow him since he's lost his last home and needs one. There is an odd transition in the middle of the story. This one is mercifully short since the story isn't likely to appeal even to cat lovers (like me).