MickyFine Seeks Out Joy in 2023, Part 3

March is often still pretty wintery in my neck of the woods but the days are getting noticeably longer and I can curl up in a sunny spot in my living room with a book and a cat, so there's that small joy. (My photo)

I'm Micky, 36 years old, librarian, and generally bookish nerd. I usually have a good mix of reads going on every year with strong doses of romance, sff, historicals, and a dash of non-fiction. This year my goal is to only read books that bring me joy, which means I'm likely to read a bunch of genre fiction. As part of that goal, I'm also striving to re-read more books from my own collection and will be using a D20 to select a shelf and then choose a book from there at least once a month.

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

January
1. Captain Carter: Woman Out of Time - Jamie McKelvie et. al.
2. Pies and Prejudice - Ellery Adams
3. Giant-Size Gwen Stacy - Christos Gage et. al.
4. Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell
5. She-Hulk #7 - Rainbow Rowell et. al.
6. She-Hulk #8 - Rainbow Rowell et. al.
7. She-Hulk #9 - Rainbow Rowell et. al.
8. Paris Is Always a Good Idea - Jenn McKinlay
9. Scattered Showers - Rainbow Rowell
10. Mad and Bad: Real Heroines of the Regency - Bea Koch
11. All the Feels - Olivia Dade
12. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend (re-read)
13. Have I Told You This Already? Stories I Don't Want to Forget to Remember - Lauren Graham
14. Love on the Brain - Ali Hazelwood
Favourite(s):


February
15. Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell (re-read)
16. The Dark Archive - Genevieve Cogman
17. Pardonable Lies - Jacqueline Winspear
18. Hollow - Shannon Watters, Branden Boyer-White, and Berenice Nelle
19. Ship Wrecked - Olivia Dade
20. Death in the Stacks - Jenn McKinlay
21. Codex Born - Jim C. Hines
22. Take a Hint, Dani Brown - Talia Hibbert
23. Q-Squared - Peter David (re-read)
Favourite(s):


March
24. The Song of the Quarkbeast - Jasper Fforde
25. The Accidental Beauty Queen - Teri Wilson
26. The Bookshop on the Shore - Jenny Colgan
27. She-Hulk #10 - Rainbow Rowell, et. al.
28. The Spare Man - Mary Robinette Kowal
29. Well Met - Jen DeLuca
30. The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie
31. Adler - Lavie Tidhar
32. Undercover Bromance - Lyssa Kay Adams
33. All Systems Red - Martha Wells (re-read)
Favourite(s):

My rating system:

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

What's (been) on the agenda: Second and last of my in office days. The double-decker was back this morning (yay!). Tasks at work have and will include preparing and submitting my vacation request forms for the year (the process at my work for this is So Weird), checking staff reported gaps, the biweekly librarians meeting for my department, an in-person meeting with our customer service rep from OverDrive, and time with publisher catalogues. After work, we'll make our regular trip to the library. And then we're trying a new to us restaurant that is in the same building as the library (it's a weird mix of a County-owned building that includes County Hall and the associated municipal offices, the library, rentable public spaces, and this one restaurant). It's vaguely Greek-ish but I'm considering getting salmon because I haven't had it in ages.

What I'm reading: Started The Song of the Quarkbeast on the bus this morning and am enjoying it immensely, as I always do with Jasper Fforde.

What I'm crafting: I was nearly finished the lace rows on the crochet poncho last night but discovered a mistake that meant I had to frog the two rows I'd spent most of the evening completing. *sigh*

What we're watching: One episode of Firefly and a couple of Bluey.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Micky.

Happy new thread, Micky!

Happy new thread Micky!

Happy Wednesday, Micky! Happy New Thread! I hope all is well.

Happy new thread, Micky. >3 MickyFine: Oh yeah, the vacation requests - I'm just so glad I don't have to deal with those anymore. Ours went by seniority so good luck getting what you wanted if you were far down on the totem pole.

>1 MickyFine: I can't see a picture in your topper.

Happy new thread, Micky! I'm not able to see the picture in your topper either.

Happy new thread, Micky!

Hi Micky, I hope March is good to you and that we on the eastern side of the Rockies get to have an early spring *with rain*!

Your topper photo doesn't show. When I tried my "open in a new tab" conrol-click work-around, I noted that the message shows up with an Error 1011, that is ~
"The owner of this website (curatedinterior.com) does not allow hotlinking to that resource (/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Reading-Nook-Window-Seat-with-Built-in-Bookshelves-via-CottageJournal.jpg)."

Does this simply happen to me? Or is it true for everyone who visits here?

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

>12 SandyAMcPherson: I can't see the image, either.

Thanks to Jim, Paul, Natalie, Susan, Mark, Meg, Irene, Anita, Sandy, Anita, and Foggi for the new thread visits. For all who noted issues with the topper, I've swapped it out. Enjoy looking at my leg for the month of March. :P

>4 drneutron: Nice to see you circulating around threads, Jim!

>8 msf59: Everything is ticking along smoothly, Mark.

>9 Familyhistorian: The first weird thing is that our vacation year runs May 1 to April 30 when everything else follows the calendar year (fiscal, event schedules, etc.). The seniority bit isn't quite so painful as you're only allowed to apply seniority to one vacation request per year and for my work group in particular it doesn't really matter because our roles are so specialized that no one covers our work while we're away, it just waits until we come back. So as long as one of us is around to at least triage staff emails that come in to our group email, it doesn't matter if the rest of us are off. In seven years with the library, I've never had a vacation request denied.

Date night recap: The restaurant was a really lovely space and the food was delicious! All of the entrees come with complimentary soup and I had their house specialty lemon rice soup because soup of the day was cream of mushroom and I do not like mushrooms. I had the salmon which was cooked to perfection served with delicious roasted potatoes (lemon and dill and just *chef's kiss) plus a few roasted veggies. Then baklava for dessert, done with maple syrup rather than honey. It was good but the next time we go, I'm trying the creme brulee instead. After dinner Mr. Fine wanted to walk to the new comic book store nearby but I sent him solo as I had worn cute not functional boots for the evening. He told me to browse in the library for a bit before driving over to give him time. Cue me finding four books and having to be texted to remind me to leave since he was done. :P A good night out, methinks.

What's on the agenda: Back to that sweet WFH life. Dropped off Mr. Fine, cleared the snow off the driveway and sidewalk (it was just slightly more than a skiff but clearing it so it doesn't become ice after today's warm temperatures), and did some video gaming before going on the clock. Tasks today will include weekly calendar updating, customer suggestions, probably edits on the request for reconsideration letter as my manager has passed it up to our director, and time with the core collection tome. After work, I'll pick up Mr. Fine from either his dermatologist's office or the bus station (timelines are a bit variable for how that will shake out) and then we'll do the bi-weekly grocery shop. Dinner will be soup and sandwiches. I'm leaning towards tomato soup and open-faced grilled cheese for myself.

What I'm reading: The Song of the Quarkbeast is as entertaining as I expected and despite remembering almost nothing from the first book, I'm keeping up with book two just fine.

What I'm crafting: Nada.

What we're watching: Two episodes of Bluey.

>15 MickyFine: Our vacation year starts March 1, which I find super weird. I guess they didn't want to have to deal with requests for time off around the holidays being spilt up.

>16 MickyFine: Sounds like a lovely night out! I might have to try making maple syrup baklava sometime...

Your date night sounds very nice!

What a lovely night out! I know we just did an overnight trip to Washington DC but I'm going to try to work more nice dinners out into our rotation. I love a good Friday night pizza, but there are also a few nice restaurants around here that we haven't tried yet.

Happy new thread, Micky!

Love the idea of a date that involves solitary time and it's just perfectly normal.

Date night sounds lovely!

I remember loving Song of the Quarkbeast when I read it; hope it stays good for you! Apparently there is a fourth book in the series now, The Great Troll War, but it never got picked up for print publishing in the US? And there are some iffy reviews. Not sure what happened there.

>17 foggidawn: I get staggering it slightly from the calendar year but so far into the spring is just weird. Of course, we can request vacation outside of this process but this is the only time of the year you can request seniority be applied.

>18 katiekrug: It was an extra good one. :)

>19 lauralkeet: We usually get a mix of more standard takeout fair with one nice meal out in a month, usually. It's always a good time so I hope your date night dinner explorations are fun and tasty.

>20 swynn: Date outings that involve bookstores or libraries often involve a bit of independent roaming for both of us, lol.

>21 curioussquared: My sources say it was released on this side of the pond and not just in Canada as sometimes happens (thanks Commonwealth). The ISBN for the hardcover is 9781444799934 and the paperback edition is due out April 25 (ISBN 9781444799965). In case you want to track it down for yourself. :)

>22 MickyFine: I guess it must have just been a big publication delay! Thank you for the update :)

>19 lauralkeet: - We go out pretty often but it's usually to the same 3 or 4 places. We always intend to try new ones and then don't. We've been discussing with some friends doing a Supper Club, where we try a new place once a month or so as a group...

Hi again, Micky!

>24 katiekrug: Mr. Fine and I have a slightly bigger rotation of regular places and it's often rare we try somewhere new but there's a few places in our 'burb we still want to try. There's a Mexican place I've been hankering to try for a while.

>25 MickyFine: - I've contemplated writing each place I want to try on a little slip of paper and putting them all in a jar and picking one when we are dithering about where to go....

You can't go wrong with Mexican, IMO :) Is it Mexican-Mexican or Tex-Mex? (I love both!)

>16 MickyFine: Crème Brûlée is my first dessert choice. Becky and I have been known to go to restaurants just for the Crème Brûlée. I have had a date or two go south when I wore fancy shoes but my date wanted to wander, so cheers for finding a good alternative.

Going out post-COVID we've had some disappointments, not in the food but in the noise levels - even though we aren't very chatty as a family we dislike a major din.

Happy new thread, Micky!

Your recent reading reminds me that I was thinking of watching Star Trek TNG at some point. I've seen random episodes as a young child because my babysitters liked the show and watched it (with my parents' permission) when we were kids, but my parents never really watched it so I didn't follow it, really. I remember being interested because LeVar Burton was in it and know Patrick Stewart primarily from it, though.

Hello, Micky! Happy new one. The topper photo made me smile.

Your date night sounds full of fabulous!

>26 katiekrug: That's a fun idea. You could also go spreadsheet (I know how you love a spreadsheet) and use a random number generator to pick one. :)

The restaurant is Mexican-Mexican. I believe the owner is from Mexico City. My mom's work had their year-end party there a couple months ago and both my parents really enjoyed the food so I've been wanting to visit since then.

>27 quondame: Creme brulee is one my favourites too, Susan. But since the restaurant is vaguely Greek influenced I wanted to try the baklava at least once.

>28 bell7: Thanks, Mary. The thing with TNG is that it is good but the first few seasons can be rough. Mr. Fine and I just finished a rewatch of the whole show not that long ago and even as fans there were episodes we did not give all of our attention (and many we mocked). Funnily enough I was just listening to an old episode of Dear Hank and John where someone asked a similar question and Hank mentioned this article from Medium that suggests episodes that will give you the rough gist of the show in 40 hours (rather than the total 178). If you do decide to tackle it, I'll be fascinated to see what you think.

>29 Crazymamie: Thanks on both counts, Mamie!

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine, cleaned all the litterboxes, and then spent my free time this morning video gaming. Work so far this morning included a few rabbit holes that I went down but the main to do list will include customer suggestions in OverDrive (the end draws nigh for these), general selection in OverDrive, time with the core collection tome, and I've saved a webinar from BookNet Canada to watch at the end of the day for when my brain hits Friday mode hard. After work I'm meeting Mr. Fine at the mall. He has a parcel to pick up from the post office and I want to try on a pair of Blundstones to see if my feet like them. I'm trying to find something cute, functional, and water resistant for my feet for our trip to Newfoundland next month as April is likely to be much wetter (and cooler) than our trip last September. I lucked into finding a cute coat at Costco last night that is water resistant and fleece lined so I'll be dry and cozy on my torso. :) Gyro kit from Costco for supper tonight and we're planning to play a board game afterwards.

What I'm reading: I've got the newest She-Hulk comic waiting for me and then I'll start The Accidental Beauty Queen.

What I'm crafting: Finally finished the lace rows on the crochet poncho (after yet more frogging). Next step is sewing the rectangle together to create a neck hole and arm slit.

What we're watching: The first episode of season 13 of Supernatural, the first episode of season 3 of The Mandalorian, and a few episodes of Bluey (Uncle Rad and Frisky are so adorable!).

I thought of you last night while we were watching Jack Ryan. There was a Tim Horton's joke :)

>31 MickyFine: Ooh, cute waterproof boots are my specialty! If you don't like the Blundstones, I have two pairs of waterproof Sorels that are both super cute and comfortable. Mine are a couple years old so they're not selling them anymore, but these pairs are similar: https://www.sorel.com/p/womens-emelie-ii-lace-bootie-1951181.html?dwvar_1951181_...
https://www.sorel.com/p/womens-emelie-ii-zip-bootie-1977611.html?dwvar_1977611_c...

I also have a pair of Timberlands similar to these that are not waterproof but always hold up really well in the rain for me: https://www.timberland.com/shop/womens-courmayeur-valley-chelsea-boots-brown-tan...

Book 24



The Song of the Quarkbeast - Jasper Fforde

Jennifer continues to be the acting manager for Kazam, a house of magic serving the Kingdom of Snodd. When the odious Amazing Blix teams up with the King to put Kazam out of business and privatize all magic in the kingdom, for their great financial benefit, it will take all of Jennifer's cunning to help the sorcerers at Kazam to keep magic independent.

Another fun romp from Jasper Fforde. While it's been over a year since I read the first book in the series and remembered very little of it, I didn't feel lost at all reading this second book. The narrative subtly holds your hand enough that the reader doesn't feel lost, while also crafting a really excellent fantasy tale. Of course, there's plenty of Fforde humour throughout and I definitely laughed aloud in a few spots. Recommended for Fforde fans.

Rating: ****

>32 katiekrug: Yay for Canadian content! :)

>33 curioussquared: Ooh, thanks, Natalie. I appreciate your expertise!

>34 MickyFine: I have this on my TBR shelf, so it's good to know that it doesn't require a recent reread of the first book. Basically all I remember about that one is that I enjoyed it.

>36 foggidawn: I was in the same boat. You should be just fine picking this one up whenever it suits your fancy.

>34 MickyFine: Haven't started this series yet, so thanks for the reminder that there's still some Fforde books I should be getting to! Happy weekend.

What's on the agenda: Slept for 8.5 hours last night so feeling good about sleeping until 6 a.m. this morning. Played games on my phone until Mr. Fine woke up. Took a shower, finishing up breakfast, and we'll head out for church shortly. Afterwards I need to swing past my parents' house to pick up my half of a box of grapefruit my mom and I are splitting. Mr. Fine is planning to go to the gym after church so I'll have some quiet solo time for a bit of the afternoon. I'll probably go for a walk and then do some reading and crafting. We'll likely play a board game when Mr. Fine gets home. Lasagna for supper tonight. Movie night afterwards.

What I'm reading: Only managed a chapter in The Accidental Beauty Queen yesterday.

What I'm crafting: All of the crocheting is complete on the poncho! I just have to sew on buttons and block it before it's officially done.

No viewing last night unless you count the weekly video chat with Mr. Fine's daughter and a separate video chat with one of the nieces on Mr. Fine's side of the family.

>38 bell7: Happy to oblige. I hope your weekend treats you well too, Mary!

What's on the agenda: Was awake before 5 but happily went back to sleep and woke up for good around 7. Might lounge in bed for a while longer but eventually there will be breakfast. Need to do the usual Sunday chores this morning and I have to pop into my local yarn store for crochet hooks. Depending on how long those tasks take, I might attempt doing our taxes today but we'll see. We're having a game afternoon with Mr. Fine's long-time friend and said friend's wife. First time hanging out with just the two of them socially so we'll see how it goes. Fajitas for supper. Usual chill evening watching TV.

What I'm reading: The Accidental Beauty Queen is a fast read and I ended up knocking out half of it yesterday.

What I'm crafting: The crochet poncho is done! It's currently sitting on my blocking boards so I should be able to take pictures in a day or two. Did some work on the secret cross-stitch project in the afternoon. During movie night, I started winding yarn for my next crochet project and got through six of eight skeins.

What we're watching: Ended up having enough energy for a double feature so we watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix followed by the animated Hercules.

Hope the game afternoon went well! I love Hercules.

>42 curioussquared: The game afternoon was a lot of fun. We'll probably be doing it again (in a couple months because life is very full).

What's (been) on the agenda: Hoo boy has it been a Monday. Mr. Fine's on early shift again this week so 5 a.m. start. Commute was smooth but the rest of the morning was... not. I spent half an hour fighting with the printer in our department trying to get it to scan some documents (was finally successful but I swear only because I reported the issue, the associate manager came with me to witness the issue, and then... it worked perfectly). Spent a bit of time on email and then had another request for reconsideration land on my desk and spent the rest of the morning going down rabbit holes digging into the preliminary research for the response to that. Got so sucked in the research I forgot about a webinar I was planning to attend and it looks like it wasn't recorded so no watching later. :( This afternoon I'm spending reviewing expiring content in OverDrive/Libby and then customer suggestions. Supper tonight is chicken pesto pasta. On the fence about attending virtual craft circle this evening - I'm not sure I'm in the mood for even virtual peopling.

What I'm reading: I'll wrap up The Accidental Beauty Queen on my afternoon break. Then I'm starting The Bookshop on the Shore.

What I'm crafting: Finished winding skeins of yarn into balls for my next crochet project. Then crocheted and blocked my gauge swatch for that project. Hoping it's dry and matches gauge so I can start on that project tonight.

What we're playing: We played Cascadia yesterday afternoon with our guests. It took a bit for them to learn the rules but I think they had a good time with it. Mr. Fine won.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Picard season 2, one of the Muppet Show, and a couple episodes of Bluey.

Book 25



The Accidental Beauty Queen - Teri Wilson

Public school librarian Charlotte Gorman is in Orlando to share a hotel room with her twin sister, Ginny, to cheer Ginny on in her latest beauty pageant but mostly for a vacation for herself. But when Ginny has an allergic reaction and is too swollen to compete she convinces Charlotte to pretend to be her for the preliminary stages of the Miss American Treasure pageant. Charlotte has never understood the appeal of pageants but as she steps into Ginny's (very high heeled) shoes, she discovers a kind community of women plus a spark with one irresistibly charming man.

A pretty cute novel that strides the line between romance and general fiction. I enjoyed all of Charlotte's nerdy book references (particularly heavy on the Austen and Harry Potter) and there's some charm in the swapping places, which appeals to this long-time fan of The Parent Trap. That said, all of the lying required eventually started to wear me down and it felt less fun and more stressful. That said, the ending is very sweet and while the ending is a little optimistic it is a happy one. If it strikes your fancy, try it.

Rating: ***

>45 MickyFine: - Hmmm........

Might put it on my library list if it's available on audio.

ETA: Sorry about the Mondayness...

Okay. I lost you somehow. Oops. My bad, but I'm here again.

>34 MickyFine: Yay!! Another Jasper Fforde! I love him. Keeping my eye out for this one.

You had quite a Monday didn't you, Micky? I'm glad the associate manager's aura cleared up your printer/scanning problem LOL. Hope you had a restful evening and that today is an improvement over yesterday.

Yeesh, sorry about the Mondayest of Mondays. I sympathize with the printer/scanner issue and have definitely done the same with IT (though usually for everyday type stuff, I'm the person who is present to magically make things start working again).

Hope today is a better day!

>46 katiekrug: It could be decent in that format, Katie. It does read very quickly in print. If life hadn't been so busy I probably could have read the whole thing in an afternoon (and reading quickly might have made all the lying less wearing maybe?).

>47 Berly: Nice to see you, Kim! The Last Dragonslayer series is marketed for teens (although other than the age of the protagonist it doesn't feel much different from Fforde's adult stuff) so that might be why it wasn't on your radar.

>48 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. My evening (and unsurprisingly having dinner) did much to improve my mood.

>49 bell7: Must be fun to wield the power of making things better by your presence, Mary, LOL. Today seems to be going better so far. *touch wood*

What's on the agenda: Back in the office again today and the cold weather we've got this week makes leaving the house extra unappealing (it was -20C (-4F) when I left this morning). Tasks at work today will include working on a draft of the response to the request for reconsideration, customer suggestions, a meeting with a library director (my manager's supervisor) to just chat about things going on in collections, removing expired content from OverDrive/Libby, checking for alternate editions of in-demand titles we can't get anymore, and maybe spend some time looking at a report of outstanding on order items for my manager. After work I'll head straight to Barre class. Supper will be beef and broccoli. Whether Mr. Fine decides to serve it over pasta or rice will be a surprise when I get home from class.

What I'm reading: The Bookshop on the Shore is going well so far.

What I'm crafting: I did end up going to craft circle last night and I started my crochet wrap as my gauge swatch was dry and matched gauge. :)

What we're watching: Just one episode of All Creatures Great and Small.

What's on the agenda: Happy International Women's Day, friends! I had a not great night's sleep as I was and am anxious about my year end performance appraisal today. My manager was amazing and actually gave me her written notes in advance yesterday afternoon, which you think would help as there was nothing terrifying or upsetting and her constructive feedback will be useful, I think, and I'm interested to see what that part of our conversation will be like. But my brain does not care about that logic and is freaked out anyway. Sigh. That meeting is at 11 so I expect there will be some level of anxiety simmering in the back of my brain all morning. I've got a growing list of tasks to do many of which weren't quite finished either yesterday or Monday including: customer suggestions, removing expired content from OverDrive, looking at long time on order items from one of our vendors, staff reported gaps, returning a phone call (this is rare for my role), looking at notes from our vendor on our standing orders, and a couple other small things. Dinner tonight will be my choice of take out and it's either going to be Swiss Chalet or pizza (two of my favourite comfort foods). I have my monthly massage booked for this evening. Haven't quite figured out if I'll swing by the library before or after my massage but the weekly return and pick up of stuff does need to happen at some point.

What I'm reading: About halfway through The Bookshop on the Shore. Not quite sure who is going to end up being the main character's love interest. I was pretty sure who but a new character was just introduced and now my expectations have been upended.

What I'm crafting: The poncho is done being blocked (huzzah!) but I was so tired and not at all presentable for photos of it last night (boo!). Probably won't manage photos until Thursday as tonight will also be full. Did two teeny rows on the wrap last night just to feel like I did something crafty.

What we're watching: An episode of Firefly and a few of Bluey.

Best wishes for the performance review! I totally know what you mean about the irrational anxiety.

*hugs* I think anyone who has had a surprise bad performance review is traumatized by them forever after (I know I am). I'm glad your manager gave you her notes in advance; I've always appreciated managers who are transparent and gentle about that process. Enjoy your comfort food and massage!

Hope the performance review passes quickly and easily! They always make me nervous, too, even when there's no reason to be. I'm currently putting off completing my self-review... The massage and comfort food sound like a perfect reward :)

Best of luck on your personals eval today. I can relate to the anxiety even when you have no reason to think it will go badly.

Hooray for the massage! You remind me, I need to make an appointment for my next one.

Thanks, Katie, Foggi, Natalie, and Mary, for the empathy on the performance appraisal anxiety. I'm pleased to say that logical brain was right and there was absolutely nothing to worry about. It was a good conversation with plenty of positive feedback and all of the constructive feedback was useful (and not upsetting).

Having made it through this, I think I can officially say without qualifications that I really like my new manager.

>57 MickyFine: Great news!

>57 MickyFine: That's the best news! A good manager is a real blessing. I hope you get lots of restorative sleep tonight!

>57 MickyFine: - Hooray!

>57 MickyFine: Yay!

>57 MickyFine: Wonderful! I'm glad it went so well for you!

>57 MickyFine: I came here with 11 unread messages, beginning with your daily agenda so I was delighted to get to this one! Great news, Micky.

>58 foggidawn: Most definitely, Foggi.

>59 quondame: I did sleep much better last night. Thanks, Susan.

>60 katiekrug: I might even add a "hip hip" to that, Katie. :)

>61 curioussquared: Absolutely, Natalie.

>62 atozgrl: Me too, Irene.

>63 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura.

What's on the agenda: WFH for the rest of the week. I dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus this morning and then spent almost all of my free time before my shift playing video games. Work tasks include updating my calendar, customer suggestions, looking at lists from our A/V vendor, and time with this month's Library Journal. Supper tonight is quiche.

What I'm reading: I only have 40 pages left in The Bookshop on the Shore and was super tempted to stay up late and finish it last night but was kind to both Mr. Fine and myself and turned out my light. I should wrap that up on my lunch break. Next will definitely be a She-Hulk comic and then I'll start The Spare Man.

What I'm crafting: Didn't touch a project yesterday.

What we're watching: Finished season 1 of All Creatures Great & Small.

>65 MickyFine: Excited to see your thoughts on The Spare Man! I'd like to get to it this year; we'll see!

What's (been) on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine, did some tidying, and then did some gaming before going on the clock today. Work today has and will include customer suggestions in OverDrive, doing some selection for eBooks as well, going through this month's Library Journal, a virtual meeting library staff across Canada who are involved in collections (mostly managers but also some people in roles similar to mine), and watching a webinar from OverDrive on the new notify me feature. On my lunch break, I'll put a chicken in the oven to roast for supper. At some point I also need to pop out to M&M's to pick up dessert for this weekend and a pie for Tuesday (because who doesn't love an excuse for pie?). Supper this evening will be the aforementioned roast chicken and whatever sides Mr. Fine decides to make. We might have the energy for a board game this evening or I might just craft while Mr. Fine plays video games.

What I'm reading: Starting The Spare Man today.

What I'm crafting: Finished the first section of my crochet wrap last night and the second section during the meeting this morning (sections are irregular sizes and use a few different stitches so some are faster than others).

What we're watching: The new episode of The Mandalorian, a couple of Supernatural, and a couple of Bluey.

>67 MickyFine: Ooh, pie! I should make one for Tuesday.

>68 foggidawn: I am all in favour of that life choice, Foggi. 😊

What's on the agenda: Slept pretty solidly last night and was only awake an hour before the alarm, which is pretty good for me. Took a shower, had breakfast, just finishing up my tea and then I'll finish getting ready for church. Have confirmed this morning that our planned family lunch tomorrow is cancelled. My parents were already not coming as my mom had a bug she thought was a cold but has turned out to be COVID and now my SIL and eldest nibling both have sore throats. Bummed we won't see everyone but also not upset to have a weekend to ourselves. After church I'll drop Mr. Fine off at the gym on my way home. As usual I'll probably craft and maybe read during my free solo time. Odds are high we'll play a board game after Mr. Fine gets home. Supper tonight is perogies and sausage. Movie night may or may not be a double feature.

What I'm reading: The Spare Man is off to a solid start. It's set in a future where everyone introduces themselves with their name and pronouns, which is cool but my brain keeps stumbling over how to pronounce the gender neutral Mx. that everyone uses (as in "Mx. Smith said..."). At this point I might just go with "max" for my mental pronunciation but if anyone has any other ideas, I'd be interested to hear.

What I'm crafting: Worked on the cross-stitch tree skirt last night while Mr. Fine was gaming.

What we're playing: I picked Wingspan last night and after a tiebreaker, Mr. Fine won.

I sort of love it when plans get cancelled.... :)

>70 MickyFine: the one time I heard Mx. I think it was "mix" but I wouldn't swear to it.

Oooh, Wingspan is fun, I've played it a couple of times at my parents' place.

I've met a few people who use Mx and they pronounce it "mix" but I think "mux" is also fine

>71 katiekrug: I also love plans being cancelled. It's the hermit/homebody part of me. :)

>72 bell7: Wingspan is one of my favourites. Mr. Fine and I can knock a game out in about 45 minutes lately, which isn't bad.

>72 bell7: >73 norabelle414: It being sci-fi, it didn't immediately occur to me that this was a thing that existed in the real world (face palm). After Mary's comment, I did some googling and most of the pronunciation videos I found lean towards the "mix" end of the spectrum. The Wikipedia article about Mx. is pretty interesting as well.

Sunday's adventures: I woke up stupid early (for either standard or daylight time) and was a little off kilter all day. Eventually made it out of bed for breakfast and the usual Sunday chores. Did bill sorting and also submitted our taxes. Mr. Fine was watching Top Gun: Maverick while I did taxes and I watched the last chunk of it with him. Afterwards I ran an errand for my grandmother, which my mom can't do due to the spicy cough. When I got home we did some Lego assembly. Supper was frozen pizza and salad.

Monday's adventures: Had my EDO but Mr. Fine still had work so I was up early to drop him off at the bus station. Then went to the Costco gas station and waited for them to open. Usually they open about 10 minutes before their official opening time but there was maintenance happening so they opened right at 6:30 a.m. Listened to an audiobook while I waited. When I got home, I started some laundry and video gamed for a couple hours. Then went for a walk to try and break in my new boots - ended up with a nasty burst blister *sigh*. While waiting for laundry, I did some crochet and had TV on in the background. Took a shower and then spent the afternoon having a rom com double feature and cross-stitching. Neither Mr. Fine nor I felt like having what was on the meal plan so we picked up take out from Arby's instead (I love me some curly fries). Craft circle for me in the evening.

What's (been) on today's agenda: In the office today so usual early morning routine. Lots of things on the to do list but I'll probably only get to half of it as I have two meetings. One was a department meeting and the other is the system-wide update meeting. In between I'll deal with the email backlog, customer suggestions, updating Lucky Day content, and whatever else I can get to. Straight after work I'll head to barre, although I'm toying with skipping due to my foot injury . While my foot is fine when it's not in a shoe, sweat getting in there will likely hurt like the dickens. I've got a couple hours to decide. My mom has requested that I pick up some orange juice for her and my dad so I'll swing past the store and drop that off at my parents either after class or after work. Supper will be mac n cheese from scratch and key lime pie for dessert since it's pi(e) day.

What I'm reading: The Spare Man is still on the go in print. I started All Creatures Great & Small on audio, which is lovely in that format and the narrator does an excellent job with all the Yorkshire accents (to my non-British ears).

What I'm crafting: What haven't I worked on in the past few days? Lots of progress on the secret cross-stitch project, actually spent some time with the tree skirt, and have been working (and frogging and working) on the crochet wrap. Plus during one of my meetings today I brought a crochet dish cloth to keep my fingers busy while I listened.

What we're watching: Saturday night we watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Sunday there was the aforementioned viewing of Top Gun: Maverick (which I may have made fun of a bit, but also was decent fun to watch) and Star Trek: Picard in the evening. Yesterday during the day there was a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls as background noise and my rom com double feature was Pretty Woman followed by The Wedding Planner. Last night we watched the first couple episodes of season 2 of All Creatures Great & Small.

Book 26



The Bookshop on the Shore - Jenny Colgan

Single mom, Zoe, is barely making ends meet and struggling to get her son, Hari, to specialists to try and understand why he still refuses to speak at four years old. When gentrification of her London neighbourhood puts the rent outside of what Zoe can possibly pay, her son's aunt connects her with two jobs in the Highlands of Scotland. The first is providing assistance and maternity leave for Nina who runs a mobile bookshop in a van. The other is a live in position as an au pair for the Urquhart family. While Scotland is beautiful and providing so many of the things Zoe wants for Hari, both of her jobs are far more challenging than she imagined.

This is technically a sequel to The Little Shop of Ever After (which was published in the US as The Bookshop on the Corner) but while a few characters from the first book crop up here, this book is very much in its own and is pretty different in tone from what I remember of my experience with the first book. That said, it is utterly compelling and while dealing with serious issues, it is also sweet and funny with the occasional dash of romance. The children Zoe is caring for have a some serious issues and her struggles with working poverty are heartbreaking, and yet the novel never feels like misery porn. Instead, Colgan makes each character feel real and simply facing the difficulties that life throws their way. The book will also definitely give you an itch to visit Scotland, so be prepared.

Rating: ****

Mmm curly fries.

Who is narrating your edition of All Creatures Great and Small? I listened to Christopher Timothy last year and thought he did a great job, but I think there's also a new edition with Nicholas Ralph who plays James on the show.

Book 27



She-Hulk #10 - Rainbow Rowell et. al.

Jennifer picks up the pieces of her life after her latest showdown and tries to continue after Jack of Hearts disappears.

This series continues to be so good. Highly recommended if you like Rainbow Rowell or enjoyed the She-Hulk show and want more of Jen.

Rating: ****

The long promised photo of the finished the crochet poncho:



Pattern: Uptown Poncho by CrochetDreamz on Ravelry
Hook: 6 mm
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Pacific

>77 norabelle414: I've got the version narrated by Christopher Timothy.

>79 MickyFine: Ooh, lovely!

>79 MickyFine: That's super nice, Micky!! Beautiful work.

Sorry about the blister, that's no fun.

The poncho looks great! I listened to All Creatures narrated by Christopher Timothy last year and also really enjoyed it :)

>79 MickyFine: What a lovely shawl!

Very nice shawl!

>81 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi.

>82 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. The blister continues to be no fun and I'm very happy that after today, I won't have to wear shoes a ton so it should have a better chance at healing.

>83 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie. He's a great narrator and it took me longer than it should have to recognize his voice. He played James Herriot in the 1970s TV adaptation, which explains why he's so adept with the material.

>84 quondame: Thanks, Susan.

>85 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

What's on the agenda: Another in office day for me. Lots of yesterday's to do list carried over to today so still the customer suggestions and updating Lucky Day content plus working on a list for OverDrive/Libby and ordering A/V material are major tasks for me. I've also got the bi-weekly meeting for librarians in my department this morning. After work, Mr. Fine and I are going out for dinner, which is his pick this week. No clue yet where we're going. Either before or after dinner we'll swing by the library for the weekly visit.

What I'm reading: Started Muppets in Moscow this morning and I think it's going to be a fascinating read.

What I'm crafting: A couple rows on the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Firefly, one of Gargoyles, and a couple of Bluey.

Book 28



The Spare Man - Mary Robinette Kowal

Tesla Crane, celebrated inventor and heiress, is on her honeymoon with her spouse, retired private detective Shal Steward, along with her support dog, Gimlet. Traveling on the luxurious cruise liner Lindgren from the Moon to Mars, the honeymoon is going swimmingly right up until someone is murdered in front of Tesla and Shal is taken into custody as the most likely suspect. Now Tesla has to figure out who actually committed the murder so that she can free her husband from security and actually get back to their honeymoon.

Kowal's latest novel is a fun mash-up of a sci-fi and noir-ish mystery novel. The book has obvious nods to The Thin Man (more the film than the novel, I think), which were a delight for this reader. Tesla is fascinating character who is dealing with both PTSD and ongoing physical challenges from an accident in her past. Unravelling the mystery of what happened to Tesla while also digging into the various mysteries she stumbles across while trying to prove Shal's innocence is great fun. Kowal also creates a fantastic cast of characters, my particular favourite being Tesla's crocheting lawyer and, of course, the adorable support dog, Gimlet. I really enjoyed the notes Kowal includes at the end of the book on both the science of the cruise ship as well as one about the cocktail recipes she includes throughout (there are both boozy and zero-proof cocktails for readers interested in experimenting). If sci-fi isn't usually your thing, but you enjoy a good mystery, this novel may be worth a try.

Rating: ****

>88 MickyFine: I’ve got that one on my list — glad to hear a good report!

>88 MickyFine: I'm glad you liked this one! I generally love Kowal but had seen mixed reviews, so this makes me happy :)

>87 MickyFine: Muppets in Moscow seems RIGHT up my alley. Looking forward to your thoughts!

>89 foggidawn: I think you'll like it, Foggi.

>90 curioussquared: I had also seen mixed reviews but this was decidedly my jam. I hope it's the same for you.

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus, came home to finish getting myself ready, and did a bit of video gaming before going on the clock. I've got yet more customer suggestions to deal with (as always), A/V orders to submit, a few vendor lists to look at, and an OverDrive/Libby list to start putting together. I'll also probably be emailing back and forth with our marketing department a bit as I've been asked to do an interview with a local news outlet (I lost the coin toss with the other librarian who was asked :P). This one involves a pre-interview sometime next week and then an on camera interview the week after. Sigh. I'm apparently competent at this because marketing keeps asking me to do media interviews but it's not my favourite thing in the world. After work, I'll meet up with Mr. Fine to do the grocery shopping. Supper tonight is turkey soup from the freezer.

What I'm reading: Finished the first part of Muppets in Moscow and Rogoff's descriptions of Russia in the early 90s are wild. All Creatures Great & Small continues to be good fun on audio.

What I'm crafting: A few rows on the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of All Creatures Great & Small.

Good luck with the media interview! That wouldn't be my favorite thing either.

>93 curioussquared: Thankfully it's next week Micky's problem. Poor future Micky. :P At least the sample questions they gave our marketing department are largely common topics we cover when branch staff come to our department for job shadows, so I shouldn't have to do a ton of research in advance to prep.

>92 MickyFine: I can understand not particularly enjoying media interviews. If it were me, I would worry most about blanking when faced with an easy question, and then messing it up. Many years ago my husband worked in development for a PBS station and was very involved in producing the on-air fundraisers including being on-air himself. In that work culture, it was a badge of honor and he also came to enjoy it. But it was all extemporaneous, off-the-cuff speaking and the very idea of that freaked me out.

I'm glad you're provided with sample questions for yours!!

>95 lauralkeet: I totally get that paranoia, Laura. I haven't received word yet on whether this will be a live recording or pre-recorded for release later. It's always a little less stressful when you know an editor can take out something if it truly goes wrong. :)

What's on the agenda: Happy Friday all! Even with Monday off, this week has felt long and I'm looking forward to 4:00 p.m. with a great deal of anticipation. Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus station this morning, did a couple chores, and then video gamed until it was time to start my shift. Work today will include reviewing customer suggestions in OverDrive, general OverDrive/Libby ordering, hopefully wrapping up with this month's Library Journal, and working on a draft version of my performance appraisal goals for the coming year. My blister is healing slowly but surely but I think I'll be doing yoga instead of my usual afternoon walk today as almost any shoe is uncomfortable to wear at the moment. Thankfully my mukluks put almost no pressure in the spot where the blister is so I've been able to wear them while driving Mr. Fine to the bus in the morning, although grocery shopping in them yesterday was still a little challenging. Supper tonight is Costco manicotti and we're planning to a do a movie night this evening.

What I'm reading: Muppets in Moscow is still on the go. The writing is good but I'm considering putting it aside as it's failing to meet my goal of bringing me joy. At the moment it feels like a long litany of the various challenges they faced in the chaos of the transition from the Soviet regime to the theoretically democratic Russian leadership. It's mildly stressful just reading about it all and I'm starting to avoid picking it up in favour of doing other things. To be clear, this is purely an emotional reaction and not a reflection on the quality of the book. And after writing that all out, I think I've decided to set it aside without prejudice for a later time. Next in the stack is Well Met.

What I'm crafting: Several rows on the crochet wrap. I've finally finished increasing and now just get to maintain width for a while.

What we're watching: One episode of Supernatural and the newest Mandalorian episode. Mr. Fine and I agree that Mandalorianthe opening scene was exciting but the body of episode with the former Empire doctor on Coruscant was a little boring, had definite Andor vibes, and could have been much shorter, since it's (probably) just setting up this season's big bad.

>97 MickyFine: Boo to the blister! Last time I had one that bad I could only wear sandals, which I imagine doesn't really work in the winter!

Bummer about Muppets in Moscow. I probably won't look for it anytime soon. I hope you like Well Met -- I have the second one on hold at the library!

Re: Mandalorian: Agree it was a little long; I guessed Elia Kane would betray Pershing although Tim was taken by surprise. I did think it was an interesting view into another aspect of the universe and thought that most of the interplay between all the former Empire people was well written, especially the scene where Pershing is sharing a drink with a bunch of others.

>98 curioussquared: Being able to wear sandals would be a win right now, it's true. While my mukluks are comfortable to wear with the blister, it's starting to get to warm for them, so I'm crossing my fingers that my blister heals over the weekend so I can wear more temperature appropriate shoes. :)

I should be clear that Muppets in Moscow isn't one unrelenting bummer. There are some lovely moments (the author met and started dating her husband at the same time as she was helping to get Russian Sesame Street up and running, for example). But life in Russia after the collapse in the Soviet Union is not easy, it created a lot of challenges for the team, and it's not the mood I'm looking for right now. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, it's just not the right book for me right now.

>97 MickyFine: I'm sorry to hear about the trouble the blister is causing you. Back in the long ago (I used to hike!) I just slapped some moleskin on a blister and left it for 3 days or until it fell off, by which time it always seemed to have healed. Oh for the healing power of youth.

>100 quondame: Sadly this is a burst blister so it's been a lot of polysporin and band-aids to deal with it. But I have ordered some moleskine to stick in my new boots for when my foot heals and I go back to breaking them in.

What's on the agenda: Thinking about getting out of bed shortly. Mr. Fine is currently working on breakfast so I'll probably find the motivation soon. 😊 We'll be watching church online as my church is hosting a youth day for the metro area and it's likely to be packed. Probably crafting and reading time in the afternoon. This evening we're headed out for our monthly game night with friends. They're making lasagna soup for dinner and I'm looking forward to trying it.

What I'm reading: Didn't crack a book or even listen to my audiobook yesterday as I just wasn't feeling it.

What I'm crafting: Quite a few rows of the crochet wrap. Nearly done the another block.

What we're watching: Most of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Sharing because I'm really pleased with how this went today:

Wordle 637 3/6

⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
⬛🟩🟨🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

PEONY, SATYR, YACHT

>103 MickyFine: I'm impressed you got that one on three. I struggled with it a bit today. I had the A in place, plus the C, H, and T, but was trying to make it start with C or H and wasn't getting anywhere. I had to try a word I knew was wrong to get a clue to solving it. Finally got it in five.

>79 MickyFine: What a beautiful pattern! Quite elegant.

>92 MickyFine: Good luck with the interview. I am sure everything will go the way it's supposed to.

>97 MickyFine: Blister- ouch! Hope it heals soon.

>104 atozgrl: It's a tricky word. Meanwhile, today was a 5 for me.

>105 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. I'm really pleased with how the poncho turned out. And the blister continues to heal slowly. First day without a band-aid today and it's going pretty well so far, so that's a win.

What's on the agenda: Woke up around 7:30 and made it out of bed about 2 hours later. There was some phone games and then texting with a friend to make plans for next weekend. Just finished my breakfast of cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and hot beverage. Usual Sunday chores on the docket plus Mr. Fine and I really need to tackle taking branches off our Mayday tree that have black knot fungus (such a pain). Also need to pop up to the Italian centre to get some fresh mozzarella and basil for homemade pizzas we're making tonight. We've talked about movie viewing this afternoon to wrap up the HP series but we'll see.

What I'm reading: Listened to a fair chunk of All Creatures Great and Small while crafting yesterday.

What I'm crafting: Finished the top half of the secret cross-stitch project.

What we're playing: We played Scythe and Mr. Fine came out on top.

What's on the agenda: Mr. Fine is finally on his later shift this week so I get to sleep a teensy bit later (30-60 minutes makes a BIG difference). We also get to commute together in the morning and it's nice to only have to make one trip to the bus station. Work today will include customer suggestions, time with this month's Library Journal, and an online meeting to give feedback about a web-based data analysis platform we use for our collection. Going to try and add a bit of activity into every week night evening (it's tricksy on in-office days) so either yoga or a bit of free weight time is the tentative plan. Supper tonight is chuckerout. Virtual craft circle this evening.

What I'm reading: Listened to more All Creatures Great & Small while cleaning yesterday. Finally started Well Met on the bus this morning (I had a mini reading funk this weekend on the print front).

What I'm crafting: Finished another section of the crochet wrap and started another. There was a bit of frogging as I reminded myself of the difference between front post and back post double crochet (my first time doing either), but the stitches themselves are relatively straight forward.

What we're watching: I gave Mr. Fine some video gaming time Sunday afternoon and had my own solo time crafting in front of the laptop. Watched the first episode of A Discovery of Witches on a friend's recommendation and have decided I'll re-read the first book and attempt the rest of the book series again before watching the rest of the show (said friend assured me book two gets better after the point I abandoned it last time so I'll give it a whirl since I trust her taste). There was also some Gilmore Girls while crafting. Together, Mr. Fine and I finished our Harry Potter rewatch and watched the last 20 minutes of Deathly Hallows Part 1 and the entirety of Part 2. One episode of Picard and a few of Bluey to wrap up the evening (it was a very veg in front of the TV night).

What's on the agenda: In the office again today. I've got a few random projects on my desk today including poking at a reporting platform to figure out what might be useful for my process, my bi-annual check to make sure we have all the Shakespeare, removing expired content from OverDrive, setting up my online access for Quill & Quire, my biweekly meeting with my manager, and maybe time with publisher catalogues. Straight after work I head to barre. Tuna melts for supper tonight.

What I'm reading: Over halfway through Well Met and really enjoying it.

What I'm crafting: A couple rows on the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of All Creatures Great & Small and on my own one episode of Gilmore Girls. I'm trying to figure out a good show for just me to watch while crafting. I want something on the mellower side that won't suffer if I'm looking at the screen only part of the time. I often rewatch stuff, like GG, but I'd take suggestions happily (we have access to Netflix, Prime, Disney+, and Crave).

>109 MickyFine: My daughter likes to have the 2005 Pride and Prejudice as background while she's working. She doesn't really need to watch it because she could probably recite it from memory by this point. I think we bought it on Prime (worth it because of the rewatch potential). You've Got Mail is another of her favorites for similar reasons.

>110 lauralkeet: Those are both excellent choices.

What's (been) on the agenda: Last in office day for the week. Tasks today will include finishing up my draft performance appraisal goals for the coming year and sending it to my manager for feedback, reviewing staff reported collection gaps, and looking at publisher catalogues. Had the previously mentioned media pre-interview by phone this morning. The reporter was lovely and it was a nice chat about what my job is and how selection works. She has to pitch the story now and if she gets approval it sounds like the on camera interview will happen in one of the branches sometime in April. After work, Mr. Fine and I will do our weekly library visit. I'll be doing a bit of browsing as I wasn't feeling what was in my current checked out stack swapping them for something different. Ordering in Indian food for supper tonight.

What I'm reading: Started The Murder on the Links on the bus this morning.

What I'm crafting: A couple rows on the crochet wrap. The current section involves a bunch of front and back post double crochet stitches to result in a waffle pattern. It requires a bit more concentration from me so it's slower going than some of the other sections.

What we're watching: A couple episodes of Firefly and then, while Mr. Fine was in the bath, I put on an episode of Friends in the background while crafting.

>109 MickyFine: I watched Glee like that, in the background while I worked late nights during busy season at my old job. Not sure it's up your alley, but I also like reality TV for that kind of thing. So inane you really don't need to be looking at the screen 😂

>113 curioussquared: I mean, I often have a craft project in hand when we watch TV anyway, but picking a just for me show that's the right vibe has been tricky. The temptation to get Britbox and just watch British murder mysteries is high but I'm thinking a Once Upon a Time rewatch might also be in the cards.

You're right though, I'm not a big reality TV viewer. I think the last reality show I watched was Blown Away on Netflix (and I haven't even kept up with that).

>110 lauralkeet: I'm glad they have appeal, Micky! Music tends to be my go-to when I'm crafting on my own, so I had to draw on Kate's experience (is this a generational thing? I feel old ...) but I thought her choices might work for you.

>113 curioussquared: Ooh, Glee, yes. I watched a lot of Glee back in its first few seasons.

I'm also one that has to have a craft project in hand while I'm watching TV (though I think it's more like, if I'm watching TV I must keep my hands busy rather than the other way around). Sorry to say I don't have a good recommendation for you since I've been in the middle of rewatching myself. Though my knitting projects are doing well, as a side benefit, and I'm nearly finished a pair of socks.

>115 lauralkeet: I'll sometimes do music or podcasts while crafting but I'll also sometimes craft in front of the TV. Depends on my mood.

>116 bell7: It's funny because sometimes I think of the task as watching TV and I have a craft to keep my hands busy but other times it's crafting time and the TV happens to be on. I'd imagine it looks pretty similar from the outside, LOL.

What's on the agenda: Yay for that sweet WFH life! Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus station and then came home. Changed the battery in the garage door opener remote (a pain that) as it was acting up this morning. Hoping that fixes it and it's not a bigger issue. Then did a bit of video gaming before going on the clock. Tasks at work include some scheduling stuff, customer suggestions, and time with vendor lists and publisher catalogues. Supper tonight will be pasta.

What I'm reading: Over halfway through The Murder on the Links. I listened to an LA Theatre Works adaptation of this last year (with Alfred Molina as Poirot) and even with that recent exposure, can't remember who the murderer is.

What I'm crafting: A few more rows on the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: Finished season 2 of the new All Creatures Great & Small and watched the first episode of season 3 of Miss Scarlet & The Duke. On my own, I've started a rewatch of Once Upon a Time (OUAT) while crafting.

Book 29



Well Met - Jen DeLuca

Emily has moved to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, to help out her older sister who is recovering from injuries after a severe car crash. Among the help she needs to provide is keeping an eye on Emily's teenage niece, Caitlin. When Caitlin decides to volunteer at the local Renaissance Faire during her summer vacation, Emily gets roped into volunteering too. Emily thinks it should be a pretty fun way to spend the summer, until she meets Simon, one of the organizers and a tremendous killjoy in Emily's opinion. Throughout rehearsals, Emily and Simon clash but once Faire begins and Emily meets Simon's Faire character she see a whole different side of him. A side she kind of likes...

A cute contemporary romance that I devoured in two days. The Renaissance Faire setting is really fun and watching Emily grow as a person is super rewarding although her misreading of situations left me occasionally wondering how obtuse she was. It's an enemies to lovers plot done solidly well, with Simon never becoming so obnoxious that their later falling in love feels false. Simon's back story is compelling and I enjoyed learning more about him over the course of the book. I also have a theory that the author may have been inspired by a character from Once Upon a Time for Simon's Faire alter ego (I definitely pictured him that way and it really enhanced my reading experience). Recommended for romance readers.

Rating: ****

The Well... series has been on my radar for a while. Soon!

>120 katiekrug: It'll be a good choice when you finish the Spoiler Alert series. :)

>121 MickyFine: - That's what I'm thinking.... Is there banter?!?!

>119 MickyFine: Ooh, I definitely think you're right about the OUAT inspo. ;-)

>122 katiekrug: There is indeed. There's even banter about Shakespeare. *nerd heart rejoices*

>123 foggidawn: Yay! I'm glad I'm not alone in that theory.

What's on the agenda: Happy Friday! Usual routine this morning of dropping off Mr. Fine, returning home, and doing a bit of video gaming before starting my shift. Work today will include customer suggestions, vendor lists, and time with publisher catalogues. After work, I'll tackle the cleaning that we usually do on Sundays as both Mr. Fine and I have plans for Sunday. Charcuterie for supper tonight. Maybe a movie this evening depending on how long cleaning takes.

What I'm reading: I was so close to finishing The Murder on the Links last night but I was fighting sleep really hard so I'll wrap that up today.

What I'm crafting: Made it through several rows on the crochet wrap. Almost done the waffle stitch section.

What we're watching: An episode each of Supernatural, The Mandalorian, and Firefly. Plus a few episodes of Bluey.

>119 MickyFine: Glad you liked that one! One of these days I will accept my hold on the next book when it becomes available instead of delaying it again :)

>125 MickyFine: Yummm, charcuterie.

>126 curioussquared: LOL. Well, I liked it enough that I immediately put a hold on the second book so I might get there ahead of you. Stay tuned.

Also, I say charcuterie but really it's cheese, crackers, turkey pepperoni sticks, and some chopped veggies. *is classy*

The weekend's adventures: Saturday we did a terrible job of getting out of bed, didn't make it to church, and ended up watching the service online. Activities during the day included a bunch of crafting, a walk, and some assembly of Lego. Supper was chicken stew. Some movie viewing in the evening. Sunday morning I did a bit of chores before heading out for brunch with a friend. Food was delicious and space was really gorgeous (it's one of those places that has leaned hard into making an Instagram-worthy space). When I came home, I spent a bit of time flaked out on the bed waiting for Advil to kick in as I'd left the house with a hint of headache that I was hoping food would get rid of, but no such luck. After the pain killers took effect I did some video gaming and some crafting in front of the TV, as Mr. Fine had his monthly game day with his friends. Did some bill stuff while Mr. Fine was cooking. Supper was a tex-mexy turkey sauce over pasta. TV viewing in the evening.

What's on the agenda today: I'm working from home and Mr. Fine took the day off so I got to sleep in a bit. Tasks today will include customer suggestions, ordering replacements of expiring content in OverDrive, and time with publisher catalogues. After work, Mr. Fine and I are going to do some birthday gift shopping for my oldest niece. Supper tonight is steak sandwiches. May or may not make it to virtual craft circle this evening.

What I'm reading: Started Undercover Bromance last night and devoured 50 pages in half an hour.

What I'm crafting: The weekend included lots of solid progress on the crochet wrap (I'm about halfway done) and some time with the secret cross-stitch project.

What we're watching: Friday night we started The Hunger Games and finished it Saturday night. Also got three quarters of the way through Runaway Bride on Saturday night before I got too sleepy. Sunday while crafting I watched a few episodes of OUAT. In the evening we finished season 2 of Picard and watched the first episode of season 3.

Book 30



The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot and his associate, Hastings, are invited to a small village in France by a client who believes he is in danger only to arrive and discover the client has been murdered. However, all is not as it seems and, of course, only Poirot can figure it out.

I always enjoy an Agatha Christie mystery and this was no exception (even if Hastings is on the obnoxious side). I enjoyed all the misdirection and the coming together of the various details. If you enjoy mysteries, you can't go wrong with this one.

Rating: ***

Book 31



Adler - Lavie Tidhar

Jane has recently returned from serving as a nurse in the Boer War and is looking for accommodations. When Miss Havisham introduces Jane to Irene Adler, it seems the perfect solution. As Jane joins Irene in her investigations, life will prove much more interesting.

Most of the reviews of this book describe it as a female-led League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and it definitely has a bit of that vibe. Tidhar is obviously a well-versed fan of Victorian literature and her mash-up of characters is pretty delightful in her steampunk universe. The only thing that kept me from enjoying the comic more was that the art felt a bit too "comic babe"-esque. An enjoyable read but if there's ever more, I won't be picking it up.

Rating: ***

>128 MickyFine: Yay Undercover Bromance! I've been feeling like I might do a Hunger Games rewatch (and/or reread) sometime soon.

I really enjoyed the first Bromance book. Need to get back to the series...

>131 curioussquared: Mr. Fine has started a re-read of The Hunger Games and thus the rewatch. If we make it through all the films, it'll be my first time seeing Mockingjay (I never got around to them, although I've meant to since they hit streaming platforms ages ago).

>132 katiekrug: I was in exactly the same boat and I can say it's worth getting back to (at least thus far).

>133 MickyFine: - Duly noted!

I liked The Hunger Games books way more than the films. I don't think I ever bothered watching the 3rd one...

What's on the agenda: In the office today and not really feeling it. It's a little on the quiet side on my desk right now and while there's always books to order, it gets a little boring when you're looking at publisher catalogues for 6+ hours of the day. Some of my apathy may also be due to the fact that my next vacation is 3 weeks away (although it will be a weird vacation since the primary reason for the trip is my mother-in-law's memorial). Enough whining. Tasks today have and will include updating our Lucky Day content and going through publisher catalogues. Straight after work I'll head to my last barre class (end of the winter session). Supper tonight is butter chicken.

What I'm reading: Over halfway through Undercover Bromance and really enjoying it. I might finish it today given how quick it reads but we'll see how it goes.

What I'm crafting: With the longer days, I can actually work on the secret cross-stitch project in the evenings (if we watch TV upstairs) as natural light makes working on black fabric WAY easier. Once it started getting a bit dark, I switched over to the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: Two episodes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. It's due tomorrow and there's a bunch of people waiting so I won't be keeping it late to finish. We don't have overdue fees but I feel guilty keeping things when there's other people waiting, especially if it's going to be more than a day or so. I'll have to wait to make my way back through queue again before we finish season 3, alas.

Oh and I forgot to mention in the agenda up there that I put out feelers yesterday and today to get quotes from contractors for replacing our deck so I might be fielding a few phone calls on that front today. Why do contractors prefer phone over email so much? Sigh.

Good luck with the deck! It seems like everything's gotten so expensive, and the contractors have all gotten so busy....

>137 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda!

What's on the agenda: Something about it being Wednesday has me more optimistic about making it through the rest of the week. I'm in office today so all the usual fun this morning of making myself office pretty and commuting. Tasks today will include reviewing staff reported collection gaps, biweekly meeting of the librarians in my department (and my last meeting chairing until next year), putting together an outline of instructions for some staff in our department so that they can assist me with core collection checking, and time with publisher catalogues. After work, I'll drop off Mr. Fine at the restaurant where he's having a father-daughter date with his daughter. Around the same time, I'm supposed to get a phone call from a contractor who wants to chat before they come for a site visit to prepare a quote. After dropping off Mr. Fine, I'm going to swing past the car wash and the library. Then take out for me (I'm thinking a sandwich from Press'd) and a chill evening at home with the house to myself for an hour or two.

What I'm reading: Started a re-read of All Systems Red on the bus this morning. Wanted something fast as I know I'm picking up a chunkster from the library this evening.

What I'm crafting: A couple rows on the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: Together we watched a few episodes of Bluey (we're now on to season 3) and on my own I watched an episode of OUAT.

Book 32



Undercover Bromance - Lyssa Kay Adams

Liv has what should be her dream job as a pastry chef at one of the hottest restaurants in Nashville. The only problem is that her celebrity chef boss has a very different personality in the kitchen than when he's interacting with the public. When Liv stumbles across him sexually harassing another staff member and is fired, Liv is outraged and vows to out him as the predator he is. However, being blackballed makes it hard for Liv to do much of anything and she ends up turning to Braden Mack for assistance. Mack and Liv don't particularly get along but working together to expose her ex-boss has sparks flying. Whether Mack and Liv can let go of their past baggage and turn those sparks into a flame is a bigger question. It might take the assistance of the Bromance Book Club to help Mack and Liv discover just what their relationship could be.

Lyssa Kay Adams demonstrates amazing talents crafting an excellent romance while also delving into the complex issues around sexual harassment, sexual assault, and domestic abuse. Both Liv and Mack are well developed characters with baggage of their own that they bring into both their nascent relationship and also their quest to take down Liv's former boss. But they also have top notch banter as does the rest of the Bromance Book Club, who add plenty of humour to the novel. Plus there's a certain rooster on the farm where Liv lives that adds plenty of entertainment as well. Highly recommended, particularly for contemporary romance readers.

Rating: ****

>140 MickyFine: I've enjoyed this whole series but I think this one might be my favorite. Glad you liked it!!

>!40 - *rubs hands together*

Can't wait. Might have to put it on the April list...

>141 curioussquared: It was a good one. I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to book 4 with The Russian as the main character because I love him so much.

>142 katiekrug: I heartily endorse that plan.

What's on the agenda: It was SO HARD to get up with the alarm this morning. I had a weird dream that woke me up I'm guessing around 2:15 or 2:30 (I looked at the clock after being awake for a while and it was 2:42 a.m.). My brain was busy fretting over contractors and our upcoming trip and it took me a bit to settle back to sleep, so the 5 a.m. alarm was not my friend. Managed to safely do the regular drop-off routine for Mr. Fine despite my bleariness. Did a bit of chores at home but mostly spent my free time this morning video gaming. Work today will include calendar and scheduling stuff, customer suggestions, submitting some carts, prepping some carts of July titles that I'll submit next week, working on documentation about the core collection review process, and doing some core collection review as well. I've also got two contractors coming by today to look at our deck. One is coming at 9 a.m. and the other around noonish. I'm hoping the visits won't require much from me besides warning about the dodgy steps but we'll see how it goes. After work, I'll either pick up Mr. Fine from his dermatologist's office or from the bus station and then we'll do the biweekly grocery shop. Supper will be soup and sandwiches.

What I'm reading: Managed a single chapter in A Discovery of Witches before bed last night.

What I'm crafting: Finished another block of the crochet wrap.

What we're watching: I watched an episode of OUAT on my own and when Mr. Fine got home we watched the newest episode of The Mandalorian.

Book 33



All Systems Red - Martha Wells (re-read)

My love for Murderbot is unchanging and I enjoyed this re-read just as much as I expected to.

Rating: *****

>143 MickyFine: I love The Russian, too!

>144 MickyFine: I hate those stressful dreams that fully wake you up. Hope the contractors are easy to deal with.

>145 MickyFine: ♥♥♥ Murderbot

>146 curioussquared: The one contractor who showed up yesterday was pleasant and business-like. The other one had to cancel due to flu so he's coming next week. Still hoping to hear back from a couple other companies I contacted but we'll see.

Also, all the Murderbot love.

What's on the agenda: Dropped off Mr. Fine at the bus this morning, did a couple chores, and then spent the rest of my free time video gaming. Work today will include the weekly ordering of material for OverDrive/Libby, hopefully wrapping up the documentation for the core collection process (this has been more time intensive than I expected), core collection reviewing, and submitting a few carts. At lunch, I'm going for a walk with a friend who's on maternity leave (baby is coming along too). On my afternoon coffee break I need to pop out and pick up a gift card for my brother as I forgot to grab one while grocery shopping yesterday. Doing most of the usual Sunday chores after work as my family are coming over tomorrow. Depending on how long that takes, I might make apple crisp tonight or I might wait until tomorrow morning. Supper will be chicken alfredo over penne from a Costco dinner kit.

What I'm reading: Put a decent dent in A Discovery of Witches.

What I'm crafting: A few rows on the crochet wrap. The current section alternates colour for each row, while carrying the colour from the previous row underneath. I'll be interested to see how it looks as a block when it's done as I went for more complimentary rather than strongly contrasting colours.

What we're watching: The first two episodes of the second season of Resident Alien. So delighted that the octopus voiced by Nathan Fillion is in the show more thus far.

March Summary





Numbers in parentheses are for year to date.

Books read: 10 (33)
Books abandoned: 1 (2)

Fiction: 10 (31)
Non-fiction: 0 (2)

Adult: 9 (28)
YA: 1 (4)
Children's: 0 (1)

Library: 8 (22)
Mine: 2 (11)
Borrowed elsewhere: 0 (0)

Re-reads: 1 (4)

Female authors: 9 (29)
Male authors: 3 (10)
Non-binary authors: 0 (0)

Pages: 2,687 (8,998)
Hours: 0 minutes

Average rating: 3.91

Average time to read book: 2.85 days

Favourite book(s): The Spare Man was an sci-fi mystery and Well Met was a delightfully cute and cozy romance.

And after the first quarter my top three genres are: sci-fi (27.3%), romance (21.2%), and fantasy (18.2%). Exactly what I'd expect when I lean hard into comfort reading.

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