SusanJ's 75 Books Challenge - Thread 4

Hello and welcome to my fourth thread for 2014.

As with 2013 I'm going to run a ticker for my total number of books read and tickers for fiction and non-fiction, because I found that really useful in keeping myself on track.

In 2013 my goal was one-third non-fiction to two-thirds fiction, and I reached it. For 2014 I thought I would aim for half and half. However, the novel-reading is going quite slowly. This seems to be turning into a non-fiction year. I was originally aiming for 150 books, but now I think 75 non-fiction is realistic, plus whatever fiction happens along.

65. Trophy Hunt by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: This is book 4 in the series and I wanted something light to read over the weekend

Well, perhaps "light" isn't quite the right word, as the body count (animal and human) is pretty high in this story, and yet again Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett has to put a lot of pieces together to work out who did it. LT reviewers don't seem to think that this is the strongest book in the series, but I already have book 5 downloaded ready to start this afternoon. I like the core characters, including Joe's yellow labrador, Maxine, who has a bit more of a role in this book.

In other news, the dizziness is a lot better today. In fact, I wouldn't say I'm dizzy, exactly, but I still don't feel quite right. I think an afternoon of reclining with book 5 is just the thing.

Susan, It's good to hear that it's going better. Congrats on your new thread and whishing you a relaxed weekend.

Happy new thread and have a good weekend.

Glad you are feeling better Susan - keep that relaxing up.

Happy new thread, Susan! Sorry to hear the dizziness has been bad lately but glad to hear you're feeling better today. Also glad to hear you've been reassigned to a new secretary. Your last one sounds pretty special (if she's like that for everyone how does she still have a job?)

Jumping onto your new thread and hoping that the dizziness is soon a thing of the past, Susan.

Happy New Thread! I hope the dizziness is completely gone soon.

Happy new thread Susan. I hope you get better very, very soon.

12 years!!! Goodness but you must have the patience of Job.

>3 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. It has been a very lazy weekend, but I'm just following doctor's orders :-)

>4 Helenliz: Thanks Helen. I hope yours was good too, and your house is not infested with football :-)

>5 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka - I'm doing my very best!

>6 souloftherose: Heather, you have identified the million-dollar question. And I really don't know, but I know I'm not the only one who finds the situation very frustrating. I'm dreading this week. I've held off for so long because of the difficulty in working in the same area of the floor after something like this. I'm conflict-averse which, for a litigation lawyer, is a tiny bit ironic :-)

>7 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. I now feel light-headed rather than dizzy, which I suppose is progress.

>8 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie! Me too!

>9 luvamystery65: Roberta! How are all your injuries? I hope you are also feeling better.



66. Out of Range by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's book 5 in the Joe Pickett series

This time game warden Joe Pickett gets sent to Jackson, Wyoming, as a temporary replacement for a warden who had apparently committed suicide. But it's not long before he's in all sorts of trouble, and the politicking at the office doesn't help. Sadly there was no Maxine in this one, and Joe nearly did a Bad Thing (apart from killing someone) but it all worked out OK(ish) in the end. I went to download book 6 but had to place a hold on it. Humph!

>10 susanj67: Glad you are enjoying the C. J. Box series. I always enjoy those because they are set in Wyoming which I visited a couple of times when my brother lived there. My nephew still lives out there, and I've been out once to see him too. The first book in the series that I read (which I don't think was the first overall) was set in the Big Horn Mountains and the locales were all places I could picture in my head because I'd visited them.

Happy new thread, Susan! I am glad to read that the dizziness is abating and secretary situation has been managed. I am conflict-adverse and would have struggled with how to deal with the situation.

Happy new thread! Here's hoping the dizziness continues to fade.

Happy new thread, Susan...and glad to hear you're feeling better.

Hi Susan,

Sounds like you've been having a hard time -- I am really sorry to hear that. Hope better days are ahead. Take care!

>11 thornton37814: Lori, yes they were a good find. I don't usually read much crime but I love the setting for these.

>12 lkernagh: Thanks Lori. There has been no change in secretary yet, so I'm not sure what's happening. But if I've waited 12 years, I suppose I can wait a bit longer.

>13 ronincats: Roni, it is continuing to go. I noticed a difference today against Tuesday. Both mornings I was running a workshop for university students, but on Tuesday I had to sit on a table rather than stand. Today I could stand with confidence.

>14 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba. It is such a weird thing to have. I hope it's not going to come back regularly.

>15 AMQS: Thanks Anne. I also hope better days are ahead!



67. In Plain Sight by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's book 6 in the series

You have to love a book that starts "When ranch owner Opal Scarlett vanished, no one mourned except her three grown sons, Arlen, Hank and Wyatt, who expressed their loss by getting into a fight with shovels." Once again Joe Pickett is in the middle of all sorts of strange goings-on in Twelve Sleep County, as the Scarlett family feud gets out of control, and a sinister newcomer seems to have it in for the Pickett family. I've already started book 7 :-)

That is a good first line!

>17 BekkaJo: Hi Bekka! They are strangely addictive. Not the world's best writing (particularly the first couple) but great stories.



68. Free Fire by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's book 7 in the series

This time Joe Pickett, newly reinstated as a game warden by the new Governor of Wyoming, is sent to Yellowstone park to investigate the real story behind the murder of four campers, and a warning sent by email to the Governor about strange things going on in the park. The story was based on some really nerdy legal stuff, which I loved, and understood better since listening to the US law lectures on Coursera. And, as ever, there were lots of baddies and lots of guns. All the baddies seem to be terrified of the .454 gun carried by Joe's partner in fighting crime, Nate Romanowski, so I had to google it, and now I see why :-) I've put a hold on book 8, but I can see myself reading right through this series without stopping. I'm pretty sure the elibrary has all of them.

Happy new thread Susan! Glad you are starting to feel more like your old self. You've a mangled some good reading in the meantime.

Ha! I know what you mean about the irony about being risk averse as a litigation attorney. Same way here. I fight enough for work. No need to impose that on myself in my personal life...

Came across this photo of the Boston Molasses Flood:

>19 michigantrumpet: Marianne, that's a better picture than in the book! You really wouldn't think molasses could do that much damage, would you? It's not like a flood of water, which is fast. I'd imagined it just oozing, but that looks like a tsunami has been through it.

I think I am pretty much back to normal now. I walked down to McDonald's for lunch, which I haven't felt able to do until now (even earlier in the week I wouldn't have done it) and that all went fine. I just hope it doesn't come back now I've finished the pills.

I know the feeling about being without pills for vertigo/dizziness. I always feel like I need to save a few just in case it returns when I'm not able to stay home or to get a ride to the doctor. Mine seems to mainly stem from allergy and inner ear issues, although I've had enough trouble with my neck that it could be contributing to the problem, too.

Happy New Thread, Susan!!

>21 cbl_tn: Carrie, I'm seeing my normal doctor in a couple of weeks for something else, so I'll ask her whether she will give me a prescription that I can keep for the future, just in case.

>22 scaifea: Thanks Amber!



69. The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857 by William Dalrymple

Where I got it: Kindle
Why I read it: I bought it a while ago, but the library books took over. I decided to go back to the Kindle for a while.

This book is about the Indian Mutiny of 1857, or the First War of Independence, depending on your point of view. It is very well done, with a lot about the different personalities involved, and explained this important episode in Indian history really well. It was as a result of the Mutiny that the UK took over the governance of India from the East India Company, and ruled for the next 90 years until Independence. The author has written extensively about India, so I'd be interested in another one of his books, but in hard copy, I think, as the maps and lists of people are just a pain on the Kindle.

I'm currently about a third of the way through a book about polio, so that will be today's project. My tube line isn't running this weekend so I have the perfect excuse to stay at home :-)

70. Paralysed with Fear: The Story of Polio by Gareth Williams

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: There was a good programme about polio on BBC Four recently, and the author of this book was one of the people interviewed for it. He was also a guinea pig for one of the vaccines when he was a child, because scientists routinely tested their creations on their families and those of their co-workers.

By the time I was born, polio was just another thing that was vaccinated against. It belonged to the olden days, although I didn't realise that the vaccines only came along about ten years before I did. Before that, polio was the terror of many Western countries (research eventually showed it was just as prevalent elsewhere, but obscured by all the other diseases in those places). Although actually quite rare, and with only 1 in 100 patients being paralysed by it, public gatherings were cancelled during the "season" (mostly summer), children were forbidden from swimming and all sorts of crazy theories insisted it was caused by things like certain foods, or misalignment of the neck, or running through leaves. The book looks at the various attempts to cure it, and then to vaccinate against it, with all the attendant politicking, intrigue and of course the sceptics who refused to believe the eventual evidence showing what caused it and how to stop it.

I think it might have been the iron lungs that caused the fear of the disease. Not only could polio kill, but survivors could end up in an iron lung for years, or forever. I remember as a child reading a book about someone living in an iron lung, which I suppose must have been due to polio. It sounded truly terrible.

Polio has been eradicated in all but a very few countries now, but the last few outposts are proving difficult due to mistrust of the contents of the vaccines, and propaganda that they are full of deadly illnesses sent by the West to kill people.

Recommended for anyone interested in epidemiology or diseases or the history of medicine.

It has been HOT here today! Thank goodness I didn't have anywhere to go but could just stay home and read :-) The next two instalments of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series have arrived from Amazon marketplace, so I think one of those will be next, or at least soon.

Happy Sunday, Susan. I hope you feel much better.

>25 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara :-)



71. Blood Trail by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's book 8 in the Joe Pickett series

This time hunters are being killed in Wyoming, and Governor Spencer Rulon makes Joe part of a taskforce to find the killer. Could it be Klamath Moore, the anti-hunting crusader visiting the state? And why is Joe's former boss, Randy Pope, so keen for him to be involved? Despite the reviews on LT saying that the baddie was obvious from the start, I had no idea until right at the end, and in the meantime thought it was just about everybody else. Either I'm very dumb or I just don't read enough crime novels. I got an email yesterday to say that this one had just become available, so I changed my plans to read romance, and downloaded number 9 as well.

Some very interesting reading here. I particularly like the book about polio. I received an interesting book through the LT Early Reviewer program called The Remedy about TB and the search for a vaccine. Remarkable he advancements made in medicine.

Speaking of which, hoping you are improving every day.

>24 susanj67: I had a high school English teacher who walked with the aid of leg braces and a cane because she'd had polio as a child, in the very last summer before the vaccination was available. I'm sure there were many others like her around the country, and someone has to be the last one to catch a disease, but that always felt like a cruel twist of fate to my youthful self.

>24 susanj67: - Great review. The mother of a school friend of mine was a polio survivor. She didn't need leg braces but her walk was still very pronounced and she would spend her mornings with aquatic exercises.

The town where I grew up had a March of Dimes parade (it was a charity for polio cure when it started). Among the "units" in the parade was always a "float" with a live patient in an iron lung. Another constant was a group of 12 or so people holding a big sheet around the edges and people would throw change into the sheet. My mother was terrified I would get polio and, for some reason, mostly expressed that by not allowing me to sit on concrete (curbs, walls, etc). I never did, and still don't, know why she thought that would lead me to get polio. Fortunately, the Salk vaccine came along while I was still quite young (8 or so???) and she could stop worrying.

>27 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I'm going to look out for the TB book, which doesn't seem to have appeared in the library catalogue yet. TB rates in London are quite high (many babies are vaccinated now when they're brand new, instead of in their early teens like I was), and there are now some drug-resistant strains, which is alarming. But yes, it is remarkable the advancements that have been made. Even with "new" diseases like AIDS, the scientists know what causes them, even if they don't know how to cure them. We're still flailing around on the causes of cancer and dementia, but I'm sure future generations will think "It was so obvious! Why couldn't they see it?" just like we do about polio and other things.

>28 susanna.fraser: Susanna, that is heartbreaking. Her poor parents, too, seeing the news the following year and thinking "If only".

>29 lkernagh: Thanks Lori. I honestly was never aware of polio in NZ, but there was a charity called the Crippled Children's Society which I assume now must have been for polio survivors. The book mentions a number of US charities with similar names. I should ask my father about it as he was born at the end of the 1920s so must have been at risk as a child.

>30 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, the (British) author of the book says that it was a much bigger thing in the US, partly because of all the publicity for (and from) the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and of course President Roosevelt. The book talks about the March of Dimes. I wonder what the poor patient in the iron lung thought about the parade, but maybe it was a day out of the hospital environment. Maybe your mother thought you would catch a chill from sitting on concrete, and that could bring it on. There were all sorts of theories doing the rounds, and I suppose no-one wanted to disbelieve them in case their child was next. Another suggestion was that too much sugar caused it (ironic, really, in that we now know all the other damage it does, albeit not polio. The activist demanding a reduction in sugar was ahead of his time).

I remember the panic when AIDS was first announced in the 80s, and was thought to be easily catchable. There was a little girl in NZ who'd got it from a blood transfusion overseas, and the local community where she lived shunned her, abused the family, banned her from play group and so on. The late Princess of Wales helped a lot when she shook hands with AIDS patients, I think.

I returned the book this morning and borrowed The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age and And The Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic which looks like a real chunkster, but which has been on my list for a while.

The Princess of Wales was an amazing spokesperson for sensibility when it came to AIDS. The photographs of her visiting AIDS patients and holding their hands and carrying the babies that had AIDS was wonderful.

I had to laugh about sugar being considered a possible cause for Polio. I never heard that one but I can't believe my mother would have gone there. She was from southern Indiana which is pretty southern in culture and they love their sugar and bacon fat (not together).

>32 luvamystery65: Roberta, I remember those pictures and how brave people thought she was. Now, of course, we know that AIDS isn't spread by holding babies, but back then it seemed like quite a risk, and I suppose with so many other viral infections being caused by contact with those already infected, it was.

>33 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I'm not sure how the sugar theory would have gone down in the UK either. They do love their sweets here.

I started And The Band Played On last night, and read about 70 pages. Wow. I would have read more but it is a heavy book, and my arms hurt. I think if I'd had the Kindle version I would have stayed up late. It reads almost like a novel in a way, in the sense of the narrative, that is. At the point I put it down, a number of doctors are starting to realise that their patients with odd diseases seem to have the same ones, in the same combinations. I wonder how much quicker that would happen today, with all the electronic sharing of information.

72. Below Zero by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's book 9 in the Joe Pickett series

The central baddie-plot in this one is pretty far-fetched, but it allows another important sub-plot to develop, and there is lots of running around all over Wyoming, chasing people and shooting things. Joe's nemesis at the FBI reappears and once again fails to catch Nate Romanowski, who is now a fugitive from justice and living in a cave. But what a cave! Governor Rulon continues to be his usual eccentric self. And the family story undergoes an important development which will continue into future books. I really enjoyed this one, implausible baddies notwithstanding. I have a hold on number 10. Read faster, fellow library patron Pickett fan!

(ETA: Oooh, I see the library over the road has number 10 in hard copy! I think I solved that problem).

I read some more of And The Band Played On last night, and the doctors have finally decided that "GRID" (as it was originally known) is caused by a virus, but that's about as far as they've got.

This morning I started the new Sarah Morgan book, Suddenly Last Summer, which was published yesterday. And it even has a touchstone! I have to travel around London today so I'm hoping to make some progress with it.

I now have all the Joe Pickett series waiting on my e-reader. Judging you for this one Susan!

Oh, I feel the pressure now, Bekka! I didn't love the writing style in the first couple, but they get better.

Hilariousness from Oxford Street, where I found myself in House of Fraser, one of the country's biggest department stores. I went up to the floor with all my favourite labels, to look at the sales and see if there was any new stock in yet. I spotted the first puffas of the season, at MaxMara (yay!) but really I was looking for something to break my habit of endless pairs of black trousers. I found two garments at Jaeger and asked the nearest staff member where the fitting rooms were (they're for the floor, not per brand).

"Actually we're closed," she said. I looked at my watch, which said 7.30.

"I thought you closed at 9," I said.

"The fitting rooms are closed," she clarified. "I'm on my own. I can't run a fitting room on my own. I'll have to sneak you in discreetly."

To try on clothes. And buy them. And pay her salary.

She led me round the corner to a corridor blocked off by a rack of clothes, and pulled it aside, pushing it back into place once I'd gone in. I tried on my garments. One fitted, which was lucky as there was no way of getting another size. I pulled the rack aside as I left, and naughtily left the corridor open so that crazy patrons could run in and try stuff on. After a while I found someone to pay. And I really like my new black trousers :-)

OMG, luckily you found your trousers but what they are doing with the staff and the customers is another story. I hate it to know I'm only worth the money and nothing more.

I feel your pain. I needed some new under garments yesterday...sales clerks (4 of them) we're having a lovely conversation and couldn't be bothered to offer to help.

>38 susanj67: Great story, Susan!

>38 susanj67: The last time I went into a Penney's (a US department store chain) I was going to buy something but I couldn't find anyone to ring up my purchase. They used to have sales clerks in every department. That time I couldn't find one on the entire floor. I left and went somewhere else.

Loved the story -- AND that you ended up with more black trousers! I seem to buy the same navy blue suit and dresses over and over.... ;-D

>38 susanj67: *snork!* Love the ending to that story! It's shocking sometimes, though, how places of business can be so lacking in customer service. I mean, honestly!

>38 susanj67: - Great story, Susan. The lack of sales staff reminds me of some of my trips a few years back to the Bay, a big department store here in Canada. They have since improved the presence of sales staff but you sort of feel like calling out in the store "I would like to buy this!". ;-)

>39 Ameise1: Barbara, sometimes I think they're not even interested in the money!

>40 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, what a pain! Maybe mail order?!

>41 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. I think I'm doomed to bad service wherever I go!

>42 cbl_tn: Carrie, there doesn't seem to be any connection made by staff between customers buying stuff and their wages being paid.

>43 michigantrumpet: Marianne, one day I'm going to buy something that isn't black trousers! Maybe a black skirt.

>44 scaifea: Amber, not that shocking here, sadly. Mostly the norm!

>45 lkernagh: Lori, yes, that's what annoys me most - having to beg to spend money. It's like they think they're doing you a favour opening the shop at all.



73. Suddenly Last Summer by Sarah Morgan

Where I got it: Kindle
Why I read it: It's the second book in the Snow Crystal trilogy, set in a resort in Vermont

The heroes of these books are the three O'Neil brothers, and Sean, who features in this one, is a surgeon, while the heroine, Elise, is the French chef who cooks at the resort. It's sort of a reunion romance, and worked really well. This is the author's second full-length contemporary romance. She also writes for Mills & Boon's "Modern" and "Medical" lines, but the 50,000-word length of those books makes them very different. I commented after reading the first one in this trilogy that I didn't think there was quite enough story for the length of the book, and I wondered whether that was because she was so used to thinking in terms of 50,000 words. That problem is fixed in this book, and it flows really well. The family characters appear again, and I'm looking forward to the third one, which comes out later in the year.

I have three more Joe Picketts lined up next :-) And And The Band Played On, which is my reading for this evening. I just wish it was easier to hold.

>42 cbl_tn: I have had the same experience as Carrie has had in other stores in our mall. Most recently it happened at Belk. I finally found one in the men's department right before I was about to give up. If they don't want to man the registers, perhaps they should put in self-service check-outs if they intend to do business. It's a far cry from my elementary days when my Mom would take me to the Dorothy Mae Shoppe in our little town and the ladies who ran it would even bring back additional things for you to try on.

>46 susanj67: I do a lot of mail order but not for under garments. I persevered and got what I needed in spite of them :)

Susan, maybe you're like my grandmother. She said of herself that she had a face that looked like it had already been waited on. :)

Susan, I wish you a relaxed weekend.

>47 thornton37814: Lori, we have self-service here in supermarkets, but apparently the rate of stealing is quite high. I suppose they would be worried about clothes and things, which are worth even more.

>48 RebaRelishesReading: Good news, Reba! Here some shops have introduced "click and collect", where you order things online and pick them up at a local branch (good for people who have problems getting post delivered to home). Of course, it often takes a while to find someone at the Information desk to go and get them, and last time (which, co-incidentally, was underwear), the young man brought the things out unwrapped - very embarrassing. He did at least put them in a bag for me to take away!

>49 cbl_tn: Carrie, I love that!

>50 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara!



74. All Change by Elizabeth Howard

Where I got it: Kindle
Why I read it: It's the final volume in the Cazalet series

I liked this series a lot, and raced through this final instalment, which ended in the late 1950s. With the original children now having their own children there were about a gazillion characters to keep track of, so it's worth reading the series fairly closely together to keep up with everyone. I'd like to find another family saga like this one. I've read the Poldark series (best EVER) and the R M Delderfield "Horseman Riding By" trilogy, and given up on the Mazo de la Roche Jalna books, but I'm always looking for suggestions :-)

Now for the Pickett family!

75. Nowhere to Run by C J Box

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: It's book 10 in the Joe Pickett series

This time a year has passed since Joe was sent to the Baggs district, which is where game wardens are sent to retire, or quit. But the Governor has arranged for Joe to be transferred back to Saddlestring, where his family lives, and he has just one last job to do before he moves. Naturally things go wrong, and there is a lot of running around and shooting. The baddies in this one are living "off the grid" in the Sierra Madre mountains, but who is the mysterious woman living in the little cabin that no-one has found before?

There are only four more of the series to go, and I don't know what I'll do when I've finished them. But I did find the author's first three novels (not featuring Joe) in an omnibus ebook at the library yesterday so maybe that's my answer.

The first C.J. Box I read was a standalone - Blue Heaven. I liked it. When you run out of his books, you might want to try Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series about a Wyoming sheriff or Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series about a National Park ranger.

>46 susanj67:. Black skirt? That's crazy talk, girl! Next thing you know, you'll be branching into black shoes, too!

>49 cbl_tn:. Ha! I am SOOO stealing this!

>53 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie. When I looked into the Craig Johnson series a while ago it seemed to be very hard to come by here, but the library has the first Nevada Barr one as an ebook, so I will try that.

>54 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I'm in such a rut! I should get a personal shopping appointment for the new season, and get made over. I bet they don't close the fitting rooms in personal shopping :-)



76. Cold Wind by C J Box

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's book 11 in the Joe Pickett series

I can't remember the last time I went on such a binge-read of a whole series. I think even with the Daniel Silva books I left it longer between episodes. Hmmm, maybe it was with Clan of the Cave Bear :-)

In this book, Joe's mother-in-law, the gruesome Missy, is accused of murder, and Joe tries to find out the real story. Meanwhile, in a parallel plotline, Nate Romanowski shows up again with an even bigger gun. The two friends don't meet until the end of the book, but the next one is nicely set up. And I have it! Also number 13, which I picked up this morning when I returned number 10. And I've just reserved number 14, in the hope that it will come in by the weekend. And then that's all until next year :-( Funnily enough, I paused mid-way through number 11 last night, and watched a documentary about the rise of the shop-girl in Victorian times. One of the shops the presenter visited was called "Pickett". I picked the book up again, and got right on with it.

Congrats on your 75 Susan!

And Clan of a Cave Bear is a good one to binge read :)

Susan, congrats on reaching

>56 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka! Yes, I remember Cave Bear fondly :-)

>57 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! I wasn't sure I would reach it by the end of June, but the novels helped.

Today I had x-rays at the dentist and he said I had the bones of an 18-year-old. Woo-hoo! Now if only I had the sight, hearing and energy levels...

Congrats!

>58 susanj67: Susan, just enjoy your juvenile bones and for the rest well, we all are 20++ ;-)

I completely missed that you've passed the 75 mark! Well done!

Congratulations on passing 75!

Congratulations on 75+, Susan!

Lots of excellent reading and interesting conversation on your thread - I'm glad I made it over here.

Your fascination with the C.J. Box books has caught my attention. I seem to recall trying the first book in the series and giving up on it (this would have been when it was first published). Based on your reviews, I need to give the series another try. Thanks!

Congratulations on blowing past the 75 book mark, Susan!

>59 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>60 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. The bones thing has cheered me up, particularly as I've been feeling so rotten lately with all the aches and pains and the vertigo.

>61 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie!

>62 thornton37814: Thanks Lori. I was surprised to do it, particularly as I said a couple of weeks ago that I didn't think I'd make 150 this year, but now I might...However, the relatively short crime novels have helped.

>63 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah, and welcome! I remember being very unimpressed with the writing in the first Joe Pickett book, but there was something about it that made me try number 2, and by number 3 I was pretty much hooked. I think it's the characters, and the totally unfamiliar setting. He'll never win any literary awards, but I just want to know what happens next :-)

>64 ronincats: Thanks Roni! Now for the next 75!

Last night I read And The Band Played On for three hours straight, which is unusual for me in the evenings. But what a story. I'm about two-thirds of the way through it now, and up to 1983/4 and there is still no consensus as to what causes AIDS, meaning that "Patient Zero" has not been quarantined despite continuing to engage in behaviour that must have infected thousands of people directly and indirectly and the blood banks are still refusing to screen donors or to test for hepatitis antibodies (something that AIDS patients also generally have). There are stories matching units of infected blood with specific transfusion patients who went on to die, which is just heartbreaking. I don't know what the outcome was for the blood banks once the link between AIDS and transfusions became clear, but I hope a lot of people were sent to jail for their grossly negligent behaviour.

It's particularly interesting reading it at the same time as an Ebola outbreak is happening in Africa because, once again, people are acting irresponsibly despite medical advice - engaging in funeral rites for the dead which involve contact with the bodies, smuggling people out of hospital and hiding them in the community, and this is for a disease which is well known to be far more contagious than AIDS, and with a 90% fatality rate. So far the story is a footnote in our news, but with direct flights to Paris from one of the cities in the middle of the outbreak, people are saying it is only a matter of time until it comes to Europe, particularly as the incubation period is up to 21 days so a carrier would not necessarily be showing any signs of illness. Then the press will go absolutely crazy.

WooHoo! - congrats on your 75!!

Wow! SEVENTY-FIVE!! Mark me down as being very impressed. Well done, you!

Nice reading to get to 75. And there's half the year to go...

>66 scaifea: Thanks Amber!

>67 michigantrumpet: Thanks Marianne! It has been a good reading year so far.

>68 Helenliz: Helen! Welcome back. Do you have a thread? I can't find it. I hope the second half of the year is as good as the first for books.

I bought a pack of three thrillers yesterday by Tony Parks, who I'd never heard of, but the reviews on Amazon are good. The Book People were at my office, and they had some good box-set deals. I also bought a Sarah Morgan romance for the Kindle after I realised there was one I hadn't read, and Monday's Kindle Daily Deal was Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, so I got that too. I think that is all my confessing for the week so far. But then it is only Wednesday morning.

Tonight I plan to finish And The Band Played On, as I only have about 100 pages left to go. But Sky News has finally woken up to the Ebola outbreak and sent their senior Africa reporter to cover it (I bet she was bored doing the Pistorius trial, but at least her life wasn't in danger). There are four special reports running today so I want to watch one of those. A pal at the office told me that Al Jazeera was covering it, so last night I watched the Al Jazeera news hour (it's anchored in London). It's such a different point of view, and there is so much going on in the world that our national news just doesn't cover, or at least not in any depth. And, refreshingly, there was nothing about Pistorius, Rolf Harris or the McCanns. I think I'll watch it again tonight

>69 susanj67: yes, but I lurk on the 100 book challenge these days. This is me. Real life has been getting in the way recently, both of reading and catching up on everyone else...

It's been an age since I watched the news on the TV, I tend to read the newspaper online these days. In fact, my first port of calla when I get into work is a cup of tea and the obituary columns. There are some fascinating people out there, I just think it such a shame that we don't tend to know of them until they are no longer with us.

Congrats on passing 75, Susan! WahHOO for you! You went storming through those C. J. Box books, so I have added them to the list to check my library for - I have not read that author.

Congratulations on passing 75, Susan. You are having a great reading year and I have also enjoyed following your reading of the C.J. Box books.

>70 Helenliz: Helen, I found you! I tend to watch Sky News as my background channel when I'm at home (unless there's something particularly alluring on Create & Craft) but it was interesting to try something else. I know what you mean about the obituaries - I read a really good book about Bletchley Park after reading the obituary of one of the former code-breaking ladies in the Telegraph.

>71 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! I have a little bit of storming to go, but two more lined up :-)

>72 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. The year is going well on the books front. Long may it continue!



77. And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: It's one of those famous books that I always meant to get to

Wow. What a read. I finished this last night, and wished it had gone on for longer, as it stops in 1987 when AIDS was still very new. According to another book that I have just started (The Viral Storm) there are now about 33 million people infected around the world. Many of the doctors in And The Band Played On foresaw something like that, but just couldn't get the government to take them seriously and fund research adequately. That's still a problem for medical research generally, but their other big problem was the lack of any proper coverage in the media, and that would be very different today. People no longer have to rely on the media to pick up stories and follow them. Everyone can be a publisher, and I think information would spread much more quickly today with the internet and social media. It's hard now to remember how different things were in the early 80s, and how slow the flow of information was. We really did rely on the daily paper and half an hour of TV news in the evening. This is a compelling read for anyone interested in epidemiology, AIDS and the politicking that can delay action to save lives (the inaction of the US government was mirrored in most other countries who were, ironically, waiting for the US to come up with a solution, because surely it would, what with all that money). We're seeing it again today with the call for new antibiotics, but who is going to fund them?

Now I'm reading The Viral Storm, written by "the Indiana Jones of virus hunters", which is shaping up to be an excellent read.

Congratulations on finishing And The Band Played On! It's great that you enjoyed it so much.

>74 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah. It was quite an undertaking, being (a) long and (b) a very tight binding in the paperback, which made it quite a physical struggle at times! I wish I'd had an ebook version of it. Although I was a teenager when AIDS first hit the news, I had no idea of what was going on in the US and with research into it, so the book filled a big gap. The Viral Storm has a section on further research, in the 90s and beyond, which showed that HIV had actually been around since at least the 1950s, but in a remote part of Africa. Only when transport links began to improve did it start to spread, and then it went global. Also, I suppose, better records of medical treatments and deaths are kept in the west, so suddenly a whole lot of people appeared to be dying of a "new" thing.

Tonight's reading is going to be The Viral Storm, which I hope to finish, and then I'm spending the weekend with the Picketts in Wyoming :-) After that, I have a book about Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, and Ten Cities That Made an Empire, which is new here and looks good. My copy is a brand new hardback from the library - bliss!

Susan, last night I finished The Perfect Match by Kristin Higgins, the sequel to The Best Man about the family of wine-makers in New York. It was a lot of fun, and made me laugh out loud at times and tear-up at others. Didn't know if this one was on your radar, though knowing you, you probably already read it. The third one in the series is out now, too.

>76 katiekrug: Katie, it wasn't until I saw it on your thread the other day. Since then, I may have ordered it... :-) Good to hear it's fun!!

I think you'll like it!

>79 susanj67: Katie, I've never read a Kristan Higgins that I didn't like, but this series sounds like a lot of fun.



78. The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: I found it on the shelf at the same number as the polio book I read further up the thread

Described as "The Indiana Jones of infectious disease", "swashbuckling" and one of TIME's most influential people in the world, 2011, you would definitely want the author of this book around if you feared that you were coming down with swine flu, lassa fever or monkeypox. Mostly, though, he'd be useful because he could warn you about these things before they appeared in your neighbourhood, and then you could stay inside.

This book looks at the new pandemics (just global epidemics, not necessarily completely deadly ones) and at how they might be predicted, which sounds unusual but, he argues, if things like heart disease can now be prevented, why not epidemics? And it's an interesting argument. The book has indifferent reviews here on LT but it gives you tons to think about. Plus, you know, the picture on the back definitely has an element of swash in it. I hope he's right that Ebola is mostly a local thing, though...

Congratulations on passing the 75 books read mark, Susan!

And The Band Played On and The Viral Storm both sound fascinating in a very scary real world sort of way.

>80 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! Both books were excellent but yes, quite scary. In The Viral Storm the author says we can expect to continue discovering new viruses, whereas the chance of finding, say, a new species of primate, is close to nil. Microbes are evidently where it's at!

Today I'm going on a guided walk with the Museum of London Docklands about the regeneration of Canary Wharf, which I am hoping will add to my stock of nerdy Wharf facts. I'm just hoping the rain holds off.

Susan, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

>82 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara :-)

I've been on a guided walk of Canary Wharf this afternoon, and learned many new nerdy facts, plus some connections between facts that I already knew. For example, the original development was built by the Canadian company Olympia and York, which I knew. And all the shops at the Wharf are in underground malls. But this, apparently, is because that's how similar developments are built in Canada where it is so freezing cold that office workers don't want to have to get all bundled up in coats and boots to go out and buy their lunches. The shops are put under the office blocks instead. I'd never thought about that, but it makes a lot of sense, and is also handy for us even in our soft, south-east England winters. (Yesterday I said to my office roomie (who is from monsoon-soaked Delhi) that rain was forecast for today. "Yes," she said, "but it's not REAL rain, is it?" The same could be said of our "cold" although not by her).

I'd started Joe Pickett number 12 before I went out. Every book mentions his Carhartt coats, which is not a brand I'd ever heard of before. But, on the walk, one of the guys had a Carhartt bag. What are the odds?! I should get back to him now. Already the body count is quite high, and many people are looking for Nate and his huge gun.

Hi Susan! Belated congratulations on reading 75 books!

>69 susanj67: It's such a different point of view, and there is so much going on in the world that our national news just doesn't cover, or at least not in any depth. And, refreshingly, there was nothing about Pistorius, Rolf Harris or the McCanns. I think I'll watch it again tonight

Yes, I remember being impressed with All Jazeera when we were in Uganda. And I had entirely missed the news about the Ebola outbreak so thank you for mentioning it.

>83 susanj67: I always wondered about the underground shops in Canary Wharf! My friend was living in Toronto when I was living in CW for a short period and the similarity struck me although I had no idea it was built by a Canadian company.

>84 souloftherose: Thanks Heather! I was surprised about the shops, but it makes sense! It's a devil of a job giving people directions around the Wharf at street level though - no Starbuckses to navigate by :-)



79. Force of Nature by C J Box

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: It's book 12 in the Joe Pickett series

This book is really Nate's story, and we finally discover why he lives the life he does, and who's trying to catch him. The body count is very high in this one, but Joe helps to save the day. And he uses his favourite expression, for when the baddies are threatening his family: "Things are going to get real western real fast." I just can't work that into my daily routine at the office, try as I might...

Hi Susan! The walking tour sounds interesting and fun. I didn't realize that it has underground shops. Canary Wharf was under construction when I lived in the London area so I heard a lot about it in the news, but I've never been there.

In downtown Calgary, they have elevated, covered walkways connecting various buildings for the same purpose as the underground "malls" in other Canadian cities. They call it the "+15" because, I believe, it's 15 feet above street level. Most of the buildings on the level of the walkways have coffee shops, restaurants, and other conveniences. Anyway, it's quite a maze to the occasional visitor like me, but I can see how it would be nice and handy during one of their winters!

The Wharf walk sounds fascinating - one of these days I'll make it to London!

You're on a roll with the Box books - there can't be many left!

>85 susanj67: Oh you have to! Keep trying - it's got to slot into the day somewhen!

>86 cbl_tn: Carrie, the square footage of all the malls added together makes the Wharf the fourth-largest shopping centre inside the M25 (a nerdy fact I didn't know). There was originally just one, and then when they built the buildings along Heron Quays they put in another one, which is joined up via the tube station foyer. And there's a smaller one where the library is. It's a bit of a trek to go places entirely underground, but handy in bad weather. The mall in the Crossrail station is going to open in May next year (excitement!) so that will add some more shops, but I hope they're not just repeats of the ones we already have.

>87 katiekrug: Katie, yes, that must be lovely in those temperatures! It can be confusing for the occasional visitor (several times I've had calls with visitors in which I have to ask them to describe what they're looking at, and then go and find them) but it's handy once you know where you're going.

>88 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, after the one below, I have just one left. There is one published every year, in March, it seems, so quite a wait for the next one.

>89 BekkaJo: Bekka, I will just have to try harder!



80. Breaking Point by C J Box

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: It's Joe Pickett 13

This time Joe becomes involved in a multi-agency investigation into the shooting of two EPA officers in Saddlestring. Why were they there? Did the landowner really shoot them before he went on the run? And so on. Even without Nate, the body count is high, but no ears were parted from their owners in this instalment.

One more left - sob. I think I can see how the afternoon is going to pan out.

81. Stone Cold by C J Box

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: It's Joe Pickett number 14, and the most recent one in the series

This one is set in the Black Hills of Wyoming, where Joe is sent to carry out an investigation for Governor Rulon. Could it be true that a wealthy resident is really an assassin for hire? And that Nate is working for him? There are multiple story strands, and a horrifyingly funny development in the family part of the story. And Joe has a new yellow Lab, Daisy.

Three novels in a weekend is pretty much my limit, so I think I'll spend the evening catching up on some TV. The next novel in the series is published on 10 March next year, according to Amazon, so I must remember that nearer the time.

Lots of great reading and reviews! You go, Girl!

>79 susanj67: Hard to pass up on a book described as 'swashbuckling', eh?

You knocked Stone Cold out pretty quickly this morning! Whatever will you read next?

Congrats on 75 Susan! I think we are going to make a cowgirl out of you one day!

>92 michigantrumpet: Marianne, it was more...the author who was described as swashbuckling. And I couldn't disagree :-)

>93 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, there was praise from Lee Child on the cover of the C J Box novels, so I wondered about his Jack Reacher series. I'd be keener if Tom Cruise hadn't appeared in the movie version, though, as the film people never look like what I imagine the characters will look like. But I have two non-fiction books I want to finish first - Ten Cities That Made an Empire and a book about Magellan's first circumnavigation.

>94 luvamystery65: Thanks Roberta! I see you and Katie are meeting up again - how I wish I could be there too!

My library account login details stopped working this morning. Yikes! I hoped it was related to the site maintenance they were doing over the weekend (supposed to finish at 2am), and I seem to be back on now, but I've had all sorts of visions of having to reregister myself and losing my wishlist. Phew! I was deregistered from my doctor's practice for no reason whatsoever recently (well, actually in November last year, but I only found out about it recently) so I'm a tad paranoid.

>96 susanj67: That happened to me last year. Apparently our library accounts expire without warning and have to be renewed. I discovered it when I tried to check out an audiobook on a Saturday night and couldn't access my wishlist, etc. It said my account was invalid. Fortunately the main library is open on Sunday afternoons. I was able to call and have someone reset my account. My wishlists were still there, just as I left them. Whew!

>97 cbl_tn: Ours also expire without warning. They told me at the library that it happened when you had not checked out physical books in a certain amount of time. I don't know why they have the number of months set so low in that case because It had probably only been about 4 months at the time mine happened. I had continued to check out e-books during that time, but I had a lot of NetGalley books and ER books during that period too. I did, however, remember the last book I'd checked out. The librarian was also shocked that the time out period was set so low. She was going to check with the regional library to see why it was set so low. She realized that a lot of people were continuing to use e-books.

>95 susanj67: I broke down and read the first Jack Reacher novel a while back (the name escapes me at the moment) and while it wasn't bed, it didn't do that much for me. I have not seen the movie, but Reacher is describrd a a huge guy, so Cruise seems like an odd fit....

Susan!!! Were your ears burning because I was telling Katie how much I really want to meet you and that we MUST get you to Texas and give you the Grand Tour. We are making a list of all the places to take you and all the food you must try. ;-)

Glad you didn't lose your wishlist Susan! I'm a little OCD, and keep it backed up on a Word file, which is on my Dropbox as well as a back-up hard drive. haha

>97 cbl_tn: Carrie, that sounds quite crazy! I wonder why they do that. If an account is inactive then it's just sitting there doing no-one any harm, I would have thought. Less harm, anyway, than to all the cross patrons of active accounts who find they can't use them!

>98 thornton37814: Lori, I think I'm safe if the test is checking out actual books! I'm always in there. Our ebooks are accessed via a different catalogue, and I'm not sure they show up in the "my loans" section of the account page.

>99 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, I think I'll give it a go. In the meantime, I've reserved the first Greg Iles one, as another one in the series is getting good reviews. I'm the fourth person waiting for the ebook so I will have time to get my other things read first.

>100 luvamystery65: Roberta! I did feel a slight tingling, now you come to mention it :-) I saw that you and Katie had another great meet-up. Yay for LT!

>101 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! I might think about keeping it somewhere else, as I have about 50 books on it, added over years, and 18 in the ebook catalogue I could never remember them all :-)

Well, today's task is proving to my bank that I am not a "US person" for tax purposes, due to some new tax treaty whereby our tax people have agreed to hunt down US tax-payers and give their details to the IRS (I can't help thinking their time would be better spent hunting down recalcitrant UK taxpayers, but what do I know?). Apparently I can do this by taking in "government-issued identification which explicity states your citizenship in a country other than the US." Well, I can do that, but I don't know how it proves that I'm not liable for US tax. I won't make that point, though! NZ allows dual nationality although of course I don't have it. What's even weirder is the list of items of information that "may suggest a US status for an individual or business". None applies to me. The only thing I've done with a US connection is to buy some currency last year when I went over there. I'm going to write and ask them exactly what they think they hold, as goodness knows what information is recorded against my account.

>95 susanj67: I haven't read them but my husband loves the Jack Reacher series. Reacher is supposed to be a big guy and well over 6 foot tall so Tom Cruise was completely miscast as far as I can see.

>96 susanj67: Yikes! Glad you have library access again.

>102 susanj67: "Well, I can do that, but I don't know how it proves that I'm not liable for US tax. " I think the US doesn't allow dual nationality so I suppose if you show you're a ctitizen of another country that may automatically prove you're not a citizen of the US? Seems like a pain though...

>102 susanj67: Ahhh the wonders of FATCA! Gotta love it... no. Wait. LOATHE it. It is currently the bane of my life. Once again showing I don't remember which angle of law you are in... have you seen the new W8BENs??? I want to weep.

>100 luvamystery65: and >102 susanj67:: Susan, you really must start planning your trip to Texas. Roberta and I have worked *very* hard on your itinerary!

Next spring, you say? Sounds good ;-)

^ what she said! Yes Spring just in time for the rodeos and Texas wildflowers! Boots! We must get you some boots.

And I am trying to convince Roberta that we should take you to a hair salon and get you a real Texas 'do! Teased and sprayed two feet high ;-)

>103 souloftherose: Heather, I think I'll try the Reacher books. The elibrary has five copies of the first one so they must be super-popular.

>104 BekkaJo: Bekka, no, I haven't seen the W8BEN, despite HSBC telling me I should probably fill one in to be on the safe side. I explained that I couldn't do that, as I wasn't a US taxpayer and had no US assets. They said "Oh". They didn't seem to have any idea what the letters were, or what they were supposed to do, or why. I think I'll make a subject access request just to check what personal data they hold on me, but my former office roomie, who knows all about FATCA, says they may just be writing to all foreigners with UK accounts as a first step, rather than picking the obviously US ones. I suppose it's work for someone...They now have a copy of my passport, which I hope will do the trick. Otherwise I'll no doubt get a letter saying they're closing all my accounts.

>105 katiekrug: Katie, I may have bookmarked a couple of pages :-) Would spring be the best time to come? And when does spring start? I have air miles to use before the end of March next year. Would that be too early?

>106 luvamystery65: Roberta, LOL! I would love some real Texas boots.

>107 katiekrug: Katie, and hair! Big hair! Boots, hair and barbecue - sounds perfect, y'all!

Ooooh, expiring air miles - perfect! March wouldn't actually be a bad month to visit. It won't be disgustingly hot yet, but very little chance of any ice or freezing temps. The bluebonnets will be starting to come out, especially later in the month...

I'll start stockpiling grits and Pop-Tarts ;-)

March, not bad. Tak a cardigan - the airconditioning is ridiculously cold. That's one thing I never plucked up courage to try, grits. Even the name in unappetising. Can we all go to Captain Quackenbush's? (I've either just shown my age there, or it's a rather niche reference...)

>109 katiekrug: Katie, that sounds possible! My Virgin airmiles won't work, I have discovered, as they don't fly there, but I have some BA miles that might, or I could just forget the miles :-) I see that Dallas has a light rail system, which would be good. I wondered whether it would be navigable without a car, but it seems so. I'll see how much worse the airport security requirements get, because there are predictions of a summer of DOOM with the new checks on electronics, and goodness knows what after that.

>110 Helenliz: Helen, I'm a fan of anywhere that requires knitwear! Captain Quackenbush seems to be in Austin :-)

I'm still enjoying Ten Cities that Made an Empire but in the meantime I've finished a classic on my Kindle.



82. Castle Richmond by Anthony Trollope

Where I got it: Kindle
Why I read it: It's been on my Kindle carousel for ages, and I'm determined to read stuff on the carousel rather than just adding to it.

This story is set in Ireland, during the famine, although the famine doesn't really affect the three English households involved. Although "poor" in their own eyes, they have plenty of money by other standards. It's all about the line of succession to Castle Richmond, with various twists and turns. Two of the characters were too "Dickensian" for me - by which I mean caricatures of baddies - but the central characters were much better. Now that I've read the 14 best-known of Trollope's novels I'm starting on the lesser-known ones, and this was a good read.

>111 susanj67: I don't think I've read that one by Trollope. I've read several of his over the years.

>111 susanj67: Nice Review.

"...I'm determined to read stuff on the carousel rather than just adding to it."

Yep. Good luck with that. :-)

Look at you, conquering the carousel! I seem to be very good indeed at constantly adding to my carrousel. I have not yet read any Trollope, but he is in the carousel - I have The Warden and Barchester Towers.

Susan, if you do make a Dallas trip, maybe I can arrange to visit my brother & SIL while you're there. They live in one of the Fort Worth suburbs and Dallas is fairly close. I try not to visit June-August or September because of the heat. It's usually pretty nice the rest of the year, although they do occasionally get ice and a little snow in the winter.

Now that I've read the 14 best-known of Trollope's novels I'm starting on the lesser-known ones,

So, which Trollope would you recommend as a starting point for the newbie Trollope reader that I am - knowing that I have a love/hate relationship with Dickens and while I loved Austen's Lady Jane and Pride and Prejudice was amusing I always waffle when it comes to adding a new 'classics' author to my reading list. ;-)

>112 thornton37814: Lori, there are quite a few of them. The two series of six are probably the best known but I am delving into what else is available.

>113 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I haven't added to the carousel for, oooh, a couple of days at least :-)

>114 Crazymamie: Mamie, those are the first two in the Barsetshire series, which is probably his best-known. I love his writing.

>115 cbl_tn: Carrie, that would be great! I can't plan too far ahead at this stage, but I'm still collecting page links :-)

>116 lkernagh: Lori, I would recommend The Way We Live Now. It's a standalone book, and it's excellent. Other starting points would be The Warden, which is book 1 in the Barsetshire series, although the first time I read it a lot of the church references went over my head, or Can You Forgive Her? which is book 1 in the Palliser series. He Knew He Was Right is another good one, but I think The Way We Live Now has the edge.

I have today and Monday as holiday to use up some leave. Yippee! It has been pouring with rain this morning but it might be clearing, although I'm still not sure I can be bothered going out. I've already been to the doctor, where I had to have a pointless health check with the practice nurse due to being a "new" patient. Now one could tell me why I was deregistered last year, but apparently they have a 40% turnover of patients per year, so they try not to keep people on the list if they haven't visited recently. I visited a month before I was taken off the list! So annoying. No wonder the NHS has no money, if they are wasting it on pointless admin.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I must get back to the Joe Pickett series - as in a few series, I read #1 so long ago that I might as well read it again, and I bought the next 4 at various conventions where he was one of the writers - he always seemed like quite a nice bloke. I've kindled all those as they were bargains, and I have 5 of the others in the series on my Kindle.

I was never interested in Trollope then they serialised the first two Barchester Chronicles on Radio 4, and now I want to read the books - I have a nice Oxford World's Classics copy of The Warden from my favourite charity shop (I'm beginning to wonder if the same person donated a whole load of OWC stuff because I seem to acquire another one at least on most of my visits there). The Way We Live Now in Penguin Classics was £1.80 on Kindle - I know I could download them for free but I like the editions with introductions and notes, whether paperback or Kindle.

>118 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah! I think it may involve some reading :-)

>119 elkiedee: Luci, I am sad to have finished the Joe Pickett series. Just a week ago I still had three to read! I know what you mean about the Penguin editions of Trollope with the notes. I have the Palliser series in hard copy and the notes are excellent, but they do drive me mad on the Kindle! I'm thinking about a reread of the Pallisers, but it's quite a commitment of time.



83. Ten Cities that Made an Empire by Tristram Hunt

Where I got it: Library - brand new hardback with colour pictures. Bliss!
Why I read it: I read a review somewhere

This book looks at ten cities and their part in the British Empire, and how that changed their architecture and activities. The cities are Boston, Bridgetown, Dublin, Cape Town, Calcutta, Hong Kong, Bombay, New Delhi, Melbourne and Liverpool. I thought the chapters on Boston Bridgetown and the Indian cities were the most interesting, but the book as a whole was a good read.



84. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Where I got it: Kindle (it was on the carousel)
Why I read it: This tied in nicely with Ten Cities that Made an Empire, as it is set in Calcutta in 1838

Reading the LT reviews of this book, there seems to be quite a bit of complaining that it is too big in scope, (someone described it as "Dickensian") with a motley cast of characters and too many co-incidences, and I can see their point, but nevertheless I enjoyed it. The Anglo-Indian patois annoyed me as sometimes it was impossible even to guess at what the characters might be saying, but fortunately it wasn't all written like that, and the historical detail was excellent. I should get on with the sequel while I still remember who all the people are. I think I was saving this to read with the second and third once the trilogy is finished, so I hope number 3 isn't too far away!

Susan, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Happy Saturday, Susan! I really liked Sea of Poppies when I read it and found myself slightly disappointed in the sequel, although it was still good. Now I am wondering when the third one is coming out.

>120 susanj67: interesting book review about the 10 cities. A big fan of Boston and architecture, I could find this interesting.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

>121 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara - you too!

>122 Crazymamie: Happy Saturday to you too, Mamie :-) There were three years between the first two books, and River of Smoke was published in 2011, so I'm hoping some time soon although googling him doesn't bring up any news about it in the top few results.

>123 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I was thinking of you when I read the Boston chapter and I'm sure you would enjoy it. My retirement tour of the US is definitely going to take in Boston now, to see all the Revolutionary places. Sadly it won't happen for quite a few more years :-)

Today started out dreary and wet - not a great day to go out. But then it cleared and became beautifully sunny. Not a great day to go further than the balcony! So I read another book.



85. Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: This book showed up on Amber's book-a-day calendar, and it sounded interesting so I reserved it

Well! I love books about exploring in ye olden days, and this is another great one. Magellan sailed in 1521, so quite a while after Columbus, but he got a whole lot further, although he didn't make it home himself. Only one ship of five, and 18 of the 250 men who set off on the voyage came back three years later, with many amazing tales of what they'd seen. The purpose of the voyage was to find the spice islands, with their valuable crops of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, and I'd read a bit about the competition between various countries at a later date in Nathaniel's Nutmeg, which was excellent, but this was the very beginning of the story when, as the author says, being an explorer was a bit like being an astronaut today, but a whole lot more dangerous.

Last couple are def thumb worthy. To the internet!

Also now waiting for you to lap me in book total. I'm thinking in August ;)

I'm so glad you liked that one!

Excellent reading! I've already checked my library for Ten Cities that Made an Empire, but sadly, they don't have it. I'll have to look for it elsewhere. Thanks!

>125 BekkaJo: Bekka, lol :-) But you have to remember that I have nothing else to do.

>126 scaifea: Amber, I did! I wonder what else the calendar will come up with?

>127 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah. Ten Cities is brand new here, so I'm sure it will reach you eventually.

In a spooky co-incidence, I mentioned yesterday in post 120 that I was considering a reread of Trollope's Palliser series, and this morning a thread appeared for a tutored read of Phineas Finn. That's made up my mind for me. I need to reread Can You Forgive Her first, as it's the first one in the series, but I've found the group read thread of that from last year, so that is my next fiction read.

Last night I started Age of Wonder which I downloaded as an ebook from the library. It's about the second scientific revolution, which the author defines as starting with Captain Cook's exploration of the South Pacific in 1769 and ending with the voyage of the Beagle. I may have partly picked it because I really like the cover :-) I've seen it in bookshops but in a tight paperback binding that will play havoc with my arms, so the ebook is perfect.

Susan, I had to come over here and tell you that I had requested the first Joe Pickett from the library after your recent run through the series, and of course it came in along with everything else I has requested - why do they always come all at once?! Anyway, I had it sitting here and Craig was looking for something new to read so I told him to try that - Susan highly recommends it, I said. Which one is Susan, he asks. So I say the lovely lady in London who told about those fabulous Pret A Manger Christmas sandwiches and who is charmingly fascinated with Texas. Oh, Susan, he says, with the fabulous new chair. Yes! Yes, I say, that's Susan. Well then, he says, how could I NOT read it?

So, he read it, and he liked it - I have now requested the next three in the series for him! SO see, you're practically famous!

I love Mamie's story. Susan is justifiably famous!

(I do wonder, though, how Mamie describes the rest of us to Craig, and what his "touchstone" event or characteristic is for each of us!)

>129 Crazymamie: I love this story too!

>130 katiekrug: Ha!

>129 Crazymamie: Lol Mamie, I love the story! And I'm so glad that Craig enjoyed the first Joe Pickett. I'm sure he'll like the rest of the series. (And I'm also relieved that the new chair is my "touchstone"!)

>130 katiekrug: Hi Katie!

>131 luvamystery65: Hi Roberta!

Today is my final day of holiday, but goodness I could get used to four-day weekends! I thought I would write down my goals here so that I don't fritter it away watching Dog Patrol and similar (I have found a channel that shows lots of NZ reality shows).

1. Bake gingerbread
2. Do the ironing
3. Read two hours *each* of Can You Forgive Her?, Age of Wonder and Middlemarch
4. Say No to Naps

Number 4 will be the hardest, I think. I'm 30% of the way through Can You Forgive Her? - reading in hard copy but I'm so used to the Kindle percentage bar that I now calculate it in my head. I would quite like to read a further 30% today, but that might be a bit optimistic. However, the Phineas Finn tutored read has started and I don't want to get too far behind.

I think you need to do no.1 first so that you can nibble on it whilst doing 2 and 3 :)

>132 susanj67: - I admit that I do chore #2 above while listening to audiobooks and it is amazing how I run out of clothes to iron! I am with you on how easy it would be to get used to four-day weekend. My SIL recently switched from full-time to part-time work and works Tuesday to Thursday..... I am so jealous, but I cannot afford to shift to part time pay. ;-)

>133 BekkaJo: Bekka, alas my brand new tin of Golden Syrup seems to be leaking, so I can't use it. So no gingerbread for me.

>134 lkernagh: Lori, I did the ironing while I watched half of Tales from the Royal Wardrobe, so I was doing some multitasking :-)

But I did manage to stay awake all day! I've halved one of my pain meds, which is the prime candidate for the crushing tiredness, so I'll see how that goes. I also read my two hours of Middlemarch and The Age of Wonder, but only managed an hour of Can You Forgive Her, although I still do have this evening. But trashy documentaries loom. Darn Pick and Quest and all that mythbusting about hunting for Nazi gold in the outback. But Dog Patrol was cute :-) Things I learned tonight:

1. If a drug dog at the airport walks slowly round you in one direction, and then the other, and then quietly sits down beside you, you're in big trouble.

2. If your international mail has what looks like paw prints on it, they really are.

3. And don't have a plastic bag of washing soda crystals in your car if you're visiting a prison in a country with a serious crystal meth problem.

Ha! I love the list of Things You Learned!

>137 susanj67: Amber, it was quite an education! It's a New Zealand programme that my Dad also likes.

Now, here's a US question, which arises from last night's viewing of "Jail", a programme on CBS Reality (please don't judge me). At the beginning, there's wording on the screen which says "After arrest, before trial, there's JAIL", which immediately made me think that surely people would also go to jail after trial, if they were found guilty. Is "jail" the US word for what we would call "remand prisoners" (i.e. people awaiting trial)? After trial, do they then go to "prison"?

The terms are used interchangeably here - an arrested person will be taken first to a police station and then, after processing and maybe their first court appearance, to the remand section of the local jail/prison. They might then go back to that prison if they're found guilty at trial (but to a different section of it).

The occupational health lady visited me today, and I'm getting a standing desk, which is quite exciting. It's coming on the weekend, so on Monday I will have to remember not to slouch on one leg. My roomie has one, so now we will be standing desk buddies.

Hi, Susan, I was happy to see that you enjoyed Sea of Poppies I loved it and am eagerly awaiting the final volume in the trilogy.

I,too, loved Mamie's story, but have to admit a little concern over what paticular keyword she would use to describe me to Craig. Somehow Katie's thread and the word "library cart" keeps springing to mind!

>138 DeltaQueen50: Judy, you could be right about "library cart"!! Katie's thread was very funny :-) I was just pleased not to be known as "the grumpy one in London"! I looked for River of Smoke at the library yesterday but it wasn't in. It is available at a branch near me which I have never been to, so I might make a visit once I've finished my current chunksters.

Last night I made a bit more progress with The Age of Wonder, which isn't gripping me after the first chapter about Captain Cook's voyage to the South Pacific, but there are only about three chapters left. I also got up to 40% in Can You Forgive Her? which I am enjoying greatly. I *never* reread, so it is quite a novelty for me, but I remember being very new to Trollope when I read it the first time, and the writing style and whole Trollope "world" is now much more familiar, and I love it. Also, as one of the characters in the Cazalet books said, when you know what happens you can pay more attention to other things, and that is so true! I hope to be able to join the tutored read of Phineas Finn next week, as the weekend is promised to be hot hot hot (hotter than Ibiza AND Nice, which is "super-hot" in British weather-speak) so I am planning a whole lot of reading. Not so much in the sun, though, after I fell asleep outside on Saturday and now have sunburn "socks". They don't hurt but it's lucky I'm not a catwalk model, all things considered, because they look ridiculous.

I fell asleep outside on Saturday and now have sunburn "socks".

LOL! I have an interesting suntan pattern to my feet as well. My favorite sandals this summer have cut outs and when I wear pumps or anything in the office that reveals the tops of my feet it looks like I have dirt marks, like I haven't washed my feet or something.

>140 lkernagh: Lori, that must be annoying! I never get to the tanned stage - just pink.

We now have a Level 2 health warning from Public Health England, "triggered when there is a high chance that temperatures will reach between 28C (82F) and 32C (89F) over two consecutive days and not dip below 15C (59F) at night", according to The Times. Folks, this is HOT! (by UK standards - North Americans feel free to giggle).

It may even be hotter than the Seychelles, according to some sources. We seldom reach comparisons with the Seychelles. Ibiza and the French Rivieria is about as far as we go. Apparently our hot weather is something to do with the cool weather in North America.



86. The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes

Where I got it: Library ebook
Why I read it: It's been on my list for a while. And look at the pretty cover :-)

Sadly, this was a disappointment overall, although the first section, on Joseph Banks and his voyage with Captain Cook, was excellent and makes me want to read more about Banks. There was also a good section on the invention of ballooning, and a reasonably interesting bit on William Herschel and his telescopes and what they found. But then it all got a bit...dull. I know, how could science be dull, but the telling of it was dull. There were too many people, including the romantic poets (I see I'm not alone in struggling to understand the connection) and it was all very complicated. What was interesting was the academic and public debate about scientific things, which I'm not sure is quite as popular these days (among the public, certainly, obviously scientists are still debating things) and the way in which new scientific concepts popped up in literature and poetry. Again, do we have much of that these days? Frankenstein was written following an arcane debate about the nature of living things, which Mary Shelley had obviously followed closely. But really there was just too much of it, and I can't pretend I read every word of the last few chapters. I'm still counting it though :-)

I'm now 45% through Can You Forgive Her?, one book into Middlemarch and Lori made me borrow The Quick from the library, so I have that too.

Susan, I thought I would escape the heat when we are coming over to the UK next week, but it looks like that it won't be so.

>142 Ameise1: Barbara, it's only going to last a couple of days. It will rain by the weekend, apparently. Next week will still be warm, but not a heatwave.

Susan, your thread always makes me laugh - LOVE the lists!

>138 DeltaQueen50: Judy - "Deliciously twisted (this is the library cart part) Canadian grandmother who loves to read about zombies". I would mention that you get the grandmother tag not because of age, but because I love how you give your grandchildren their own days with you.

*Katie, of course, is the "Fabulously funny, Pimm's Cup loving owner of THE library cart."

>141 susanj67: We've been having similar weather in Seattle, with a week or so of highs in the 80's to low 90's Fahrenheit. Our climate is about as similar to England's as you'll find in the US, albeit with slightly drier summers but more rain over the course of the year, and our typical summer highs are mid to upper 70's.

So, anyway, they put us under a heat advisory for this string of upper 80's with higher than normal humidity. (Because despite Seattle's soggy reputation, our ultra-dry summers normally feature humidity approaching desert levels.) As a native of Alabama, I blinked at the heat advisory and said, "Or, as the rest of the country calls it, 'summer.'"

>111 susanj67: On less known Trollopes, I really enjoyed The Three Clerks when I read it earlier this year. I'll keep Castle Richmond in mind for when I finish the Pallisers (or if I need a Trollope fix in between Palliser novels)

>120 susanj67: Ten Cities That Made an Empire has gone on the library list.

>128 susanj67: this morning a thread appeared for a tutored read of Phineas Finn. Join us! I hope you enjoy your reread of Can You Forgive Her? - I remember the group read generated quite a lot of debate.

And don't worry about getting behind on the current tutored read as I'm the tutee and going quite slowly. I find Trollope's style very comforting even though I don't feel that I understand the politics.

I've seen it in bookshops but in a tight paperback binding I have that very same tight, paperback binding and it may be one reason why I haven't read the book yet. Your review may be another reason why I put it off a bit longer!

>144 Crazymamie: Oohh, I like that description!

>147 DeltaQueen50: *grin*

>144 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie :-)

>145 susanna.fraser: Susanna, that is funny :-) A US commentator on our news recently said how amused she was by the UK putting everything in F for hot weather, to make it seem hotter.

>146 souloftherose: Heather, I am enjoying the reread, and following the group read thread as I pass certain milestones. I'm not sure whether this was raised in that thread or not, but I am just as frustrated this time round by the choices available for Alice and Glencora being "Man A" or "Man B" and nothing else. Alice, who doesn't seem that keen on either suitor, would have a job these days, and Glencora would be a trust fund babe living it up in Ibiza, maybe with a line of swimwear and a lot of Twitter followers. It is difficult to think that just 150 years ago women's lives were so restricted, although of course I know they were. Oddly enough, Mrs Greenow, included as a comedic counterpoint to the other two, is the character who DOES still exist today. I'm looking forward to Phineas Finn although I also struggle with the politics. And the hunting scenes. But, after the note in the group read thread that they should not be skipped, I am not skipping them :-)

>147 DeltaQueen50: and >148 Crazymamie: Maybe there should be descriptions in the threadbook!!

The first Greg Iles book became available overnight at the elibrary, so I have downloaded that for the weekend. So that's just four books now...not bad! I confess to struggling with Middlemarch, but I am pressing on for the time being.

Greetings, famous Susan!

Ok, I admit it - I did giggle. Our average daily high here in Macon, Georgia, is 93 - the overnight low is 71-72. Tomorrow is only supposed to by 86, which is a noticeable dip and I've been able to open the house the last two nights, which is rare in July and August! That said, I have fabulous air conditioning (and painful summer electric bills) so we manage just fine. I know how unpleasant heat waves can be in areas that aren't prepared for them.

Your thread is always entertaining!

Loving the Mamie/Craig descriptions of us all! And Susan you are indeed justifiably famous.

While the heat (especially combined with humidity) can be tiresome, I've decided not to complain and just soak as much of it up as possible -- if only to chase last winter from my bones!

>137 susanj67: In normal conversation "jail" and "prison" are generally used interchangeably, however, formally "jail" is where you go when you're arrested, "prison" is where you go when you've been convicted (although you may go to jail on a conviction for a misdemeanor). Jails are usually run by counties whereas prisons (or penitentiaries) are state or federal faciiities.

Susan, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

>150 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks Dejah :-) We've had two nights of storms, and this morning wasn't too bad but now it is horribly humid. Still, some people lost their houses to lightning strikes, so it can be much worse than just heat.

>151 michigantrumpet: Marianne, your winter sounded horrible up there, so I'm not surprised you want as much sun as possible!

>152 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, thank you for clarifying that. I love the nerdy legal stuff, as I may have mentioned before :-)

>153 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! You too.



87. Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Where I got it: It's my own Penguin Classics edition - the very cover above. Usually I put in the Penguin covers to disguise internet freebies, but I really do own this whole series in hard copy

Why I read it: Partly because I wanted to reread the series, but I read it right now because a tutored read of Phineas Finn has just started and I want to follow that

I was quite surprised at how much of the plot of this novel I'd forgotten, so rereading it had its share of surprises. I liked it a lot - possibly more than the first time around, although, as I commented to Heather above, it is grating to read about bright young women who could only choose to marry, and not to do anything else. While there may have been a debate going on at the time about women's place in the world, it had a loooong way to go! But I'm pleased to have reread it, and I will endeavour to start Phineas Finn tomorrow and catch up with the tutored chapters so far.

Last night I started the Greg Iles book, which hasn't grabbed me so far, but maybe I should read past 7% of it. Today I've started The Quick, which again is taking a while to get into. A series of "Mighty Ships" on the Quest channel is distracting me :-)

The Quick took me a while to get into. It has a rather slow build to the story. Great review of Can You Forgive Her?. I can understand how the TV series Mighty Ships would be distracting..... between the tall ships, the cruise ships and some amazing yachts that show up either in the Inner Harbor or at Shoal Point at the opening to the harbour, I have grown quite fascinated with boats of all shapes and sizes.

>154 susanj67: I'm glad to hear that you've come through the storms unscathed! Lots of rain here, but no problems. I need to read Trollope one day. So many people here on LT are such his fans of his, I'm obviously missing something special. The Quick is on my list, too. Soon. I'm looking forward to hearing your final opinion!

>155 lkernagh: Lori, I agree about it taking a while to get into. The first 200 pages were a bit of a slog, but it started to come together after that. The Mighty Ships I like best are the ones digging out harbours, carrying freight to dangerous places and last night one ship had been turned into something else entirely and was on its way to an oilfield in Brazil to be part of that installation, taking in oil from the platforms and putting it into tankers. It's amazing the precision engineering that goes on in these projects and the people from all over the world working on them. Very few women, though :-(

>156 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, we are still just humid rather than stormy, but very humid! I almost miss my air-coditioned office (almost!).

Today was probably not the best day to spend the morning baking, but I opened the kitchen balcony door to get a bit of through-breeze, and that made things a bit better. I made hokey pokey biscuits (a traditional NZ favourite) and then cheese scones, to finish up some cheese, and then granola, which is much easier to mix evenly in the beater than by hand. I was watching a Kenwood Chef demonstration on one of the shopping channels a few weeks ago (it was the upscale model of the basic one that I bought before Christmas) and they'd made *scones*, explaining that the "K" beater did the equivalent of rubbing the butter into the flour. I had no idea it could do that! But I tried it this morning and it worked perfectly. I love scones. I see many more scones in my future. Rubbing in butter is a nightmare for my arms so I tend to avoid it.



88. The Quick by Lauren Owen

Where I got it: Library
Why I read it: I read Lori's great review, and the other LTers saying they'd liked it, and then I saw it sitting at the library all brand new and unborrowed

This is the author's first novel, which explains why I'd never heard of her before. And yes, it's about v*mp*res, but not glittery ones beloved of sulky teenage girls. It's much darker than that, and set in Victorian London, so at a distance in time as well a subject, if that makes sense. It does take a bit of getting into but after about 200 pages it starts to come together, and disparate stories start to make sense. I found it a bit hard to keep track of the names, and in particular I don't think it was wise to have a "Eustace" and an "Edmund", but I read it over the weekend so it wasn't too bad on that front. Overall I thought it was well done and I will look for the next one when it comes out, as it ends in such a way that I'm sure a second book is intended. The UK copy has glowing quotes from Hilary Mantel and Kate Atkinson on the cover, which surprised me a bit for a debut novel, but maybe it's going to be the Next Big Thing. And now I've read it and I will know what everyone's talking about. Thanks for the recommendation, Lori!

>149 susanj67: I am just as frustrated this time round by the choices available for Alice and Glencora being "Man A" or "Man B" and nothing else

Yes! I did enjoy Mrs Greenow's scenes providing comic relief. I feel very lucky to have been born now...

>157 susanj67: The Quick is very high on my library list. Just need to read the library books I've already borrowed.

Hi Susan! Finally got caught up with you. Those giant door stopper books sure do cut into my LT time and I am terribly behind.

I love that you can bake in July. My oven is pretty much on vacation from early June to mid-September every year because I hate the amount of heat it throws off. (No AC here - a combination of hating the noise and look of window units and being waaaaay too cheap to pay for it!)

Regarding Jail - in my neck of the woods (and I am more involved with the whole jail thing these days on account of my afternoon job) the jail here is referred to as the House of Corrections. Sounds so 19th century, don't you think? Curiously, the HoC that is a couple of blocks away from where I work is the oldest one in use in the country. It is the very same one that housed Lizzie Borden way back when.

*Whew!* Glad to see The Quick was a good read!

>158 souloftherose: Heather, I know what you mean about being born now. I am very glad I didn't appear earlier!

>159 Fourpawz2: Hi Charlotte! I could only bake yesterday because I had the door open - with no through-draft it would have been unbearable. My kitchen and living room get a lot of sun, which usually works well as there isn't very much, but poses a difficulty on the half-dozen really hot days we get! I love the sound of the House of Corrections - what a very Puritan name! And how amazing to work near the oldest one in the country. How are things on the job front?

>160 lkernagh: Lori, yes, you win the bet :-)

I am feeling a bit novel-ed out now, though, so I'm going to restrict the novels to Phineas Finn for the time being, and get back to my non-fiction. Over the weekend I started A People's History of the American Revolution but this morning at the library I found Empire's Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day, which I added to my library wishlist just a couple of weeks ago after seeing it revewed. Woo-hoo! And it has a gorgeous cover, part of which is a map, with the island of "Espanola" on it. Regular readers may remember how intrigued I was to hear the name Hispaniola used in US weather forecasts last year. It's like this is my perfect book!

My sit/stand desk has arrived, but sadly the sitting/standing function doesn't seem to work. Sigh. A fuse is being tested, but if that's not the problem then I will be sitting for another week or more as they only instal them at the weekends. Still, my desk has been changed around so that I am now facing the door (with the screen in front of me) which I much prefer to sitting side-on. I might do some standing at the bookcase as an interim measure, although the idea is to be able to type standing up.

Hi Susan, that book on the history of the Caribbean sounds most intriguing. I am currently reading a novel about Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Calico Jack Rackham, three notorious pirates that plied those waters. Having recently been kicked out of a cleaned up Nassau, they are now making Espanola their headquarters. Sounds like the non-fiction book would make a perfect companion to the one I am reading!

>157 susanj67: Hmmmm - I'm cagey about vampires these days... but that sort of sounds worth a go. But you don't sound 'quite' convinced. Maybe I'll play the 'if I see it I'll get it game' :)

Sorry to see the sit/stand desk doesn't seem to be working properly. I am classified as a mobile worker which means I don't have an assigned work area so there are days when I work at a stationary desk and days (or times during the day) when I stand at one of the sit/stand desks. I prefer standing when on conference calls (and luckily all of our 'privacy' rooms are equipped with sit/stand desks) but if I have to spend long periods of time typing, I still prefer sitting to do that. Here is hoping they fix your new desk soon!

>162 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I think it would indeed be perfect! I read the first two chapters last night and it's excellent.

>163 BekkaJo: Bekka, I think that's a good plan. I wondered whether vampires had been "done" now (after Twilight) but it seems not.

>164 lkernagh: Lori, it worked in the end. Neither I nor the chap from Facilities could make the controller work, but it turned out we were doing it wrong. D'oh! After a bit of rearranging of computer equipment so cables wouldn't pull out when it was raised, I was standing up for part of the afternoon until my roomie told me to sit down again or my knees would have given up by Thursday. I was tempted to keep standing because I felt fine, but did as I was told. She typically gets in an hour later than me, though, so I am going to have an hour of unseen standing shortly :-) I've also got a wireless headset for the phone, which will be useful for long calls. I don't have that many as a rule, but I was working on something a couple of years ago when I was constantly on the phone, including a couple of times for a whole DAY (committee drafting, with everyone else half a world away. Joy). Those times I plugged earphones into my BlackBerry and did the calls that way, but the headset will work out cheaper for the firm! Plus, you know, I feel like Madonna.

I feel a bit blurry today as I am wearing an old pair of glasses while I wait for new lenses for my current ones and a pair of prescription sunglasses I've had for years. My current frames are still on display at the optician, so I haven't gone out of style yet! It's going to take ten working days though, which is a bit of a pain. But at least they didn't try and pressure-sell new frames, like my former opticians.

>165 susanj67: My insurance will only cover new frames every 2 years so I'll have to get by with old glasses or pay for new frames myself if my prescription changes when I go back in a month or two.

>166 thornton37814: Lori, I'd love to have insurance that covered glasses at all! In the UK some people are entitled to glasses paid for (or part paid-for) by the National Health Service, but I think you have to be on welfare to qualify. Everyone else just pays up, as most health insurance policies here will generally only cover the diagnosis of "acute" conditions, which wouldn't cover routine eyesight tests or glasses (but would cover a drastic change in sight, eye injury etc). Additionally, some employers have to contribute to the cost if people work all the time at computer screens. Frames can be wickedly expensive, though, which is why I'm "recycling" the two I have, as I like them both.

>167 susanj67: This is a separate optional vision policy that my employer offers. It's not terribly expensive, but I did the math before choosing it. It was worth the monthly premium.

I'm so glad that you managed to get the new desk fixed! It sounds as though you're enjoying it.

>168 thornton37814: Lori, I'd love that option!

>169 Dejah_Thoris: Dejah, the new desk is going really well. It's quite remarkable how much better I feel already. I read yesterday that they should be used with an anti-fatigue mat to avoid pain in the feet and legs, so I ordered one from Amazon and it has just been delivered to my work, but we can't pick up personal post until 11am, so in the meantime I am standing on a large bubble envelope folded in half :-) Even my roomie says she is feeling better because me raising my desk reminds her to do hers instead of sitting all day.

I'm seven chapters into the book about the Caribbean now, which continues to be excellent, and I hope to finish it this weekend. In order to get the desk mat delivered fast and free I signed up for a trial of Amazon Prime, which in the UK gives me access to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library and also the Prime Instant Video, but there doesn't seem to be that much of interest in either one so I don't think binge-watching of box-sets is going to take up my weekend. I must remember to cancel it in good time.

I saw in the paper that Amazon in the US has started a service like Spotify for Kindle books, where a $9.99 monthly fee gets you as many books to read as you want, but over here they would have to have much better books than they have in their Kindle Owners' Lending Library for it to be of any interest to me!

>170 susanj67: This 9.99 Kindle service seems a little too good to be true. We shall see. I am not signing up. I'll wait for feedback.

Don't know where I read it above, but have to ask -- what are Hokey-pokey biscuits? Care to share a recipe?

I'm another one waiting for the reviews to come in on the Amazon K$9.99 monthly deal..

Happy Friday!

>170 susanj67: Suzanne (chatterbox) wrote an article about the new kindle offering in the US and it seems like there aren't many books from the big publishers at the moment.

>171 luvamystery65: Roberta, I suppose at least it's unlimited. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library allows me one book per month!

>172 michigantrumpet: Marianne, hokey-pokey is sometimes called honeycomb, or honeycomb toffee, and it's big in NZ. Here's the recipe for the biscuits (cookies) from the Edmonds Cookbook, a famous NZ staple that's found in nearly every kitchen. It's in imperial measurements because it's from my mother's edition of the book, which was published in the 1960s:

4 oz butter
2 oz sugar
1 dessertspoon milk
1 dessertspoon Golden Syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 breakfastcup flour {6 oz, according to the internet}

Cream the butter and sugar. Warm the milk and the syrup and add the baking soda. {Stir it together and it will bubble up}. Pour bubbly mixture into the butter and sugar, then add the flour. Roll into balls. Press with a fork. Bake on greased trays 15 to 20 minutes at 350F.

{The recipe makes about 16 biscuits, and they do spread, so leave plenty of room between them on the baking tray.}

>173 souloftherose: Thanks Heather - that's a really interesting article. It sounds much like the Lending Library - pretty woeful! I won't be signing up while I have the library over the road :-)



89. Empire's Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day by Carrie Gibson

Where I got it: Library
Where I read it: I saw a good review of it recently

This is an excellent read, and adds to the usual slavery-history of the Caribbean by going right up to the present day, and looking at what happened after slavery was over, and after many of the islands gained independence. The author has a lovely writing style, and has obviously researched it very thoroughly. I read it more quickly than I thought I would, because it was just so readable.

The hard copy has some excellent maps at the front, which I found useful, so I'm not sure I'd recommend this for the Kindle, unless you're familiar with the area and know where everything is. But even then there's a map from 1760, which is quite different from the modern one, and a map of Columbus's four voyages, and I found it easiest just to flip back and forth.

One of yesterday's Kindle Daily Deals was able to be borrowed by Prime members, so I have my first Prime book. That will be my next read, as amazingly I have found another one I want to read before the free trial is over. I can borrow that from 1 August...

I was going to go exploring today, but it is too hot, so I have all the doors open and I'm having a reading day (for a change!). I baked this morning before it got hot, but I think the afternoon will be perfect for starting my next book.

Interesting recipe -- I'm assuming this all converts to US yea spoons and tablespoons? Looks a bit like a recipe for lace cookies I've seen. Don't think I've ever purchased Gold Syrup in my life. Do you think dark corn syrup would work?

>175 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I think it would convert. A NZ teaspoon is now 5 ml in metric, if you have a set of spoons with both measurements for comparison, and a tablespoon is 15 ml, which I think is the same as the US (Australia is different). A dessertspoon is apparently 11.84 ml!

As for the Golden Syrup, I had a look for "golden syrup substitutes" and corn syrup came up as a possibility, but I don't think it would taste the same (I have never tasted corn syrup but Golden Syrup is made from sugar cane or sugar beet). Golden Syrup is a "pale treacle", if that's any help. And black treacle is molasses. So maybe molasses would be a better bet? But still not the same.

I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for Golden Syrup, then. Once I use my dessertspoon's worth of it for the cookies, what else is it used for? ;-)

It's used in gingerbread here (in rather greater quantities! - I will post my mother's recipe later as I have just shut down down the laptop) and I love it on pancake stacks in place of maple syrup, which costs a fortune here and which I don't really like anyway...

And here I live in the land of maple syrup! Quite partial to my grandmother's gingerbread, but always open to new adventures. My family always served it with a lemon sauce over top. Have you ever tried it that way?

Golden syrup forms part of my extra special cornflake cake recipe.
Or pour it on icecream. That and it tastes great when you have to lick to spoon clean.

I like maple syrup, but not on stuff, I like it best as milkshake.

Golden Syrup... *drool*

On toast. Brown toast with butter. Die happy.

Or on crumpets so that it oozes out all the holes

*syrup faint*

>179 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I've never tried it with lemon sauce. I just eat it plain, or sometimes warmed up a bit, with custard, for dessert.

>180 Helenliz: Helen, cornflake cake? I'd love to know more!

>181 BekkaJo: Bekka, lol :-) Yes, crumpets! Also pikelets, but I suppose that's close to (American) pancakes. I've never tried it on toast!

Here is the gingerbread recipe that my mother used to make, and which I still do. It's written into her recipe book so I have no idea where it came from.

*****

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 teaspoons ground ginger
Three-quarters of a cup of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup Golden Syrup
8 oz melted butter

Sift the flour, baking power, baking soda, ginger and salt into a bowl. Add the sugar. Mix the beaten eggs, milk and Golden Syrup into the dry ingredients. Beat well. Add the melted butter and beat again until well mixed. The mixture will be very sloppy. Bake in an 8-inch square tin for 45 minutes at 350F. (A note under this says "usually needs 55 minutes").

*****

I halve this recipe and put it into six large muffin cases, and that works perfectly. Check at about 20 minutes to see how they're going. I've also made it in a loaf tin, which again works well if you like slices of it rather than muffin shapes.

Your mother's gingerbread recipe makes me wish I was a baker, Susan : ).

The book falls open at this page on its own now.
Cornflake cakes.
4 oz dark choc (proper, 75% type stuff)
2 tbsp golden syrup (big ones!)
2 oz butter
2.5 to 3 oz cornflakes.

Melt ingredients 1, 2, & 3 in a bowl over a barely simmering saucepan of water & stir together.
Pour over & stir in ingredient 4. Mix. Divide into fairy cake cases (should make 9 to 12, depending on how generous you are) & chill until set.
Eat - preferably not the whole lot at once.

The trick is the chocolate. Use really good, high cocoa chocolate & they're divine. To add a bit of a twist, I've had really good results using things like Maya Gold (Green & Black's orange flavoured chocolate).

You can add raisins or hazelnuts or anything else that goes well with chocolate. Just knock back the cornflakes by ~ 1 oz and use ~ 1 oz of what ever you want to add.

*drools all over Susan's thread*

See this is why I gave up chocolate and banned syrup from the house.

>183 lit_chick: Nancy, it's very easy! I grew up watching her, and eventually I was allowed to help.

>184 Helenliz: Helen - goodness, those look quite wicked (in a good way). Thanks for the recipe. We used to have a similar sort of thing (without the quality ingredients) at birthday parties, called Chocolate Crackles, which were made with rice bubbles, cocoa and something called Kremelta, which must have been some sort of fat. Ah, looking it up I see it was cocoa fat. Healthy living had yet to make it to NZ in the 70s :-)

>185 BekkaJo: Bekka, you *banned* syrup? Do you have any left that you haven't quite thrown out? :-) M&S now do giant squeezy bottles of it, which is better than the tins. But not as much spoon-licking required...



90. Peace and War: Britain in 1914 by Nigel Jones

Where I got it: Kindle Owners' Lending Library
Why I read it: It was a Kindle Daily Deal a couple of days ago, but also able to be borrowed with my new trial Prime membership so I thought I'd see how that worked.

This is an interesting look at Britain in 1914, and how certain issues (like the suffragette campaign) had developed up to that point. I'm not sure it had anything very different in it from all the other similar books published for the centenary, but there were quite a lot of pictures in among the text and those were good. I've returned it now, and I'm waiting for my 1 August to borrow my next one, which is going to be Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams, if it's not too hard.

Last night I was watching an episode of Mighty Ships, about a bulk carrier icebreaker going from Quebec to somewhere in Labrador. The captain explained that he and most of the crew were from Newfoundland, which was good because they could all understand the accent. I wasn't quite sure what he meant until the crew spoke longer sentences, and oh my goodness! What IS that accent?! It sounds quite Irish in parts, and then...not. Very different from the Canadian accent that I think of as typical of Canada. I must look up who colonised Newfoundland. A lot of the crew members had dark hair and blue eyes, which is a lovely combination, and that's quite an Irish thing.

Yup - syrup is banned unless we are making ginger bread. Though this afternoon I am to be baking with each kid. Will picked Fudge and Banana muffins and Cass picked cinnamon bread rolls.

Screw you diet!

>186 susanj67: - What IS that accent?! LOL! The accent of Newfoundlander is unique, that's for sure. Wikipedia to the rescue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_English

>187 BekkaJo: Bekka, the muffins sound excellent! I made ginger kisses, which were a lunchbox staple when I was a kid. Nostalgia...

>188 lkernagh: Lori, that link was superb! I read it all, and I even clicked links. I was right about the Irish then, but it seems there's a lot more to it than that. I think I'm going to adopt "Oh me nerves" as my new expression of annoyance :-) It's always interesting to see regional accents from the "old country/ies" still in use overseas, particularly when I compare them to New Zealand, which has an accent all of its own (save for the sound of "r" in the South Island, which apparently has a Scottish influence). I wonder how and why it changed so much when places like Newfoundland kept more of the original accents. Maybe because it was more isolated, but that can't be the only reason.

I'm halfway through A People's History of the American Revolution now, which is excellent, although it is premised on being the story of the "common people" rather than the "official" history of the Revolution, and of course I don't really know the official version, so I'm not reading it thinking how different it is from what I learned at school, as I suspect US readers might.

>161 susanj67: I'm busy. I've pretty much got all of the technology from job number 1 under control and I'm doing things, real estate closing-wise, that I've not done before. It being the end of the month they are kind of snowed under, so I volunteered to come back after I was done with job number 2 today to help out. So today I worked an extra hour and a half, which is good.

>174 susanj67: - those hokey pokey biscuits sound like the Lace Cookies I used to make a thousand years ago. I remember them as being extremely thin, crunchy, sweet and buttery. I'll have to search out the recipe and see how they compare. You are a better person than I, Susan. In the summer I behave as though I do not even know how an oven works. Doesn't make any difference how cool it might be in the early AM - I won't bake before Labor Day.

>161 susanj67: Charlotte, that sounds great about work. Are they still planning to move? Maybe not now they're busy and you've been so helpful about overtime! Something went slightly wrong with the hokey pokey biscuits on the weekend - I'm not entirely sure what, but they taste OK. They just look...different. I made some ginger kisses as well, which were a lunchbox staple.

In other news, I am making a foray into summery print tops for the office, which is not like me at all. I am a solid colours sort of person as I've always thought that prints would look too fussy for someone my height. But they are everywhere (butterflies are the big "thing" at the moment) and I have bought three things. One of them was on the front of a catalogue that was posted to me for no reason I can work out, but it just shows that advertising pays off! I am even considering buying a dress of some sort. And twice I have ditched my favourite "nearly black" shade of tights for a neutral colour. Startling.



91. A People's History of the American Revolution by Raphael Ray

Where I got it: Amazon marketplace
Why I read it: It was one of the recommended texts for the Harvard lectures on the American Revolution that I watched earlier in the year

The author tells the story of the Revolution from different points of view to those who (he says) make up the "official" history of what happened - women, Native Americans, African Americans, loyalists and so on. It was a very good read, although, as I said above, some of the "wow" factor was no doubt lost on me because I don't know the traditional history told from the point of view of the winners. But I still thought it was good, and I learned a lot.

Now I'm reading Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem, which looks not just at Columbus going to the "New World" but at *why* he want. He wanted to find the Indies not just for the sake of finding them, or just for the sake of the riches that he thought were there. He wanted the wealth to help fight for the return of Jerusalem to the Christians, who didn't control it at that time. The fact that Constantinople had fallen to Muslim invaders just a couple of years after he was born meant that European Christians were starting to think that the end of days might be upon them. I'm not very far into it so far, but it's a very interesting premise and I'm looking forward to reading more.

"Startling."

You crack me up, Susan!

I think I am channeling you today, in my black trousers, grey top and black jacket :)

I'm still digging around, looking for a pork loin recipe that includes mustard and maple syrup. Raves every time. I'll be bereft if I've lost it after all these years.

re: solid colors. At work, I tend toward mostly solid colors, but will 'brighten' things up with jewelry or a scarf. I've a lovely back/white patterned jacket that seems to work all right. I'm just a smidge over 5' tall and I tend to stay fairly monochrome.

>189 susanj67: All the fudge sank :( They were still good though.

Hope the wardrobe experimentation is going well ;)

Yay for branching out in the fashion department and venturing into prints! For work I will wear anything from solids to coordinates to vivid prints - of course, a more business look is chosen when I have outside meetings to attend - but for the most part I scrutinize my office wardrobe from a skirt/neckline perspective and no sheer fabrics. It always astounds me the inappropriate office outfits I see.... either it looks like the individual just came in from working in the garden and decided to not change first or they have a 'hot' date planned after work. As for tights.... I haven't worn nylons/tights since our May long weekend and don't plan on putting those darn things on again until mid-September! ;-)

>192 katiekrug: Katie, all those black garments do sound like me :-)

>193 michigantrumpet: Marianne, I think my problem is that I'm stuck in a rut. I don't even make a conscious choice to wear things any more - I just put them on and go to work. I'd like to make a bit more of an effort. My new roomie wears a lot of colour and pattern, although, as she is Indian, she has the colouring to wear brights successfully which is something I couldn't do.

>194 BekkaJo: Bekka, even sunken fudge is still fudge :-) I nearly wore one of the new tops today, but once again I seem to be in head to to black...Tomorrow I am going to Westfield for a skirt and something that isn't black. And maybe a black cardi to go over the tops, but one of those "open" ones without buttons, so I can't be tempted to button it up and hide.

>195 lkernagh: Lori, I know what you mean about the inappropriate outfits. I was sorely tempted once to tell a young woman in the lift that she seemed to have forgotten her skirt. And then there are the tops cut right down to goodness knows where. I saw a long straight black skirt on the website of one of the local shops recently, but I couldn't see it in store. I asked about it and the assistant said they had them out the back. Later I commented to my roomie that surely that sort of skirt would be popular in this area, (where there are 100,000 people supposed to be in business dress) but she asked me when I had EVER seen a mid-calf-length skirt on any woman out here, and she had a point. She is just as conservative as I am, despite being 20 years younger, so now we collect inappropriate outfit stories and share :-)

One of my reserves has shown up, so I went to pick it up at lunchtime. It is Jambusters, about the history of the Women's Institute during WWII. I also saw Think Like a Freak, so I got that too as it appears to be *brand new*! And as it is now 1 August I can borrow anther Kindle book before I cancel my trial Prime membership. A busy few days looms!

Our new trainee seems to have a penchant for pretty see through shirts. Sigh. I feel a conversation coming on...

>197 BekkaJo: Oh dear...Maybe camisoles would solve the problem? (2 for £8 at M&S...). Or a nice vest :-)

She's all of 22 - methinks a conversation! Luckily I'm not 'technically' her manager since she's mostly accounts! yay! We have another who's dresses are SO short - luckily she's v skinny and wears inch thick black tights even in this heat - it's pretty much like she's wearing leggings, so she's gotten away so far.

It is insane that people don't seriously look at themselves first and have a thought...

I'm a "summer" and so can't wear black, at least not up around my face. Dark navy blue is my neutral. What's your coloring, Susan? Warm or cool colors, bright or muted? That's the essence of the "season" classifications--I'm cool colors, muted. Those colors really bring out my natural coloring and enhance ME, not the clothes getting attention for themselves. Black is a great color for Winters--cool colors, bold--but for every season, there are beautiful colors to feel comfortable with. http://www.colormebeautiful.com/seasons/

Since I'm retired, blue jeans are my go to bottoms (and shorts and capris) usually with a patterned tee. It seems like I always get stains on my solid tees.

>200 ronincats: I've seen a version of the seasons classification that allows you to combine aspects of more than one season. I'd always thought of myself as a Winter--I look good in black, dark teal, deep reds and burgundies, etc.--but I can't wear the Winter pastels and feel like I look just as good in the darker Autumn colors like dark brown, olive green, and burnt orange (but ONLY burnt--peachy, rosy, neon, or just plain orange are right out). I can't remember where it was anymore, but this other version of seasons classified me as a "Deep Autumn," since I feel equally at home in the darker shades of both Autumn and Winter. Which I guess makes me a November...which is my least favorite month! :-/

>199 BekkaJo: Bekka, maybe "That's such a pretty top. But I think the dress code would say it should have a camisole underneath it", which is then blaming the unreasonable people who wrote the dress code, and casting you as a friendly colleague who doesn't want her to get into trouble. Or am I just evil? My mother would never have let me out of the house looking like that, even had I wanted to! Even at 22!

>200 ronincats: Roni, I'd say I'm a "summer" too, and I know I shouldn't wear so much black, but it is a very popular colour here. In NZ I used to wear navy. Maybe I should start to ease back into it. It's interesting that you're also a summer, because a lot of your pottery has what I would describe as "summer-coloured" glazes (the cool blues and greens - I love them) so maybe you don't just pick those colours for clothes and makeup, but for glazes as well!

>201 susanna.fraser: Susanna, isn't it confusing? I remember when Colour Me Beautiful first came out (or made it to NZ, anyway) and there was a lot of "going to get your colours done". My mother and I had the book and did our own as best we could. It was quite a mania for a while.

I'll report on my shopping trip tomorrow if I go!

Susanna, yes, this site has developed that further analysis--http://www.prettyyourworld.com/colortheory.html

I'm a pretty classic summer, so really haven't gone further with it. I loved it because summer colors really do work for me. It meant when I went shopping, not only could I zero in only on my colors, but I wouldn't get caught out buying an outfit because IT looked fun or great that wouldn't look good on ME.

Susan, I just thought that if you were going to branch out in colors from the black, it might be easier if you focused on your season's colors. And yes, I think my preferences match my season overall.

>203 ronincats: Yeah, that's the site! I was just happy to be affirmed in my desire to wear all those pretty chocolate browns and burnt oranges. There's definitely a high overlap between colors I like on anything--cars, house paint colors, etc.--and colors I find flattering to my dark hair, dark eyes, pale olive skin combination. :-)

>202 susanj67: That book was like a mini-cult in my community circa 1983 or so. Since I was 12 then, I very much imprinted on shopping Winter colors and only Winter colors just when I was starting to care about my clothes.

>203 ronincats: Roni, yes, I definitely need to keep them in mind! There is a little green long-sleeved t-shirt top in my wardrobe that was an impulse buy and is far too "spring" for me. I only wear it under things that cover it right up. I'm usually pretty good at going for the cool blues and lilacs and purples but only a teeny sliver is ever seen above the black :-)

>204 susanna.fraser: Susanna, I always wanted to be a winter :-) I remember one season in NZ "the" colours were red, white and black. That was about it in the fabric shops and the clothes shops - terrible!

My new-favourite-programme, "Dog Patrol", a NZ reality show called Dog Squad over there, has just finished. So sad :-( The channel is now showing "Border Security: Canada's Front Line" so I have watched some episodes of that (it's on when I get home, and is fun to watch over dinner). There are some dogs, but not enough. Also, they don't seem to get rolled-up tea towels to play with when they identify contraband. But Canada has the land border, of course, which is different from NZ, so they show the land border officers as well as the people at the airport and the mail centre. People do crazy things! Last night a guy was moving from Texas, and had declared *some* of his guns, but not the vast collection of stuffed trophy animals in the back of his van. "There are antlers everywhere," one of the guys said to his colleague, which immediately reminded me of Mamie's house movers and their comment "Ma'am, there are books everywhere." In the end most of the guns were confiscated until some future date, but the trophies made it to their new home. Tonight they subtitled a British person at the airport, which was very funny :-)

I think now it's time for some more of my Christopher Columbus book.

Tonight they subtitled a British person at the airport

Seriously!? Okay, I probably shouldn't laugh with you, but that is pretty funny. It reminds me of a former work colleague a number of years ago who wanted an 'interpreter' on some conference calls because he couldn't understand the Glaswegian accent of the UK project partner. We won't go into the fact that my work colleague was from Germany and had a rather strong Bavarian accent a number of people had difficulties understanding..... ;-)

>206 lkernagh: The year I lived in England (in Bristol), the only two people I struggled to understand were from Yorkshire and Glasgow. I admitted to an English friend that I felt guilty for only understand about half of what Tony from Yorkshire said, and he said that he couldn't do much better.

The accent that gives me trouble is Liverpool.

>207 susanna.fraser: & >208 cbl_tn: - As terrible as I am at learning a foreign language, I have always had a fascination with accents and can usually suss out what is being communicated. Scottish accents are easy for me, probably in part because my other half is a transplanted Glaswegian. Sadly, his accent has toned down over the years and become more 'North American'. *sighs*

>206 lkernagh: Lori, a few years ago here the BBC made a programme called "Trawlermen", a reality show on the fishing boats in Scotland. There were quite a few complaints when they subtitled that :-) They said they did it because of the noise of the wind and all the equipment, but I'm not sure anyone believed it.

>207 susanna.fraser: Susanna, a friend from NZ did a postgraduate diploma in Glasgow and spent most of the year just nodding and smiling :-)

>208 cbl_tn: Carrie, that was the hardest one for me when I arrived too, mostly because the accent hadn't featured in any of the TV programmes we got in NZ. I had no idea what it was.

>209 lkernagh: Lori, I'm fascinated by accents too and, as I mentioned in the Newfoundland discussion, at how some travel and "stick" while others evolve into something quite different.

The shopping today produced:

One scarf in the same print as the blouse I bought on Wednesday, because I love it so much
A gorgeous "popover" shirt in white cotton with purple embroidery (not for the office) - it reminds me of a stitched sampler
A draped-collar black cardigan from Banana Republic, which has no buttons (no buttons - eeeeeeeeeeeee!).

I had no luck with black skirts, but maybe it isn't really the time for them. The shops are just finishing their sales and getting new stuff in, so I'll keep an eye out.

And now I think it's time for a new thread...