Streamsong #3 - Oasis of Books

Hi - and welcome to my new thread.

If you haven't been here before, I'm Janet, a technician in an NIH research lab in western Montana, which is an absolutely beautiful part of the country.

I'll probably read about 104 books this year - two per week. My weakness is that ***ALL*** the challenges looks good. I am also very suggestible - if you are enthusiastic about something you are reading, I'm liable to give it a try.

CURRENTLY READING:



- The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien - 1990 - GeoCat: SE Asia (Vietnam); 1001; Global Reading; ROOT 2014 = 2 ROOT points - listening to audio
- Anarchy and Old Dogs - Colin Cotterill - 2007 - Halloween Read - murder, ghosts; Geocat: Southeast Asia (Laos); ROOT 2014 = 2 ROOT poings
- Make Someone Happy - Elizabeth Berg - 2016 - purch 2016
- The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy: One Book to Rule Them All - Gregory Bassham - 2003; Non-Fiction Challenge: Philosophy; TIOLI # 10. Read a book that has a "ruling" word in the title or author's name; ROOT acquired pre 2006 =
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life - Walter Isaacson - 2003 - Real Life Book Club
- The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East - Sandy Tolan - 2006 - Real Life Bookclub - Reread
- Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo - Hayden Herrera - 1983 - Nonfiction Challenge: Arts; GeoCat Challenge - North America; ROOT 2014 - 2 ROOT points

COMPLETED BUT NOT REVIEWED:

- The Manticore - Robertson Davies - 1972 TIOLI # 18. Read a book in which a character is a mental health professional; library
- Yes, Chef - Marcus Samluelsson - 2013 - TIOLI #16. Read a book in which the main character is away from home; audiobook, library
- Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx - 1997 - June AAC: TIOLI #12. Read a book where one or more words in the title have either a good or bad undertone
- The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells - 1897 - July BAC; 1001 Books to Read Before You Die; TIOLI # ; audio from library
- Life on Mars: Poems - Tracy K. Smith - Monthly poetry read; Pulitzer Prize Winner; library
- Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders - Mary Pipher - 1999 - May Mental Health read; ROOT#20/50; 2013 = 3 ROOT points - 62/225
- Cannery Row - John Steinbeck - 1945 - July AAC; 1001, TIOLI #9. Read a book which fits into one of the group challenges (as found on the 75ers wiki) - library
- On the Move: A Life - Oliver Sacks - 2015 - library, audiobook
- The Dance of Anger - Harriet Lerner - Library
- The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party - Alexander McCall Smith - 2011 - September Series & Sequels; August Geocat - Southern Africa; TIOLI ##4. Read a book where a word from the list of national parks is part of the title or author’s name; ROOT acq'd 2013 = 3 ROOT points; listened to audio
- The Man In the Wooden Hat - Jane Gardam - 2009 September Series & Sequels; TIOLI #1 - Read a book where a word occurs more than once in the title (THE); library
- The Life of Pi - Yann Martel - 2001 - September Geocat - South Asia (India); Sept TIOLI #15. Read a book which has been nominated for a Booker Prize; ROOT acqd 2015 = 1 ROOT point; audiobook in car
- Casino Royale - Ian Fleming - 1953; September Series & Sequels; 1001; audiobook; library
- Cider With Rosie - Laurie Lee - 1959 - September BAC; 1001; TIOLI ##8: Read a book whose cover has you seeing red; acquired 2015 ROOT = 1 ROOT point
-Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - 1860 - Group Read; 1001; TIOLI #4. Read a book where a word from the list of national parks is part of the title or author’s name; purch 2016
- The Invoice - Jonas Karlsson - 2016 - LTER - Sweden -
- Life After Life - Kate Atkinson - Oct BAC challenge; audiobook; library



September Reads
-

BOOKS READ FIRST QUARTER 2016

Completed in January

1.Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross - Sigrid Undset - 1922 - Women Bingopup #10 - Award Winner;Root #1/50 acquired 2008 = 8/225 ROOT points
2. Thank You, Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse - 1934 - Dec 2015 BAC; January TIOLI #21- Read a book with tea mentioned in the text; 1001; audiobook in the car; library
3. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow - 1975 - Dec 2015 AAC; 1001, library
4. Without You, There is No Us - Suki Kim - 2015 - LTER; 75'ers Non-fiction challenge biography; TIOLI #6. Read a book written by an American author but set primarily anywhere other than America; Women BingoPup #11 - Memoir; ROOT #2/50; acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point 9/225
5. Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality - David Cay Johnson - 2014; Brown Bag Book Club; TIOLI #13. Read a Book where D or U starts a word in the title or an initial of the Author's name; ROOT# 3/50 - acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point - 10/225

Completed in February
6. The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler - 1985 - January AAC: Feb TIOLI #14. Read a book with a "leap" in the title or text.(pg 175 He’d been prepared to leap into action); library
7. Hellhound on His Trail - Hampton Sides - 2010 - TIOLI #15 Read a book for black history month; audiobook; library
8. Fun Home - Alison Bechdel - 2006; TIOLI #10. Read a book with the word 'extraordinary' or a synonym of this word somewhere on the front or back cover (stupendous); graphic novel - library
9. Joe and Azat - Jesse Longergan - 2009 - Geocat Central Asia - Turkmenistan; TIOLI #7. Read a book at least partially set in a country/planet that you’ve never read a book about and/or set in before (shared read); GN, library
10. Hell is Empty - Craig Johnson - 2011; Longmire group read; TIOLI # 11. Read a book that is part of a series that has been (or is about to be) adapted into a television show; audiobook; library
11. The Most Wanted Man in China - Fang Lizhi - LTER; Chatterbox's 75'ers history challenge; Feb TIOLI #19: Read a nonfiction book that's about a people/religion/history/politics/country of the Asian continent; ROOT #4/50; acquired 2014 = 1 ROOT point = 11/225
12. The Art Forger - B. A. Shapiro - 2012 - Real Life Book Club; Feb TIOLI Read a book where a word in the title can be an action (forge); Women Author's Bingo - less than 10 years old; - acquired 2016
13. Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh - 1955; Dewey cat 100's (170.8); TIOLI #12. Read a book written at least 50 years ago; ROOT #5/50; acquired 2008 = 8 ROOT points = 19/225
14. These Heroic, Happy Dead - Luke Mogelson - 2016 - LTER- Geocat - Afghanistan; 18. Read a book with a four-corner-letter-word on page 20 or 16 ROOT #6/50; acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point (20/225)
15. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie - 1925 - Feb BAC; 1001 Books, TIOLI #17. Read a book with a person-possessive title; library

Completed in March
16. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson - 1998- 75'ers non-fiction: travel; TIOLI # 3. Read a book with an embedded word in the title (kin); ROOT# 7/50; acq'd 2008 = 8 ROOT points (28/225)
17. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy - 1891 - March - British Author Challenge; 1001; March TIOLI # Read a book with an embedded word in the title -(soft); ROOT # 8/50; acquired 2012 = 4 ROOT points - 32/225
18. Winter - Marissa Meyer - 2015 - Fantasy February; March TIOLI #2: Read a book you're a bit panicky over (overdue at library); Doorstop Challenge (832 pages);Women Bingo #1 - woman ruler; audiobook in the car - library
19. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - 1868- 3 month long group read; 1001; March TIOLI #Challenge #9: Read a book where the author's first or last name starts with the letter "L" (shared) ROOT #9/50 acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point 33/225
20. Woman in the Mists - Farley Mowat - 1987 - March CAC; Global Reading - Rwanda; March TIOLI # 13. Read a book of ethology or the study of non-human animal behavior; ROOT #10/50 acquired 2011 = 5 ROOT points = 38/225
21. Norwegian By Night - Derek B. Miller - 2012 - Library Brown Bag Book Club; TIOLI #7. Read a book with yellow on the cover; Global Challenge: Norway; acquired 2016
22. Gnostic Gospels - Elaine Pagels - 1979; Dewey Cat : 200 Religion (273.1); ROOT #11/50; acq'd 2012 = 4 ROOT points = 42/225

BOOKS READ SECOND QUARTER 2016

Completed in APRIL
23. SuperFreakonomics - Steven D. Levitt - 2009 - April Dewey Challenge 300-350; ROOT #12/50; acq'd 2015 = 1 ROOT point =43/225; audio in car
24. A Manual for Cleaning Women - Lucia Berlin - 2015 - #11: Read a book that has the word "coffee" in the second chapter - library
25. Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-changing Egg Farm - from Scratch - Lucie B. Amundsen - 2016 - LTER - acquired 2016
26. Late Wife: Poems - Claudia Emerson - 2005 - American Author Challenge- Poetry; Pulitzer Prize Challenge; WomonBingoPup #24 - Poetry or Plays; library
27. A Wreath for Emmett Till - Marilyn Nelson - 2005 - AAC - poetry; library
28. Silas Marner - George Eliot -1861 - BAC, 1001, TIOLI #21. Read a book written by an author who wrote mostly using a pseudonym; WomenBingoPup - Male Pseudonym; online Project Gutenberg
29. As the Crow Flies - Craig Johnson - 2012 - Longmire Group Read TIOLI # 2 #2: Read a book of that starts with the letters from APRIL - audio - library
30. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies - 1970 - 1001; January CAC; TIOLI #16. Read a book by one of the eight authors featured so far on the Canadian Author Challenge; library
31. Billy Collins Live - Billy Collins - 2005 - AAC Poetry month; audiobook in the car; acquired 2016
32. The Fixer: A Story from Sarajevo - Joe Sacco - 2003 - GN - Global Reading List: Bosnia and Herzegovina; library
33. Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid - 1985 - 1001 Books; Global Reading List: Antigua; Geocat: island; library
34. The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway - 2008 - Library Brown Bag Book Club; Reread; (ROOT # 13/50- 2011 = 5 points -48/225)
35. Proof of Heaven - Eben Alexander III - 2012 - 75'er's Nonfiction Challenge :religion; TIOLI #14. Read a Book Whose Title Contains a Word or Words With Consecutive Vowels; ROOT #14/50; acq'd 2013 = 3 points = 51/225
36. The Rosie Effect - Graeme Simsion - 2014 -Autism/Asperger's group read; TIOLI #4. Read a book with a flower in the title or the author's name; -audiobook in the car - library
37. Wilderness Tips - Margaret Atwood - 1991 - Canadian Author Challenge; short stories; Women Pup Bingo #13 - By or About a Woman - library
38. All About Love: New Visions - bell hooks - 2000; acquired 2016
39. Heaven is For Real - Todd Burpo - 2010- April Nonfiction Challenge: Religion; April TIOLI - a book that you have seen the movie; ROOT #15/50 - acquired 2013 = 3 ROOT points

COMPLETED IN MAY
40. A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard - 2011 - DeweyCat Challenge: 355 - 399: military science, social services, criminology, education, commerce, transportation, customs, etiquette, and folklore; ROOT #16/50, acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point = 52/225; audio
41. Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station - Dorothy Gilman - 1983 - May Murder and Mayhem; TIOLI #12. Read a book containing Murder & Mayhem starting with the first letters of Murders and Mayhem; ROOT #17/50 - 2012 =4 ROOT points 56/225
42. Lab Girl - Hope Jahren - 2016 - May Mental Health Awareness month - TIOLI #6: Read a book that has something to do with spring cleaning; library
43. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo - 2014 -TIOLI #6: Read a book that has something to do with spring cleaning; library
44. Work Song - Ivan Doig - 2010 - May American Author Challenge; TIOLI #5 - Scrabble Challenge; library; audiobook
45. Not Becoming My Mother - Ruth Reichl - 2009 - acquired 2016 - audiobook
46. Cutting a Dash (Eats, Shoots & Leaves) (Radio Collection) - Lynne Truss - 2004 - June Dewey Challenge (400's) - audiobook - library
47. Old Filth - Jane Gardam - 2004 - May British Author Challenge; TIOLI #6: Read a book that has something to do with spring cleaning (shared read);Women's BingoPup; 20. Author Over Sixty Years Old; ROOT #18/50 2014 = 2 ROOT points (58/225)

COMPLETED IN JUNE
48. The Serpent's Tooth - Craig Johnson - 2013 - Longmire group read; June TIOLI #7. Read a book with something in the title that makes you go "Oh, no!" ; audiobook; library
49. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel - May Canadian Author Challenge; June TIOLI #6. Read a book where the author's first or last name begins with a letter that is one of your father's initials; library
50. Animal Farm - George Orwell - 1945 - Real Life Book Club; Reread; ROOT; Rereads =1 ROOT point
51. Contact - Carl Sagan - 1985 - 1001 - June TIOLI #5Read a book that has a word or phrase on page 70 that refers to some aspect of marijuana (Holy Shit!); library
52. Library Wars Love & War Vol 1 - Kiiro Yumi - 2010 (2008 Japan); Manga, TIOLI #16: Read a YA or children's book by an author who doesn't share your nationality; Women authors Bingo:#15 - set in Latin America or Asia; Global Challenge - Japan; library
53. Last Bus to Wisdom - Ivan Doig - 2015 - May AAC - June TIOLI #11. Just for U challenge - read a book with the letter "U" in the title audiobook - library
54. Street of Eternal Happiness - Rob Schmitz 2016 - TIOLI #1 Read a book read a book with a happy individual (and no other individuals) on the front cover; -LTER
55. The Shipping News - E. Anne Proulx - 1993 - 1001; - June American Author Challenge; Pulitzer Challenge; TIOLI #6: Read a book where the author's first or last name begins with a letter that is one of your father's initials (matched read); library

BOOKS READ IN THIRD QUARTER 2016

COMPLETED IN JULY:

56. The Manticore - Robertson Davies - 1972 TIOLI # 18. Read a book in which a character is a mental health professional; library
57. Yes, Chef - Marcus Samluelsson - 2013 - TIOLI #16. Read a book in which the main character is away from home; audiobook, library
58. Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx - 1997 - June AAC: TIOLI #12. Read a book where one or more words in the title have either a good or bad undertone; audiobook, library
59. The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells - 1897 - July BAC; 1001 Books to Read Before You Die; TIOLI #9: Read a book which fits into one of the group challenges (as found on the 75ers wiki) ; audio from library-
60. Life on Mars: Poems - Tracy K. Smith - 2011 - Monthly poetry read; Pulitzer Prize Winner; TIOLI #14 - Insert Your Book Title in the Blank: On my summer vacation I am going to visit ___; library
61. Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders - Mary Pipher - 1999 - May Mental Health read; ROOT#20/50; 2013 = 3 ROOT points - 62/225
62. The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father- Kao Kalia Yang - 2016 - LTER - Global Reading: Laos; TIOLI#7. Read a book that includes a long trip or voyage;
63. Cannery Row - John Steinbeck - 1945 - July AAC; 1001, TIOLI #9. Read a book which fits into one of the group challenges (as found on the 75ers wiki) - library
64. The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West - 1918 - TIOLI #19. Read a book about or referencing WW1; 1001; acquired 2016
65. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 2 - Kiiro Yumi - 2010 - TIOLI #13. Read a book where the title includes a building or a part of one; library

COMPLETED IN AUGUST

66. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - 2007; July GeoCAT -- Central America and the Caribbean - Dominican Republic; Pulitzer Prize Challenge; 1001;Aug TIOLI # 14. Read a book which has both a preposition and a homophone in the title; ROOT #21/50; acquired 2012 = 4 ROOT points 66/225; listened to audio
67 . Elizabeth Costello - J. M. Coetzee - 2003 - June Geocat: Australia & New Zealand; 1001, TIOLI # 6 Read a bucket list book (1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die); ROOT #22/50; acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point 67/225
68. Atonement - Ian McEwan - 2001 - August BAC; 1001; Aug TIOLI #11. Read any book where a word in the title has one more or 1 less letter than the previous book on the list; audiobook, library
69. Any Other Name - Craig Johnson - 2014 - Longmire Group Read; TIOLI #9. Read a Western; ROOT #23/50; ac'd 2015 - 1 ROOT point = 68/225
70. The Girl With Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee - 2015 - RL Brown Bag Book Club; Global Reading: North Korea; acquired 2016
71. Black Water - Joyce Carol Oates - 1992 - August AAC - TIOLI # 4. Read a book by an author with a unisex given name; 1001 Books to read before you die; library
72. Engineering Eden - Jordan Fisher Smith - 2016; LTER; TIOLI # 13. Read a book which starts with an order; acquired 2016

COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER

73. Jimmy Bluefeather - Kim Heacox - 2015 - TIOLI #11. Read a book about moving house or taking a trip; library
74. On the Move: A Life - Oliver Sacks - 2015 - August Deweycat; August Nonfiction Challenge; September TIOLI # 5. Read a book where the first (non-article) word in the title starts with a vowel; library, audiobook
75. The Dance of Anger - Harriet Lerner - TIOLI ##8: Read a book whose cover has you seeing red; Library
76. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party - Alexander McCall Smith - 2011 - September Series & Sequels; August Geocat - Southern Africa; TIOLI #4. Read a book where a word from the list of national parks is part of the title or author’s name; ROOT #24/50 acq'd 2013 = 3 ROOT points 71/225; listened to audio in car
77. The Man In the Wooden Hat - Jane Gardam - 2009 September Series & Sequels; TIOLI #1 - Read a book where a word occurs more than once in the title (THE); library
78. The Life of Pi - Yann Martel - 2001 - September Geocat - South Asia (India); Sept TIOLI #15. Read a book which has been nominated for a Booker Prize; ROOT #25/50; acqd 2015 = 1 ROOT point = 72/225; audiobook in car
79. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming - 1953; September Series & Sequels; 1001; audiobook; library
80. Cider With Rosie - Laurie Lee - 1959 - September BAC; 1001; TIOLI ##8: Read a book whose cover has you seeing red; acquired 2015 ROOT # 26/50 = 1 ROOT point - 73/225
81. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - 1860 - Group Read; 1001; TIOLI #4. Read a book where a word from the list of national parks is part of the title or author’s name; purch 2016
82. The Invoice - Jonas Karlsson - 2016 - LTER - Global Reading: Sweden; TIOLI #12. Read a book that starts with the beginning letters of LINES - 2016

***THIRD QUARTER***

COMPLETED IN OCTOBER

83.- Life After Life - Kate Atkinson - 2013 - Oct BAC challenge; Oct TIOLI #6. Read a book in which someone experiences an unusual childhood; audiobook; library

FAVORITE BOOKS READ IN 2016

Fiction
- Jimmy Bluefeather - Kim Heacox - 2015
- The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West - 1918
-The Deptford Trilogy - Robertson Davies: Fifth Business, The Manticore
- A Manual for Cleaning Women - Lucia Berlin 2015
- Old Filth - Jane Gardam - 2004
- The Shipping News - Annie Proulx
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz

Nonfiction:
- Lab Girl - Hope Jahren
-The Song Poet - Kao Kalia Yang - 2016 LTER
- Engineering Eden - Jordan Fisher Smith - 2016 - LTER
- The Girl With Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee
- Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-changing Egg Farm - from Scratch - Lucie B. Amundsen
- The Most Wanted Man in China - Fang Lizhi - wonderful memoir of life in communist China
- Without You, There is No Us - Suki Kim - memoir of teaching in North Korea



****************************
STATISTICS FOR BOOKS READ IN 2016 - **********************************

***** 83 -TOTAL BOOKS COMPLETED IN 2016 ****

Of the books I've read this year:
- cataloged into LT 2006 or before
- cataloged into LT 2007
3 - cataloged into LT 2008
- cataloged into LT 2009
- cataloged into LT 2010
2 - cataloged into LT 2011
4 - cataloged into LT 2012
4 - cataloged into LT 2013
1 - cataloged into LT 2014
11 - cataloged into LT 2015
- acquired previously but uncataloged until 2015 (have lots of these!)
13 - acquired 2016
45 - borrowed from library & elsewhere

FORMAT
24 - Audiobook
57 - Print
2 - online

GENRE

43 - Fiction (may fit into more than one category)

22 - 1001 Books
15 - general fiction
- graphic novel
2 - manga
8 - mystery/thriller
3 - SFF
3 - short stories

27 -Non-Fiction (may fit into more than one category)
1 - 1001 Books
1 - agricullture/farming
1 - economics
3 - Essays
1 - Food
3 - graphic non-fiction
1 - history
1 - language/grammar
16 - Memoir/biography
2 - Outdoors
3 - Religion/Spirituality
4 - Self Help/psychology
4 - Science

4 - poetry
- plays
- Other

AUTHORS

44 - Male Authors
38 - Female Authors
1 - Combination or Mix of male and female

49 - Authors that are new to me
32 - Authors read before
3 - Rereads

Multiple books read in 2015 by same author:
Craig Johnson - Hellhound on His Trail , As the Crow Flies, A Serpent's Tooth, Any Other Name
Robertson Davies - The Fifth Business, Manticore
Ivan Doig - Last Bus to Wisdom, Work Song
Jane Gardam 0 Old Filth, The Man in the Wooden Hat
Anne Proulx - The Shipping News, Brokeback Mountain
Kiiro Yumi - Library Wars: Love & War: Vol 1 & 2

Nationality of Author:
1 - Antigua
2 - Australia
1 - Australia/ South African
7 - Canadian
1 - Chinese
1 - Dominican Republic
3 - Japanese
1 - North Korean
1 - Norwegian
1 - Russian
1 - Sweden
17 - UK
46 - US

Birthplace or residence of Author if different from nationality:
1 - Ethiopia
- Norway
1 - South Korea

Language Book Originally Published in:
1 - Chinese (Mandarin?)
76 - English
3 - Japanese
1 - Norwegian
1 - Sweden
1 - Russian

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE
1 - 1860
1 - 1861
1 - 1868
1 - 1891
1 - 1897
1 - 1918
1 - 1922
1 - 1925
1 - 1934
2 - 1945
1 - 1953
1 - 1955
1 -1959
1 - 1970
1 - 1972
1 - 1975
1 - 1979
1 - 1980
1 - 1983
2 - 1985
1 - 1987
1 - 1991
1 - 1992
1 - 1993
1 - 1997
1 - 1998
1 - 1999
1 - 2000
2 - 2001
3 - 2003
2 - 2004
3 - 2005
1 - 2006
1 - 2007
1 - 2008
4 - 2009
5 - 2010
4 - 2011
4 - 2012
3 - 2013
5 - 2014
8 - 2015
7 - 2016

My biggest challenge is that I keep hauling books home faster than I can read them.

I have been a member of the ROOTS challenge (Reading Our Own Tomes) for the past several years. I define a ROOT as anything I owned before January 1st of the current year. I hope to read 50 ROOTS in 2016.

Need to have read 38 by 9/30/2016 to get on track. (Or read 6.8 ROOTS for the next 4 months) Currently:23




To keep myself in the oldest part of the Planet of Neglected Books, I'm giving myself points for each book I read, with older books getting more points.

Here's how it works:

1. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2006 -- 10 points
2. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2007-- 9 points
3. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2008-- 8 points
4. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2009-- 7 points
5. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2010-- 6 points
6 .ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2011 -- 5 points
7. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2012 -- 4 points
8. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2013 -- 3 points
9. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2014 -- 2 points
10. ROOTS cataloged into LT in 2015 -- 1 point
11. ROOTS not previously entered into LT but which have been around the house pre-2015 (many of these are pre-2006 when I joined LT)--1 point

Goal: Read 225 ROOT points this year.




As of 01/01/2016: 459 books on physical Mt TBR
As of 02/01/2016: 456 books on physical Mt TBR
As of 3/01/2016 : 457 books on physical Mt TBR
As of 4/01/2016: 458 books on physical Mt TBR
As of 5/01/2016 :454 books on physical Mt TBR
As of 6/01/2016: 469 books on physical MT TBR uh, oh!
As of 7/01/2016: 474 books on physical MT TBR - more uh oh!
As of 8/01/2016 471 books on physical MT TBR - down a teensy bit

BOOKS ACQUIRED 2016

Ideally, this number will be less than the number of ROOTS I've read for the year!

Acquired: 56
Read: 13
Reading: 2
Reference/ Cookbooks/Already Read Wanted copy for library: 6
Acquired 2016 added to Planet TBR: 35
Roots Read: 23

1. ✔ Locally Laid - Lucie B. Amundsen - 2016 - LTER
2. ✔ The Art Forger - B. A. Shapiro - 2/17/2016 LBBBC
3. The Gift of Rain - Tan Twan Eng - FOL shelf - 2/25/2016
4. ✔ Billy Collins Live - Billy Collins - FOL freebie shelf - audiobook - 2/25/2016
5. ✔ Not Becoming My Mother - Ruth Reichl - FOL freebie shelf - audiobook - 2/25/2016
6. ✔ Norwegian by Night - Derek B. Miller - 2013 - RL BOOK CLUB March - used from Ammie; 2/25/2016
7. Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates - 2015 - Costco RL BBBC later this year 3/9/2016
8. ✔ all about love: new visions - bell hooks 3/9/2016
9. First they killed my father : a daughter of Cambodia remembers by Loung Ung - 3/12/2016 - FOL
10. Long Way Home: Journeys of a Chinese Montanan - Flora Wong - 3/12/2016 - FOL
11.Reference/Cookbook The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes - Anupy Singla BB by Darryl
12. ✔ The Song Poet - Kao Kalia Yang - LTER - rec'd 3/20/2016
13. ✔ The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway - RLBC
14. Reference/Cookbook Clean & Hungry - Lisa Lillien - 2016 Hungry Girl Cookbook
15. The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris - freebie at FOL
16. Evening Class by Maeve Binchy - freebie at FOL
17. ✔ Engineering Eden - Jordan Fisher Smith - 2016 - LTER - 4/12/2016
18. Immortal Irishman - Timothy Egan - 2016 - author signing 4/20/2016
19. Reference/Cookbook Sushi For Dummies by Judi Strada - 2005 - Mother's Day gift :-)
20. ***Reading*** The Lemon Tree - Sandy Tolan - May Library Brown Bag Book Club (reread from 2011)
21. ✔ Street of Eternal Happiness - Rob Schmitz - 2016 - LTER
22. The Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey - 1951 FOL shelf May
23. Previously read, not added to TBR My Antonia - Willa Cather - Read last year for AAC, but didn't have a copy.5/26/2016 FOL shelf - 5/26/2016 FOL shelf
24. Moo - Jane Smiley another inspiration from the AAC but didn't get a Smiley read that month. - 5/26/2016 FOL shelf
25. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini - 5/26/2016 FOL shelf
26. Ines of My Soul: A Novel by - Isabel Allende - 5/26/2016 FOL shelf
27. Bel Canto - Anne Patchett - 5/26/2016 FOL shelf
29. We Were the Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates - For upcoming AAC challenge 5/26/2016 FOL shelf
30. ✔ Animal Farm - George Orwell June RL bookclub read
MisCon books:
31. Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Filesby Jim Butcher
32. Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds Chronicles, Vol. 1) by Robin Hobb
33. The Paladin - C. J. Cherryh
34. Cyteen - C. J. Cherryh
35. Half a King - Joe Abercrombie - (freebie)
36. Wicked - Gregory Maguire - audiobook $2 on FOL rack
37. The Drone Eats with Me: A Gaza Diary by Atef Abu Saif - LTER
38. Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay - FOL shelf
39. ***Reading*** Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson - Real Life Book Club
40. ***Reading*** Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Upcoming shared read; Penquin Classic Hardbound
41. The Winter of our Discontent - John Steinbeck - freebie from SLH
42. Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury - freebie from SLH
43. ✔ The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West - FOL shelf
44. Reference Best Easy Day Hikes Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks, 2nd - by Erik Molvar Glacier Park
45. E Che Kar - Hank Pedersen - Glacier Park
46. Reference Day Hikes Around Missoula, Montana: Including The Bitterroots And The… (edition 2013)
by Robert Stone
47. The Road - Cormac McCarthy - FOL shelf
48. China Dolls: A Novel - Lisa See - FOL shelf
49. ✔ The Girl With Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee - RLBC
50. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Jack Thorne - BD from Dan
51. The Invoice - Jonas Karlsson - 2016 - LTER
52. High Country - Nevada Barr - Sapphire
53. Marley & Me - John Grogan - Darby
54 replacement copy The Man Who Thought His Wife was a Hat - Oliver Sacks - Darby
54. On Beauty - Zadie Smith - audiobook
55. The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan September RL book club
56. Love Medicine - Louise Erdrich - Montana Reads
57. Yellowstone: A Journey Through Americ'as Wild Heart - David Quammen - author signing
58. ***Reading*** Make Someone Happy - Elizabeth Berg
59. Mexico - Josh Barkan - 2016 LTER
60. Phra Farang: An English Monk in Thailand by Phra Peter Pannapadipo
61. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
62. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art- Madeleine L'Engle
63. Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra (Hindu/ new Age Writer)
64. In the Shadow of the Buddha: One Man's Journey of Discovery in Tibet by Matteo Pistono
65.Cookbook/Reference Mable Hoffman's All-New Crockery Favorites
66.Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son by Anne Lamott
67. A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid

To help keep me focused on Women Authors:



1. About a Female Ruler - Winter - Marissa Meyer - COMPLETED - 3/23/2016
2. Women in Science Lab Girl - Hope Jahren - COMPLETED 5/13/2016
3. Less than 10 Years Old: The Art Forger - B. A. Shapiro - (2012) - COMPLETED 2/24/2016
4. Collection of Short Stories: A Manual for Cleaning Women - Lucia Berlin - (2015) COMPLETED - 4/06/2016
5. Women in Non-Traditional Roles: Fun Home - Alison Bechdel - COMPLETED
6. Published Before 2000 Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh - COMPLETED 02/25/2016
7. African American Author All About Love: New Visions - bell hooks - COMPLETED 4/30/2016
8. About a Spy Mrs Pollifax on the China Station - Dorothy Gilmore - 1983 - COMPLETED 5/10/2016
10. Award Winner: Kristin Lavransdatter by Nobel Laureate Sigrid Undset - COMPLETED
11. Memoir: Without You There Is No Us - Suki Kim - COMPLETED 1/25/2016
13. By or About a Woman Wilderness Tips - Margaret Atwood -
14. A New To You Author: Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid - 1985 - COMPLETED 4/24/2016
15. Set in Latin America or Asia: Library Wars Love & War Vol 1 - Kiiro Yumi - Japan - 6/22/2016
17. Made into a Movie: The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler - COMPLETED 2/1/2016
18. Set in Europe, Australia or New Zealand - Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West 7/6/2016
19. About a Female Critter: - Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-changing Egg Farm - from Scratch - Lucie B. Amundsen COMPLETED 4/08/2016
20. Author Over Sixty Years Old: - Jane Gardam - Old Filth - 5/30/2016
21. 1920-30's Detective Fiction - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie - COMPLETED 2/29/2016
23. From Your TBR Pile: Gnostic Gospels - Elaine Pagels - COMPLETED 3/31/2016
24. Poetry or Plays: Late Wife: Poems - Claudia Emerson -2005 - Pulitzer Prize - COMPLETED 4/11/2016
25. Male Pseudonym: Silas Marner - George Eliot - 1861 - COMPLETED 4/03/2016

Possibilities:
12. Women in Combat: Ashley's War - Gayle Tzemach Lemmon - rec by Donna

THE CHALLENGES

ABC CHALLENGES American author, British Author, Canadian author challenges
Goal: Read at least one a month, focusing on books already on my shelves and books from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die'

I'm leaving my choices for the ABC challenges mostly open.

American Authors Challenge/AAC
✔ January- Anne Tyler - The Accidental Tourist
February- Richard Russo
March- Jane Smiley
April- Poetry Month
- ✔ Billy Collins Live - Billy Collins
- ✔ - Late Wife - Claudia Emerson - Pulitzer 2006
- ✔ - A Wreath for Emmett Till - Marilyn Nelson
✔ May- Ivan Doig - Work Song
✔June- Annie Proulx - The Shipping News
✔ July - John Steinbeck - Cannery Row - library
August - ✔ Joyce Carol Oates Black Water
September- John Irving
October- Michael Chabon
November- Annie Dillard
December- Don DeLillo

British Authors Challenge/BAC:
January - Susan Hill & Barry Unsworth -
February : ✔ Agatha ChristieMurder of Roger Ackroyd & William Dalrymple
March: ✔Thomas Hardy - Tess of the d'Urbervilles - ROOT Ali Smith &
April : ✔ George Eliot - Silas Marner - 1001 & Hanif Kureishi
May : ✔Jane Gardam Old Filth - ROOT & Robert Goddard
June : Lady Antonia Fraser & Joseph Conrad
July : Bernice Rubens & ✔ H.G. Wells - The Invisible Man
August : Diana Wynne-Jones & ✔ Ian McEwan - Atonement - audio- 1001
September : Doris Lessing & Laurie Lee Cider With Rosie - ROOT 1001
October : Kate Atkinson & William Golding
November : Rebecca West & Len Deighton
December : WEST YORKSHIRE writers - Vilette - Charlotte Bronte - 1001
Wildcard : Rumer Godden and George Orwell

Canadian Authors Challenge/CAC:
January: ✔ Robertson Davies The Fifth Business Kim Thúy-
March: ✔ Farley Mowat - Women in the Mists ROOT;
April: ✔- Margaret Atwood - Wilderness Tips, Michael Crummey
May: ✔ Emily St. John Mandel - Station Eleven -
June: Timothy Findley, Joseph Boyden
July: LM Montgomery, Pierre Berton
August: Mordechai Richler, Gabrielle Roy
September: Miriam Toews, Dany Laferrière
October: Lawrence Hill, Jane Urquhart
November: Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Laurence
December: Alice Munro ROOT, Rawi Hage

***************Weird O's Pulitzer Prize Winning Challenge:***********
✔ - Late Wife - Claudia Emerson -Poetry Pulitzer 2006
✔ The Shipping News - Anne Proulx
✔ Life On Mars - Tracey K Smith - poetry
✔ Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - fiction

5 Pulitzer Winning ROOTS 5 on the shelf:
- The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner General Non-Fiction, 1995
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond General Non-Fiction, 1998
- March by Geraldine Brooks Fiction, 2006
-✔ The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz Fiction, 2008
- Tinkers by Paul Harding Fiction, 2010

*************Weird O's Doorstops (over 600 pages) and Door Wedges (under 200 pages) Challenge***************
Doorstop: Kristin Lavransdatter (3 volumes 1168 pages) Doorwedge: Joe and Azat - Jesse Lonergan (96 pages)
Doorstop Winter - Marissa Meyer (832 pages) Doorwedge:Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh - (140 pages) 2/25/2016
Doorstop War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (1365 pages) Doorwedge:These Happy Heroic Dead - Luke Mogelson - (185 pages) 2/27/2016

*************1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge**************
Currently Total Read: 142 out of 1305 (Combined Lists); Thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163173

126. Kristin Lavransdatter - Sigrid Undset - 3 vols 1920-1922 - Norway 1/3/2016
127. Thank You, Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse - 1934 - UK 1/09/2016
128. Ragtime - E. L. Doctorow - 1975 - US - 1/18/2016
129. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie - 1925 - UK 2/29/2016
130. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy - 1891 - UK 03/15/2016
131. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 1868 - Russia 03/28/2016
132. Silas Marner - George Eliot - 1861 - UK - 04/13/2016
133. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies - 1970 - Canada 04/16/2016
134. Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid - 1985- Antigua 4/24/2016
135. Contact - Carl Sagan - 1985 - US 6/19/16
(xx) Animal Farm - George Orwell - 1945 - UK - 06/21/2016 - Reread - does not add to total
136. The Shipping News - Annie Proulx - 1993 - US - 06/30/2016
137. The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells - 1897 - UK - 07/16/2016
138. Cannery Row - John Steinbeck - 1945 - US - 07/25/2016 (2006 edition only)
139. Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West - 1918 - UK 07/28/2016
140. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - 2007 - Dominican Republic/US 08/05/2016
141. Elizabeth Costello - J. M. Coetzee - 2003 - Australia - 8/13/2016
142. Atonement - Ian McEwan - 2001 - UK - 08/20/2016
143. Black Water - Joyce Carol Oates - 1992 - US - 8/29/2016

I will be following two non-fiction challenges in order to get some of the non-fiction off Planet TBR.

*******************CHATTERBOX'S NON-FICTION CHALLENGE***************
January: Biography/Memoir/Autobiography
- A Walk Toward Oregon - Alvin M Josephy - ROOT - still plan to read
✔ Without You There is No Us - Suki Kim LTER ROOT
✔ February: History: The Most Wanted Man in China - Fang Lizhi (4.5 stars)
✔ March: Travel: A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson - ROOT
✔ April: Religion & Spirituality - Proof of Heaven - Eben Alexander III - ROOT
- ✔ Heaven is for Real - Todd Burpo - ROOT
May: The Arts: ***Reading*** - Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo - Hayden Herrera - ROOT
June: Natural History/Environment/Health
July: Current Affairs
August: Science and Technology
September: Philosophy/History of Ideas
October: Politics/Economics & Business/Commentary
November: Essays
December: Quirky/Who Knew?

********************************Dewey Cat***************************
January: 000: Computer science, information & general works: computers, libraries, encyclopedias, journalism, museums and rare books - A Walk Toward Oregon - Alvin M Josephy - ROOT still plan to read
✔ February: 100: Philosophy and psychology: the occult, dreams, logic, ethics - Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh - ROOT
✔ March: 200's: Religion: Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc Gnostic Gospels - Elaine Pagels - ROOT
✔ April: 300 - 354: sociology, anthropology, statistics, political science, economics, law, and public administration:
✔ : SuperFreakonomics- Steven D. Levitt - (330) ROOT 2015:
✔ May: 355 - 399: military science, social services, criminology, education, commerce, transportation, customs, etiquette, and folklore - A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard - audio - ROOT
✔ June: 400: Language: linguistics, sign language, languages: Cutting A Dash - Lynne Truss
July: 500: Science: math, astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, fossils, prehistoric life, biology -
August: 600: Technology: medicine, health, engineering, agriculture, home, public relations, manufacturing, and construction
Want to Read: Oliver Sacks: Moving On
September: 700: Arts & recreation: Arts, landscape, architecture, sculpture, decorative arts, painting, photography, cinema, music, sports, and entertainment
October: 800: Literature: poetry, essays, speeches, drama, humor, satire
November: 900 - 939: world history, geography, travel, biography, genealogy, and ancient history
December: 940 - 999: history of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania and extraterrestrial worlds

Cumulative : 75 countries visited

Cumulative : 75 countries visited


visited 75 states (33.3%)
Create your own visited map of The World

Global Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/topic/188308

This is a cool group - very little discussion, but if you want to keep track of books you've read with authors or locations of various countries, this is your spot! The goal is to read 5 books from every country.

********************************Geo Cat*****************************************************

January South America- One Hundred Years of Solitutude - unread in January - still plan to read
February Central Asia- ✔ Afghanistan - These Heroic, Happy Dead: Stories - Luke Mogelson - LTER - ROOT-
-- ✔ Joe and Azat - Jesse Lonergan - Turkmenistan - library
✔ March Eastern Europe and Russia : War and Peace - Tolstoy - ROOT
✔ April : Polar regions, Islands, Bodies of Water: Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid - Antigua
May: North America (Including Mexico) - Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo - Hayden Herrera - ROOT
✔June: Australia & New Zealand - Elizabeth Costello - J. M. Coetzee - 2003 - ROOT finished 8/13/2016
✔ July: Central America and Caribbean - Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - ROOT, Pul
August: Southern Africa
September: Southern Asia
October: Eastern Asia - Gift of Rain, The Things They Carried ROOT
November: Northern Africa and the Middle East Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Paul Torday ROOT; GN Syria: The Arab of the Future; GN Palestine - GN - Joe Sacco
December: Western Europe - Les Miserables - ROOT

****************************Reading Globally Quarterly Challenges*****************************

Quarter 1: January - March 2016 Writers from the Caribbean
Quarter 2: April - June 2016 Writers at Risk
Quarter 3: July - September 2016 Soviet and Post Soviet Writers
Quarter 4: October - December 2016 Dictators, Dictatorships and Other Forms of Tyranny

****************************States Visited Started starting 2014*********************************:


visited 31 states (62%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

2016

Maryland : - The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler

My General Plan is going to look something like this:

If I read about 2 books per week, I only want to commit myself to 4 challenge books/month:

***************************************************2016 General Plan **************************************************
1. Real Life Brown Bag Book Club
2.Western Authors Challenge - at least 1
- A. AAC
- B. BAC
- C. CAC
3. Geocat and/or Reading Globally quarterly challenges
4. Dewey Cat and/or Chatterbox's Nonfiction Challenge

And I will be doubling up on the challenges to fill these slots:

5. 4 or 5 ROOTS per month: 50 for year
- A.
- B.
- C.
- D.
2 from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 25
- A.
- B.
Pulitzer Prize Winning (6 during the year - 5 will be ROOTS from MT TBR)

Happy New Thread, Janet!

Happy new thread, Janet.

>2 streamsong: I see you are having a fair few books on the go at the same time just as am I.

Happy Independence Day too!

Happy New Thread!

>14 ronincats: Thank you, Roni and thanks for visiting!

>15 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Not only is it Independence Day, but I'm actually off for the **Next Two Weeks**!

My plan is to work really hard on my place inside and out the first week of my staycation (and read lots of books in the heat of the afternoon!). The second week my brother and his family are coming. I'll go with them to Glacier Park for a few days in the middle of their stay while we give Mom a rest.

>16 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori! Good to see you!

Each month I get a little more behind on my challenges

So here is my ***MUST READ SOONEST*** pile in July. Naturally, I won't get to all of them, although several are very close to being done:

********************JULY READING*******************

Library:
✔ Life on Mars - Tracy K. Smith
✔ Yes, Chef - Marcus Samuelsson - audio
✔ The Manticore - Robertson Davies
✔ Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx - (audio)
✔ Cannery Row - John Steinbeck - 1001
✔ The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells 1001 (audio)
The Dance of Anger - Harriet Lerner
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 2 - Kiiro Yumi

LTER:
✔ The Song Poet - Kao Kalia Yang
Engineering Eden - Fisher Smith
The Drone Eats with Me: A Gaza Diary by Atef Abu Saif -

Off My Shelves
***Reading*** Shock Doctrine - Naomi Klein
✔ Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders - Mary Pipher -
***Reading***The Lemon Tree - Sandy Tolan
***Reading***Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera
A Walk Towards Oregon -
Elizabeth Costello 1001
The Bone People
Beak of the Finch
Life of Pi
***Listening*** Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Glacier Park Books - People Before the Park -
Life and Death in Shanghai
Today They Killed My Father

July's Challenge Books:

Real Life Book Club ***Reading*** Benjamin Franklin: An American Life - Walter Isaacson

AAC July- John Steinbeck ***Reading*** Cannery Row - library 1001
BAC: July H.G. Wells : ✔ The Invisible Man 1001 - library (audio) & : Bernice Rubens &
CAC July: LM Montgomery, Pierre Berton>

Dewey Cat: July: 500: Science: math, astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, fossils, prehistoric life, biology The Beak of the Finch - ROOT
GeoCat July Destination:Central America and Caribbean ***Listening*** The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao ROOT 1001
NonFiction July: Current Affairs ***Reading*** - started last year Shock Doctrine - Naomi Klein

Happy new thread, Janet!

Happy 4th, Janet! Happy New Thread. Ooh, an Oasis of Books. Sounds dreamy.

I hope you enjoy both The Manticore and Life on Mars. I loved both.

>19 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! Good to see you! I've been quietly following your European adventures.

I also have a couple of great recipes to share from Hungry Girl Clean & Hungry: Easy All-Natural Recipes for Healthy Eating in the Real World by Lisa Lillien. Hungry Girl is a blog I follow. The recipes are wonderful. although they are mostly 1 -2 portions so aren't great for the cooking-on-weekends scheme. I guess I just need to double them to have portions at least for the week.

I'm really enjoying listening to Yes Chef by Marcus Samuelsson. Wonderful personal story - his mother, dying of tuberculosis during an Ethiopian outbreak in the 80's, carried her two children, also quite ill, for days to get them to a hospital. The two kids recovered after a year's treatment and were adopted by a Swedish couple.

His journey as a superstar chef is fascinating. It's amazing the amount of racism he met in both Europe and the US.

I'm terribly inspired and have signed up for several cooking classes in August. (Chinese street foods and some Moroccan cuisine). We have a post-bac of Chinese-through-Vietnam heritage who is also trying to talk me into taking a kimchee class.

>20 msf59: Hi Mark! I'm really enjoying The Manticore. I'll definitely also get to the third in the Deptford trilogy this year.

It sounds silly to say I've bogged down a bit in a slim book of poetry, but that's what has happened with Life on Mars. I just need to pick it back up and read.

Hi Janet! I hope you relax, read, and also get lots of things done around your house during your first week of staycation.

>17 streamsong: Glacier Park is one of our favorite places! We've spent some wonderful time and are eager to get back! I have retired friends who are campground hosts and they sent a few pics to let us know they are in place. Enjoy your visit with family!

I'll be interested in your take on The Dance of Anger. I first read it in the mid-80s and found it very powerful. Still have two copies on my shelves, along with her later books.

ETA I responded to your post on my thread, but will copy it over here in case you don't get back by immediately.

If you like older women protagonists, Janet (and who doesn't? ;-)), please try Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon and also read Bujold's fantasies, The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. The second is the one with the older protagonist, but both books are SO good! And you need to read the first to set up the second. Not a series, though, only those two books, although there are other books set in the Five Gods World.

>22 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen! Right now I'm still mostly working outside, getting ready to have hay delivered. And here's a line you don't hear on LT very often: The older I get, the more I love my tractor. :-)

I didn't reply on the previous thread, but, yes, moose can be very dangerous. I've been chased by them twice. The first time when I was a wilderness volunteer traveling with my wilderness ranger husband. We were in an inflatable canoe and there was a very cantankerous moose who had been chasing horseback riders. We were very far away from him, but as soon as he saw us he gave chase and moose can swim very very quickly. The two of us outpaddled him, but I remain the only person I know chased by a moose while I was in a canoe.

The second time was just walking along the town's river park with my SIL and young nephews and suddenly a moose bolted out of the underbrush and gave a short chase. Apparently he had been harassed by kids and dogs earlier.

The forest fire is mostly out. It was on the other side of the valley, with lots of irrigation and a river between us. So, although I could see flames at night, and lots of smoke during the day, it never threatened my place.

>23 witchyrichy: Hi Karen: Glacier is special, isn't it! Which campground are your friends hosting?

Here's a commercial image I had saved in my junk drawer:



From your previous post on the last thread- I'm near Hamilton, about 40 miles south of Missoula so you were very close. My brother used to be one of the hanggliders jumping off the mountain when he was an undergraduate at U of M.

>24 ronincats: Hi Roni! Thanks for the suggestions for the older woman's protagonist books. I've put your comments and clarifications on my list on my home page. I really liked Tea With the Black Dragon a few years back which was my initiation into that type of protagonist in the SFF realm.

I always seem to have a self-help or psychology book lurking in the background lately. It usually takes me **months** to actually get them read, but I'll let you know how I feel about The Dance of Anger.

My current one in that genre that I've been reading is Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders by Mary Pipher. I started it in May for Rachel's mental health month read. It's really wonderful and quite insightful. I'd recommend it to anyone doing the elderly parent dance or interested in elders.

ETA ** Laughing because the primary touchstone result for Another Country is Hunger Games.

Reading: I finished The Manticore by Robertson Davies and loved it. I'm so far behind with library books that I'll wait a bit before requesting the final book in the Deptford trilogy, World of Wonders (primary Touchstone The Odyssey) , but I'm really looking forward to it.

I started and LTER book The Song Poet (primary touchstone Beowulf- this is actually pretty amusing today) by Kao Kalia Yang. It looks like it will be a really interesting look at the Hmong culture.

Speaking of things Far Eastern, DD should be arriving in Bangkok, Thailand today. She's sort of an assistant gofer for a State Department funded trip for Montana teens through her place of employment, The Mansfield Center. They will be traveling throughout Thailand for the next three weeks, studying a variety of environmental and food security issues.

>I'm not sure but here's a nice article about them from their local hometown paper.

And a wonderful photo!

Morning Janet! Happy travels to DD!

>29 witchyrichy:! Thanks - sounds like they are based at Lake Macdonald which is where the hotel is that my brother and family are staying. We might well run into each other.

>30 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. They've made it to Bangkok and seem to very busy and, judging by the daily blog, seem to be having a great time. I'm quite relieved the monsoon isn't heading that way.

49. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel - 2014
- May Canadian Author Challenge;
- June TIOLI #6. Read a book where the author's first or last name begins with a letter that is one of your father's initials;
- library

In this apocalyptic novel, a fast moving virus wipes out 99% of the world’s population in a matter of days. Nevertheless, small groups of humans survive; some form somewhat democratic societies, some wander, one is led by a dictator prophet with a most unstable personality.

The post-apocalyptic story does not dwell on survival conventions and innovations but instead on the story and relationships of the people. The author moves forward and backward in time, so we see post apocalyptic, pre-apocalyptic and mid-apocalyptic stories of the people who are left.

One of my favorite survivor groups consist of a troop of actors and musicians who travel between settlements, alternately performing Shakespeare plays and musical performances. They are quite a nice contrast to a jaded older actor whom we follow pre-apocalypse. One of the traveling actresses has taken the motto is “it’s not enough to survive” which is a quote from the sf TV show Battlestar Galactica.

That brings me to my biggest criticism of this book. I’ve read a dozen or more apocalyptic novels, and this one didn’t have many new ideas. That doesn't mean it wasn't an enjoyable read – just not the stellar read I was expecting. Even with its flaws, it was quite compelling.

>32 streamsong: Janet, this one was quite a bit more character-based than most post-apocalyptic novels, which is what I particularly enjoyed about it.

>32 streamsong: Station Eleven has been on my TBR pile for awhile. I don't read a lot of post-apocalyptic novels so don't have much to compare. I just know that it has come highly recommended. Seems like a good pool floating read.

>33 ronincats: Hi Roni. I know it's a favorite of many people here on LT, and maybe I had it built up too much in my mind. It was a compelling read; I never put it down or checked to see how many pages I had left (always a bad sign), but I just didn't see much new in it. In addition, there were a couple of details that were just wrong - and when I get jerked out of a story too often, it tends to put me off.

>34 witchyrichy: Yes, do read it - it's a favorite of many here on LT and I seem to be the odd one out in the group. I enjoyed it and thought it was a solid read - it just didn't knock my socks off.

Morning, Janet! I have had fun catching up with you. I really liked Station Eleven when I read it - I think for me what worked was how the story was told. I loved the back and forth of it. And the writing.

Wishing for you a weekend full with fabulous!

Morning Janet! Happy Saturday! Hooray for Station Eleven, even if it didn't ring all your bells.

>36 Crazymamie: Thanks for stopping by, Mamie! Yes, I liked the back and forth storytelling, too.

My brother and his family will be here mid-afternoon, so it's definitely a week-end to look forward to.

>37 msf59: Waves happily at Mark!

50. Animal Farm - George Orwell - 1945
- Real Life Book Club;
- 1001
- Reread; ROOT; Rereads =1 ROOT point

I read this for the first time in high school and reread it for June's Real Life library book group.

George Orwell’s story will probably be familiar to almost everyone.

Animals, fed up with their master’s behavior, revolt and form a farm where they will each contribute their strengths and enjoy the benefits of their labor. As most of the animals are not able to learn to read, the clever pigs step in to take on the leadership role and soon become more inhumane than the humans.

A very quick read or reread. If you haven’t read it, do. This one won't feel outdated.

51. Contact - Carl Sagan - 1985
- 1001 -
- June TIOLI #5 - Read a book that has a word or phrase on page 70 that refers to some aspect of marijuana (Holy Shit!);
- library

This is a group read from several months ago on the 1001 book group. I took forever getting started. I’m really glad I did.

A radio-astronomer has her array set toward the heavens, when after many years, something that could be a bi-numeral code is detected. Code it is, and it also contains codes within codes. The receiving civilization must be advanced enough to detect, decipher, and eventually build a machine using technologies and materials not known to mankind but detailed in the received manual.

This is an interesting twist to the ‘aliens show up and humans react’ scenario. There are years, decades, in between receiving the message and deciding what to do. Not everyone reacts the same – some believe the machine should not be built because it will be a doomsday machine for earth or perhaps a portal for hostile aliens; others have religious reasons for denying the machine be built.

And when it's built, who can say what really did happen? And who should know?

Lots of really good scientific details in this one.

Now I need to re-watch the movie.

4 stars.

>32 streamsong: I like post-apocalyptic novels and really liked Station Eleven. It had an interesting twist because of the troupe of Shakespearian actors/musicians. Funny, I can't remember a single individual character, but overall I have a very strong positive emotional memory of this book.

52. Library Wars Love & War Vol 1 - Kiiro Yumi - 2010 (2008 Japan);
- Manga
- TIOLI #16: Read a YA or children's book by an author who doesn't share your nationality
- Women authors Bingo:#15 - set in Latin America or Asia-
- Global Challenge - Japan; library

Back in May, one of the TIOLI challenges was to read a manga. Several people were reading this one, which is about a military type squad who save banned books from bookstores and make sure libraries have copies of them.

In the last few years, I've enjoyed several graphic novels, so I thought it would be fun to try this different literary form. Unfortunately, the book didn't arrive through the library until well after the challenge was over, but I read it anyway in June.

This book was first published in Japan, and like typical manga, reads from back to front and from right to left. It's in a style called shoujo (variously spelled), which is a style of manga written to appeal especially to adolescent girls – with the big eyed heroines and the handsome guys for them to get romantically involved.

The plot was pretty simple and several things were a bit disturbing to me – such as guys punching girls in the face. Nevertheless, I applaud the anti-censorship message. I thought I'd go on a bit with the series (there are over a dozen, now) and so I have volume two in hand.

3.5 stars

>41 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Yes, I agree with many of your feelings about Station Eleven. I thought the Shakespeare troop was a fun twist and I liked the Station Eleven comic book.

I read it through quickly and mostly enjoyed it. But for a book where people really liked the relationships, it's also hard for me to come up with names. I often had to flip back and think - "Now who was that again?" I can't say that I mourned any of the deaths, although, (trying to avoid spoilers here) the character I found most interesting died of the virus on the shore of Malaysia.

>43 streamsong: I recently learned that you can hide spoilers. If you already know how to do it, forgive me, but I use it all the time now. The syntax is *spoiler**whatever you want to say*/spoiler** where * is less than symbol and ** is greater than symbol. It's easy! Click on the word spoiler to open it up and click on your spoiler again to close it!

Consistent with what I said above, I can't remember the character's name that you found most interesting!

:-)

Heading off to Glacier Park this morning.

Glacier Park was spectacularly beautiful, although very crowded.

I had forgotten how breathtaking the Going to the Sun Road is. We were not able to stop at Logan Pass as the parking lot was full and had lots of people waiting. Logan Pass not only has gorgeous scenery, but more often than not, one can spot mountain goats and big horn sheep there along with other wildlife.

Our longest hike was about 5.5 miles to Grinell Lake in the Many Glaciers section of the Park. There is a small glacier at the head of waterfalls across the lake.



This is a photo borrowed from the Glacier Park site. Hopefully I'll have more spectacular ones to share soon.

It was a lovely hike along a chain of three lakes. Because I am so badly out of shape, we opted to take commercial boats back to the trailhead instead of walking back. We would have done loop trail, coming back along the north shore of the middle lake. We'd heard there were grizzlies on the trail, and sure enough we saw one from the boat. We didn't see the two cubs that were supposedly with her. We also heard one hiker say there were bighorn sheep on the trail.

So instead we had a lovely boat ride down the middle lake, followed by hiking a hill between the lakes, and then a second boat back to the Many Glaciers Hotel.



Great time with my brother and his family - the oldest boy will be off to college this year, the younger one is a senior.

And of course I bought a few books while there - a couple of hiking guides and this one about a 1937 trip through the Park:



E Che Kar by Hank Pedersen

I thought it would be an interesting comparison to Through Glacier Park in 1915 by Mary Roberts Rinehart which I had read earlier.

>43 streamsong: Spoiled it a bit for me. I mean the virus wouldn't have dared to come to Malaysia.

Have a great Sunday, Janet.

>48 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - good to see you! :-)

I've had a lovely two weeks off, but need to go back to work tomorrow. That puts a bit of a damper on the day.

Hooray! almost done with the June reviews:

This one I had meant to listen to for the May AAC, but could not get the audiobook until mid-June.



53. Last Bus to Wisdom - Ivan Doig - 2015
- May AAC
- June TIOLI #11. Just for U challenge - read a book with the letter "U" in the title
- audiobook – library

Eleven year old Donny Cameron has seen more than his share of bad luck. Orphaned when both his parents were killed in a car crash, he lives with his beloved grandmother who cooks for a Montana ranch. But she needs an operation that will require months of recuperation and hospital care. Told that there is no place for him on the ranch, Donny is put on a Greyhound Bus to spend the summer with his grandmother's sister with whom his grandmother doesn't get along and whom Donny has never met.

Things go awry and the great aunt determines to ship Donny back to Montana to a foster home. Happily, though, this is the last straw for his great-aunt's husband who runs away with Donny and their adventures begin.

This is Ivan Doig's last book and has become one of my favorites. Once again he wonderfully captures the flavor of Montana as well as a boy growing into a man. There is lots of humor, a good story and an almost-happy-ending for many.

This is a book I had won through LTER. In June, SqueakyChu's Take It or Leave It challenge had a contest for a book with the happiest cover and this one won. Doesn't it just make you smile?!



54. Street of Eternal Happiness – Rob Schmitz - 2016
- TIOLI #1 Read a book read a book with a happy individual (and no other individuals) on the front cover;
-LTER

In 2010, author Rob Schmitz moved with his family to Shanghai to live on an optimistically named street roughly translated The Street of Eternal Happiness. Schmitz is a journalist; he had lived in China previously, spoke fluently and loved the people.

These are his stories of the inhabitants of this street; the small business owners, the residents trying to hang on to their homes when the authorities want to destroy them to build high rise buildings; the residents desperately putting their faith in get rich quick schemes and foreign religions.

We see the issues these people face in their day-to-day lives as they struggle to get their children into good schools, migrate from small poorer villages to the city, and try to insist on their rights under the Chinese constitution.

Their backstories are the history of China such as Mao's Great Leap Forward and the famine (an interesting point being that the generation that underwent these trials has mostly faded away.

It's both well written and written with respect for the people and their stories. I came away from this intriguing book with a better understanding of China its people.

4 stars

>46 streamsong: Indeed breathtaking beautiful, Janet, glad you had a good time there :-)

Wow, looks like a wonderful outing, both the walking and the boat ride!

>51 streamsong: Oh that looks good. BB.

HI Janet, Your hiking in Glacier Park sounds dreamy and very beautiful. So nice to see the pictures. Glad that you had a wonderful time away. I am surfacing after the move. I have been reading very little as RL has had its way but the first book was English Creek by Ivan Doig. Husband has read many of his books in the past and recommended them but I am slow to the start line. I loved it though and it sure gave me a wonderful sense of the gorgeous place where you live. I will definitely read more of his books and enjoyed your review of his last book >50 streamsong:.

aack - hurt my back on Sunday, trying to get some heavy stuff done before returning to work after vacation. So my 'vacation' has been extended a bit as I'm on sick leave - I'll go in this afternoon and see how it works - sitting in a chair is still miserable.

>52 FAMeulstee: >53 ronincats: >55 mdoris: Thanks for stopping by and commenting on the Glacier trip. It's the sort of place my x would avoid as he disliked crowds, especially in the outdoors, so I hadn't been there for twenty years or so. I found there is an organization called the Glacier Institute that sponsors various classes and seminars in the park. I think it would be fun to take a multiple day photography class with hikes in the Park - or perhaps wildflowers, or orchids, or bears. I probably won't make it this year, but it would be fun to do next year.

>54 qebo: Hi Katherine - since DD spent a year studying in Shanghai, anything set in that city calls to me. I've read a lot, but this LTER book was especially helpful to me. I hope you get a chance to read it. I'll be passing my copy on to DD once she returns from Thailand.

I joined the LT FitBit group. My FitBit conked out in Glacier, so none of those long hiking days show up on my July stats. I certainly don't expect to be at the top of the board, but hopefully it will keep me more motivated and increasing my goal. Walking is wonderful for my back problems, so another motivation there, too.

I am struggling with my reading right now. 600 page Benjamin Franklin: An American Life - for book club next week. I like Isaacson's biographies, but not terribly interested in the politics.

Cannery Row is beautifully written, but not the engrossing story I need right now.

Even my audiobook The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a downer.

I may abandon ship and find a mystery or something else light until my back is not pulling down my overall mood.

>57 streamsong: When I'm at a real loss for a book or am really stressed, I usually re-read something special. Alternatively, I read Calvin and Hobbes.....

>46 streamsong: Thanks for the photo of Glacier Park. It looks so beautiful! A few years ago we vacationed in Yellowstone. It was one of the most spectacular vacations. Walking in nature is balm for the soul.

>56 streamsong: I joined the LT FitBit group.
Oh, so you did. I just became aware of it a few days ago.
My FitBit conked out in Glacier
How annoying!
>57 streamsong: Benjamin Franklin
I just finished Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power for a RL book group. What's with all this light summer reading? I set a pace of 25 pages per day to get through it, there were three of us who showed up, and I was the only one who'd finished.

>58 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Good idea! I do have some Calvin and Hobbes around here including an anniversary edition that I have on MT TBR. I've probably read all of it, but I haven't read this particular edition. :-)

>59 Whisper1: Hi Linda - It's so good to see you again on the threads. "Walking in nature is balm for the soul." So true and so beautifully expressed. Yellowstone is lovely and I hope to visit there again soon.

>60 qebo: Hey Katherine - I've only been a member for a few days. With twenty people in the group, I can feel inspired but not crazy-competitive. I am definitely on the low end of the scale. But I am reaching my minimum goal each day so far, which is better than I was doing without the group. Mamie is the admin if you decide to join.

Maybe people feel reads about America's founding fathers are good in July? I do like Isaacson's biographies, but this just takes a bit more than I'm wanting to give right now. Previously this club has read Isaacson's Steve Jobs and Einstein.

>61 streamsong: Yeah, I joined the FitBit group last week. I've been pretty consistent this year, doubt that I'll get competitive because of the time commitment, but a bit of peer pressure may keep me from slacking off.

Well, July would've made historical sense for Thomas Jefferson but the book was assigned to the time slot because one person wanted to read it and one person who generally doesn't read the longer books knew she'd be away on vacation.

>62 qebo: Ooooh Katherine, is that you way up top there? Woot for you! I'm waaaay down there trying to stay at the top of the lower quarter. :-)

>63 streamsong: Yeah, I'm currently somewhat above my average and more above my goal, so if I ever rise to the top it won't be for long.

Hi, Janet! Your trip to Glacier sounds excellent. We are going to try to make it there next summer...finally. I will be picking your brain, at a later date.

How are you feeling? Everything okay?

>61 streamsong:, >62 qebo: As the other member of the triumvirate of new members I hope that the 'competition' does not get out of, ahem, step. Just recovered from the flu so I hope to improve my number of steps in July and snuck somewhere in the middle ranking in August.

Have a lovely weekend, Janet.

Janet, I long to visit Yellowstone again. I believe that is so much to see that multiple visits wouldn't do it justice.

I was taken by the beauty, and the danger. At places, the earth's crust was crumbly and so very close to the top. There were areas off the designated pathway wherein some one could tumble and fall like Alice in Wonderland into another entire new experience.

>64 qebo: yay for being above average!

>65 msf59: Hi Mark! I hope you do make it to Glacier. A Glacier meetup would be awesome.

Actually, on Sunday, I hurt a disc in my back. I was off work most of the week and I am still in pretty acute pain. Sitting at the computer irritates it, so LT time is limited.

>66 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I'm amazed you're doing any walking at all with a bout of influenza. On the other hand, walking is good for back muscles, so I hope to be gradually increasing my steps (in a most non-competitive way).

>67 Whisper1: Hi Linda! You're so right about Yellowstone; I think it would require many visits to really appreciate it. I hope your neck pain becomes alleviated to the point that you can comfortably travel again. A Yellowstone meetup would also be fun!

There was a young man who stepped off the boardwalk at Yellowstone earlier this year and died.

Oh, Janet! Sorry to hear about your back! Hoping you feel much better very soon.

>56 streamsong: I hope your back recovers quickly. I hurt my back this week too - my son gave me a massive thump as I was bending over (long story) and it seized up pretty much straight away. I had to cancel plans Friday but only had the odd niggle today so I think I'm over it. I got away lightly really. And the boring day on Friday (first day of school hols) seemed to have an impact on Reuben so he's been super gentle since.

Thanks, Mamie and Jo! Yesterday I found the right combo of medicines that makes me able to be up and do something about the dog hair in the corners, get clothes out of the dryer, and empty the bottom rack of the dishwasher; in other words, all those chores that requiring a bit of bending and lifting. I never would have thought I'd be happy about the ability to do small chores, but I am! Hopefully this will resolve so I can lay off the meds soon.

I 'm glad your back is doing better, Jo. I recently spent a few days with a young man that I believe is on the autism spectrum and it made me admire you and others I know even more. The young man I know also has a tender, loving heart, but just not the ability to read the social cues and to always control his actions.

And since I'm also feeling well enough to sit here a bit, I'll try to do a few reviews. Here is the last of the June reads:



55. The Shipping News - E. Anne Proulx - 1993
- June American Author Challenge;
- 1001;
- Pulitzer Challenge;
- TIOLI #6: Read a book where the author's first or last name begins with a letter that is one of your father's initials (matched read); library

From 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die:

”Quoyle is thirty-six year old reporter from New York with a traumatic and stressful life- his parents have committed suicide and his wife died in a car accident while she was with another man. His aunt has always wanted to return to the land of her history and she convinces Quoyle and his daughters to move with her to Newfoundland . He overcomes his fear of water to accept a job as the shipping correspondent on a local paper.”

I loved this odd novel. It was full of quirky rugged individualist characters who weren't 'warts and all ' but often seemed to be made of only warts; they are actually quite similar to the type of rugged individualists that I've known here in Montana, living in environments on the edge, that are almost, but not quite, wildernesses.

The realities of the Newfoundland setting refused to stay in the background and became a character as vivid and vital as all the rest.

Given the summary above, I 'm surprised that I didn't find this novel depressing. But I didn't.

4.5 stars

>67 Whisper1: Re: Yellowstone. Hey Linda, I meant to comment that the next LTER book that I need to read is Engineering Eden: The True Story of a Violent Death, a Trial, and the Fight over Controlling Nature is about a death caused by a bear in Yellowstone.

Just getting caught up after my own vacation. Glad to know you're feeling better.

I was in Pennsylvania visiting friend in Amish country and one of their Amish neighbors came by. She wants to take a train trip to Glacier and stay at one of the lodges. What an adventure!

I'm so glad you loved The Last Bus to Wisdom. It was a wonderful book: Doig is at his best when he uses adolescent narrators.

I've been dabbling in graphic novels and comic books myself so added Library Wars to my TBR list.

>74 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I hope your trip was wonderful.

Taking a train from Pennsylvania would be an adventure! I hope she gets to do that. We saw several groups of Amish touring Glacier while we were there.

So many wonderful books - but more Doig is on the horizon for me, too.

Library Wars is silly and adolescent, but something appealed to me. so I'll try at least one more.

I just got notice that I won a copy of The Invoice through LTER. I know they offered this one once or twice before, but it sounds like fun and I'm glad I finally made the cut. For whatever reason, I don't win much fiction through LTER.

62. The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father Kao Kalia Yang - 2016
- LTER
- Global Reading: Laos;
- TIOLI#7. Read a book that includes a long trip or voyage; LTER

Hmong song poets tell the stories of their lives, their people and their countries in song. This is a love letter from the author telling of her father, Bee Yang's, life.

Bee was a farmer in a small Hmong village in Laos. Unfortunately the Hmong were seldom left undisturbed. When the communists moved out, the Americans moved in and built a secret prison there. When the Americans moved out, the Laotians began an extermination of anyone having anything to do with the Americans. Since for many Hmong, there was no choice except to cooperate with the Americans, a genocide began. Bee, his wife, mother, and several small children made it to Thailand, running and hiding in the jungle, seeing friends and families killed before their eyes.

From the Thai refugee camp, the Yang's eventually made their journey to America. But America has not been overly welcoming to the Hmong. Bee Yang found work as a machinist in a factory, doing the dirtiest sort of manual labor amidst noise that left him deafened.

And the culture itself became undercut by the very American dream that he instilled in his children:

”No one had told us that education would change the way you felt about the world and the people in it, that it could give you words to use; and actions to take, not in support of those who love you but as a response to them, that education in America would make our father and mother less educated in our eyes.” p 186

Gradually Bee lost his songs. After his mother's death, he sang his poetry no more.

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written from the heart. I learned so much about the Hmong people and about their immigration experience in America.

4.5 stars

Nice review of The Song Poet, Janet. After I read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down years ago I've wanted to learn more about the Hmong, so I've added this book to my wish list.

Thanks, Darryl. I actually thought about putting a line in the review almost to that effect - that if one had read TSCYAYFD (an amazing read!) and wanted to know more about the Hmong experience, this would be highly recommended. The author has a first book, also about the Hmong, which has great ratings, too.

>76 streamsong: Looks a good one Janet. As if I had nothing else to read!

>79 PaulCranswick: Thanks for stopping by, Paul. It's always a problem when visiting threads, isn't it!

Yay! DD is back from her month of escorting high school students around Thailand. I got a two word text from her late last night that said 'landed safely'. I bet she sleeps straight through for a couple days before getting around to phoning me, but I'm anxious to hear about her trip. I loved following her on the official blogsite, but only on the last day did they have a photo of the trip leaders.

I'm going to try to get a few reviews done in the heat of the afternoon. I think I'll give up writing reviews for every book and I think I'll skip around a bit, too.

>80 streamsong: I admire people who write some kind of review on every book they read but, alas, I am not one of them. I get twitchy when I feel like I have to write a review. That's why I've pretty much stopped signing up for ER books - the expectation makes reading seem like a chore, even when they are books I request.

Glad DD is back and mom radar can go back to standby.

Sunday at 2 pm I was outside weeding with no site of anything.

At 3pm I was inside to take a shower, and noticed the light had gone orange. I thought the Idaho fire must be kicking up.

At 4 pm, the entire mountain was engulfed. No one has ever seen a fire like this and we are in fire country.

This is a time lapse video over 4 hours from the first puff of smoke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIj4b1nRfds

Quote from the comment section:

this fire started at 2"30pm and this video was being shown by 6pm. at 5pm it was estimated at 500 acres, by nightfall 10 pm it was 2000 acres, this morning at 9am it is 3500 acres. over 20 homes, and more outbuildings have burned so far, with numerous livestock and horses being reported as lost or scattered, Fire teams saying this fire is on a 250 acre per hour rate..

There are lots of other youtube videos - it's called The Roaring Lion Fire since it started on Roaring Lion Creek.



I know two families that had their homes burn. A coworker doesn't know about her house, but fears it is gone. She was allowed inside for ten minutes to retrieve her dogs - she didn't even get a change of clothes. She reported that fire was surrounding her house and her neighbor's house (another lab employee)'s house was gone. The official fire line they are building with bulldozers is on lower ground than her house - her house is within the fire zone. This is not going to end well.

I am across the valley. There is irrigated ground, the Bitterroot River, and more irrigated ground between my house and the fire. I am safe.

There is supposed to be a dry storm system go through tomorrow with gusts up to 40 mph.

Keep Hamilton, MT in your thoughts.

I am glad you are safe, Janet, but will keep those on the other side of the valley in my heart.

Ohmygosh, Janet, I'm so sad for your co-workers. Keeping you and your neighbors in my thoughts.

How awful for your friends and co-workers, Janet. I'm glad you are safe. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks, Roni, Amber & Karen.

After I wrote that last night, I listened to the fire meeting on line where the incident commander (Type 1 incident, the most serious kind with the most experienced crews)

They are working on getting fire line between the fire and the more populated sections closer to the river and the town. Due to the forecast winds this afternoon and evening, they are expecting today, Tuesday, to be 'very challenging - could be bad'.

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/roaring-lion-fire-claims-one-life-...

I fed horses after dark last night. The mountain looked straight out of Mordor. The whole mountain was black but also glowing a bit. There were areas of brightness and flames. The smoke had lifted and the top of the mountain was outlined with an orange glow on the underside of the smoke. Very creepy. There was so much smoke and ash in the air that it was absolutely dizzying - like driving in a snow storm after dark where the snow appears to come crashing into you.

Oh my, what a horrific fire. I am so glad you are safe, Janet, but my heart goes out to the people and animals in the path of the lion. I can almost imagine a lion's roaring profile on the far right of the picture you posted. My friend with a new summer home in Missoula where her son lives refuses to use it in the summer because of smoky conditions they had last year.

Your trip to Glacier Park looks fantastic, although like your ex, I would be bothered by the crowds.

I just read a book for my book group set in your part of the country. The Flood Girls by Richard Fifield was both entertaining and thought provoking. It should be a great book for discussion.

Janet I can't even imagine the fire magnitude of the Roaring Lion fire video that you sent a link to.... the speed and the devastation. Horrific.

>87 Donna828: Hi Donna- I hadn't seen the lion profile in the pic I posted - thanks for pointing it out.

I'll have to check out what you say about The Flood Girls.

>88 mdoris: Hi Mary - None of the FS people had ever seen a fire explode that quickly.

It's amazing there was no loss of life (although one man died of a heart attack during the evacuation)

One evacuee told this story on the news (wife of a loved doctor):

She stepped out of her shower on Sunday to find a fireman in full fire gear thrusting her purse at her. He told her she had less than a minute to get out of there. She yelled for her husband, gave the firefighter the dogs and headed out the door.

At which time the firefighter said, " Mam, you might want to find some clothes."

The fire did double in size on Tuesday night with the winds (7100 acres) but all homes were saved. The official count is 14 homes burned along with 50 outbuildings (garages, barns, shops). 850 homes still evacuated. The fire is moving mostly toward the south and west away from Hamilton, but there are still lots and lots of homes in its path.

And as you can imagine, the smoke is atrocious. Hooray for Amazon! I ordered new HEPA filters and carbon smoke masks on Monday morning and they arrived yesterday. You can imagine they aren't easy to find in the area. :-)

Sending prayers to all those affected by this fire! It is horrific.

Some years ago in eastern Washington, my husband and I were having breakfast and watched a very small brush fire on a nearby slope. No one seemed too concerned. About 30 minutes later, it had noticeably spread and everyone was taking notice. It is shocking how quickly something small becomes something major!

>82 streamsong: I watched the video when you posted the link and didn't return to comment. Recognizing it's a time lapse, still stunning to see the quick progression.

>89 streamsong: Loved the shower lady story! Somehow it's easier for me to imagine the fires having just read Doig's English Creek book. There is so much reference to fires (preparation and judgment) in that story! Husband here is wondering if you have read Timothy Egan, The Big Burn Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America. It is on my TBR list but he said it is fabulous and that you might like it.

Thanks for stopping by Karen, Katherine and Mary!

The smoke is down very low this morning. It's amazing how depressing living in smoke can be. There is good news in the forecast as showers are supposed to move in over the weekend.

In the meantime I finished listening to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and loved it. It took a while for me to get into the audio as I was confused with the relationships moving backward and forward in time and the heavy doses of Spanish. I'll have a review up soon. In the meantime here are comments on the last two I finished in June.

Quickie reviews starting with books most recently completed:



65. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 2 - Kiiro Yumi - 2010 - TIOLI #13. Read a book where the title includes a building or a part of one; library

The second volume of a manga series set in a Japan where the Federal government has decided to crack down on books they feel are not appropriate. Libraries are allowed to own whatever books they want, so the libraries have become a paramilitary organization dedicated to protecting books.

This is a style known as shujo – which means primarily written for young girls with lots of adolescent style crushes going on between team members.

Nevertheless it explores some interesting themes, such as the protection of a patron’s privacy, even if said patron may have been inspired to commit crimes by the themes of the book he has borrowed. It also illustrates how circumstances can create strange alliances – the library team is dedicated to upholding the law which protects the privacy of all patrons. The director of the federal forces is interested in upholding the law because his son is the one who has committed the crimes.

I don’t know Japanese society well enough to know how similar the laws are to the US privacy laws. Like the previous volume, there was one disturbing instance of a male punching a female which is part of the love/crush relationships.

Hi, Janet! Sorry, I did not hear the news about the fire. Wow! Boo about the smoke and hooray for approaching showers.

I am so glad you loved The Shipping News and I would love to revisit Oscar Wao on audio. How did he deal with those excellent footnotes?

64. Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West – 1918
TIOLII #19. Read a book about or referencing WW1;
1001
acquired 2016

Christopher Baldry is at war, in the trenches of WWI France.

At his elegant English estate, two women wait for his return. Kitty Baldry is his beautiful but superficial wife. Jenny Baldry is a cousin who loves him dearly and understands him deeply.

And then one day a third woman, Margaret West appears at the door. She is a judged to be a very common type; both the Baldry’s are rather appalled at her appearance and manner. But Margaret has a strange story – Christopher Baldry has been wounded and has written to Margaret whom he loved in his youth instead of writing to his wife or family.

On investigation her story is true. Christopher Baldry has lost his memory of the last fifteen years due to shell shock. He returns home and can be comforted by no one but his previous love, Margaret. He has no memory of his wife and is dismayed by the aging and changes of his cousin and others he knows.

What will be the key to unlocking his memory? And what will be the price?

This is a wonderful gem of a story. It’s very short and available on Project Gutenberg. One could read it in a few hours. But it’s by no means short on impact. It will definitely be appearing on my list of favorite reads for this year.

5 stars

>95 msf59: Hi Mark! Footnotes? I don't remember anything being identified as a footnote. I have a written copy, too, so I'll have to check it out and see how they were handled or if they were skipped.

I remember footnotes at the bottom of nearly every page. It might have just been incorporated into the narrative and you did not realize it.

>95 msf59: and >97 streamsong: I just pulled my World Book Night 2012 copy down, read the first page, turned to the second, and there, larger than life, was the First Footnote! The length of it reminded me of David Foster Wallace's footnotes.

>92 mdoris: Whoops, Mary I missed commenting on The Big Burn Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America. I have read it, and enjoyed it, and also would recommend The Big Blowup on the subject by Betty Goodwin Spencer. Unfortunately it's out-of-print and can be hard to find.

I have several more forest fire books on MT TBR that I keep meaning to read during fire season. I may try to book horn in Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire by Colleen Morton Busch.

>98 msf59:, >99 karenmarie: Definitely intriguing. All I know at this point, is that the narrative was not interrupted by content identified as footnotes. I still have the audio from the library and I'll dig out my print copy to see how they were (or were not) handled.

I'm catching up and reading about the fire. How scary! (I know that 's an understatement, but hard to find the right word.) I'm glad you are OK and were able to get filters and smoke masks. I've never been anywhere near a fire that big, and hope that I never am.

What heartbreaking news for your neighbors and friends. I hope the wind is short-lived and it's damage minimal, after all the rest of the destruction.

I don't see you as a blue-rinse lady Janet but I do want to sneak in with a happy belated birthday wish. xx

A belated Happy Birthday wish for you, Janet! I've moved on from blue to purple--think I like it better and it's lasting longer.

>102 tymfos: >103 countrylife: The fire is winding down. It will continue to burn towards the west into the Selway-Bitterr0ot wilderness area, but the fireline is completed between most of the homes on the valley side. Most people have been let back into their homes, although there are many homes without electricity (so no water from wells). My coworker's home is OK, although heavily smoke damaged. Her neighbor's home, which was believed burned, also made it through. But that one had fire almost up to the home and will need professional clean up crew to make it liveable again. (how would you ever get smoke out of paper product and books?) Total is 16 homes burned, many more damaged, 50 outbuidings gone..

>104 PaulCranswick: >105 ronincats: Thanks for the birthday wishes!

As I mentioned on another thread I turned the big 6-0 on Sunday.

On Saturday I had some blue extensions added to my hair to mark me as officially a blue-haired lady. Thanks for the idea, Roni! I'm told the extensions won't fade or go greenish like the blue color does. One of these days I'll get a photo up.

Roni, I'd love to see your new color, too!

We had a wonderful family dinner out on Sunday. DS is heading off to grad school in California, so he was there with a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. DD is back from her month of escorting kids around Thailand, so she was there with a beautiful bouquet and an equally beautiful Thai singing bowl. 89 yo Mom felt well enough to come and I know exactly what I plan to buy with the money she gave me. The meal was wonderful, the company grand (we stayed thee two hours talking) and a bit bittersweet since this may be the last birthday we share together.

Had lunch with coworkers yesterday and then last night, DD & I took a 'Chinese Street Food' cooking class.

Tonight I have rented a fire lookout and will be staying there by myself to watch the meteors. This is sort of a bucket list thing - I've never camped by myself.

But it's actually overcast and a bit rainy today. We've had lots of lightning storms the last few days. I'll see what the weather is like before committing to the lookout tonight. It's actually a day early for the height of the meteor shower. but the closest date I could get. But if it's cloudy, I won't be able to see anything anyway and lightning storm in a lookout tower is intense. So we'll see.

Anyway, here's a photo of the Gird Point Lookout (where I may or may not be tonight). It's about a one mile hike in.

Belated happy birthday Janet!

The lookout looks like a nice place for retreat, I hope the clouds will fade in time :-)

What a very cool way to celebrate the BIG 6-0 in a fire lookout. Happy Birthday and best wishes.

Happy Belated 60th, Janet! Big hugs from the Midwest! Snag any new books?

Hi Janet! Happy Belated Birthday, too! It sounds like a wonderful time with your family, and I'm impressed with the blue hair extensions.

I just finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and once I imagined myself sitting in the theater and watching it, was able to handle that it was a play quite well.

I hope you had a marvelous time at the fire lookout.

Belated birthday greetings, Janet. That lookout tower is amazing. What a cool idea. Did the heavens cooperate?
I'm in the last year of my sixties (almost) and haven't even started on my bucket list!

The lookout was fun, but the heavens didn't cooperate and I didn't see any meteorites.

I'm proud of myself for all the "I can't do that challenges" I overcame, starting with an hour long 15 mile drive on a single lane twisty road. I drove the 3/4 ton Dodge Ram truck that used to be my Dad's. I was very happy not to meet anyone coming the other way, as I worried about backing it up to a safe passing place when there was a large dropoff on the edge. The last mile or so was very washed out, although I didn't ever need to put it in four wheel drive.

The climb was steeper than I expected - my elderly golden almost didn't make it. During the last steep climb, every time I'd stop to pant, she'd turn around and head downhill. "Ok Mom, we're done, let's go home and have supper."

Here's the inside of the lookout, complete with the fire finder (Wikipedia: The Osborne Fire Finder is a type of alidade used by fire lookouts in order to find a directional bearing (azimuth) to smoke )



and a photo of the wooden bound log book along with my current reading:



The stars were incredibly bright and beautiful. I got up several times during the night to check for meteorites, but, alas, although all the websites assured me there would be some on the night of the tenth, I did not see any.

Granted it was very, very cold up there at night, and even with my winter coat, the wind was howling hard enough to make it very unpleasant to stay outside any length of time to search for the meteorites. The wind was straight out of the north. Once, as I rounded the corner on the east side, I was slammed backwards and was very glad there was a railing on the catwalk!

Happy ending though. The night after I came home, I woke up about 4:30 am and went outside and the meteorites were everywhere! Big ones, small ones, every few seconds. It would have been so amazing if they had shown up the night before - but I can always try to catch it again next year.

Here is a wonderful youtube video of Gird Point Lookout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5QcJzH3hn4

The forest service person interviewed is Mary Williams, the recently retired historian on the forest. I took Latin classes with her at the U of M back in the 70"s.

And here I am with my blue locks.

love the blue locks!

Even though it wasn't at the lookout, I'm glad you saw the meteorites. My husband went out the night of the 10th on our front porch and saw them..... I was snug in the bed, probably snoring!

When our daughter was little, there was a Leonids meteorite shower that was absolutely stunning - we froze to death but drank hot chocolate, huddled near the space heater, and watched them for about 2 hours or so. We could hear our neighbors out oohing! and aahing! too, about 400 feet from us.

>114 streamsong: Fun blue! And congrats on overcoming obstacles even though the meteorites stayed home.

>114 streamsong: I like it! You look adventurous and spunky!

>114 streamsong: Cutting edge rather than blue-rinse, Janet.

Happy Sunday, Janet! Hooray for blue locks.

Nice photos, Janet!

I like your blue, Janet!! So fun! And that time lapse video of the fire is stunning and staggering.

I am late to wish you happy for your birthday - sounds like you did an excellent job of it.

Belated birthday greetings! Sounds like you had an interesting day!

>115 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel! It makes me smile.

>116 karenmarie: What a great memory, Karen! DD has said that next year she'd love to come with me and she also brought up the idea of hot chocolate.

>117 qebo: Thanks, Katherine! Yes, it was the challenge of the thing and doing it was very satisfying even though as you said, the meteorites stayed home.

>118 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda! I guess I'm trying to convince myself that I am adventurous and spunky. Fake it until you make it you know. It's so good to see you here posting on my thread. Your courage has been an inspiration to me.

>119 PaulCranswick: >120 msf59: >121 kidzdoc: Hi Paul, Mark and Darryl!It's so good to see you stop by here. Thanks for the comments and birthday wishes.

I must get in to work. I'll catch up with the rest in a bit. I so appreciate everyone stopping by!

>113 streamsong: LOVE the fire lookout! I don't really have a bucket list but if I did, this would be on it. We watched for meteors from the barn yard tucked in the back of the truck with an air mattress. I made it to 30 before heading back to the house. Bob saw 74.

>122 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! Yes the fire was incredibly fast moving! Glad you appreciate my hair.

Several of the ladies at the table where Mom has meals are a bit offended by it, I think. Most of them sport lovely gray hair - not a touch of blue. But then, I think they are mostly not appreciative on the color-on-hair trend. As my Mom said when we went out to eat and a waitress had bright red hair - "If she wants color on her hair, why doesn't she just wear a hat!"

>123 tymfos: Thank you Terri!

>125 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I'm glad you saw the meteors. The kids and I used to watch them from sleeping bags out in the yard.

The lookout was fun., although bucket list isn't quite the right term, since I don't plan on kicking it anytime soon. :-) But I am going to try to be a bit more active and adventurous.

Having completed only four books this month so far, you'd think I'd be up to date on reviews.

66. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - 2007
- July GeoCAT -- Central America and the Caribbean - Dominican Republic;
- Pulitzer Prize Challenge;
- 1001;
- Aug TIOLI # 14. Read a book which has both a preposition and a homophone in the title; - ROOT #21/50; acquired 2012 = 4 ROOT points 66/225;
- listened to audio



Oscar de Leon (dubbed Oscar Wao in honor of his delight in Doctor Who) is not your typical guy from the Dominican Republic. He is obsessed with geek culture, fantasy worlds and hopes to be the next JRR Tolkien. He loves video games, and, oh yes, is well over three hundred pounds. As his roommate, Yunior, says he has ‘no game’ with the girls, but longs for a relationship. When Oscar falls for something or someone, he falls hard.

The narrator is not Oscar but Oscar’s sometime roommate Yunior – another Dominican, but the exact opposite of Oscar. Yunior, with great pride in his ability as a lady’s man, is in love with Oscar’s sister Lola and so often ends up trying to befriend Oscar at Lola’s behest. Thus Yunior’s attempt at being Oscar’s mentor and roommate. However, Junior, can neither change nor understand Oscar – and often this leads to rifts which Yunior sometimes regrets.

This is also the story of the Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, and the story of Oscar’s family, torn apart by his brutal regime. There is a lot of Dominican history here; not only the viscious Trujillo days, but the consequences of that realm, which, in many ways, didn’t really end with Trujillo’s assassination in 1962. The Dominican refugee/immigrant experience in America is also plays it’s part.

The novel is fast and often brutal, with a mix of Spanish/Spanglish dialogue peppered into the text. While this made this hard to follow on the audio, it added immensely to the authenticity of the experience. If you like your reading on the tamer side, you might be happy to know that many of the vulgarities are in Spanish.

Even though the book’s title makes the ending inevitable, I still was saddened by the ending. Oscar is a character that I won’t soon forget.

67 . Elizabeth Costello - J. M. Coetzee - 2003
- June Geocat: Australia & New Zealand
- 1001
- TIOLI # 6 Read a bucket list book (1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die)
- ROOT #22/50; acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point 67/225

Elizabeth Costello is a writer, quickly passing her physical prime as well as her writing prime. She is most well known for a book published decades ago.

She is now earning her living on the lecture and award circuit.

This book consists of chapters – or lessons - as the book calls them - of some of her addresses and her interactions with other speakers and her family. They cover such topics as reality, animal rights, African fiction, and the last section, and the most interesting to me, was on judgment in the afterlife and belief systems.

After the last of the lessons, is an excerpt from Hugo von Hofmannsthal's short work 'Letter of Lord Chandos to Lord Bacon' (1902), and then a further addition by Lord Chandos' wife, written by Coetzee. According to some reviews, these two bits contain the key to the book.

I did find the short letter n the internet. And while, it did make clearer some of Elizabeth Costello's motivations such as a writer's words drying up as they age, I think most of the philosophical bits went over my head.

Beautifully written, but lacks quite a bit in flow, and motivation is only to be found with a bit of research on the internet.

3 stars.

68. Atonement - Ian McEwan - 2001
- August BAC
- 1001
- Aug TIOLI #11. Read any book where a word in the title has one more or 1 less letter than the previous book on the list
- audiobook, library

Thirteen year old Briony is the youngest child of an upper class English family. Being somewhat isolated and introverted, she turns to writing, especially fairy tales and melodrama.

Then one day she opens a note sent by their charwoman’s son, Robbie Turner, to her older sister Cecilia. Robbie has sent the wrong version, leaving the one he meant to send on the table. This one is x-rated and shocking to Briony. When Briony later sees Tom and Cecillia later in an intimate moment, she is sure that Tom is a sex-lunatic.

Little wonder then, when she finds her cousin also loving a man in the darkness, she jumps to the conclusion that it was Robbie carrying forth an attack. She upholds this statement firmly to the police, while her cousin blushes and remains silent.

And so we have the title Atonement and lots of questions. Should the word a thirteen year old be taken when no other evidence exists? Is she more responsible than a pair of lovers who keep quiet? Who is atonement really helping – the victim or the perpetrator. Does it really exist, or is there only forgiveness or the lack thereof?

I enjoyed the storytelling and writing. Like the only other McEwan book I’ve read, The Children's Act, it left me with many questions to ponder.

4 stars

I just finished the book for my real life book club, The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee. It's a really engrossing story of a woman who escaped from North Korea.

Here's her TED talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/hyeonseo_lee_my_escape_from_north_korea

Because of the international interest in the talk, the book was written. It's much more detailed and suspenseful. I'll get the full review done soon!

>130 streamsong: Wow, Janet! I just watched that TED talk. She tells an amazing story. Thanks for sharing.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Karen! It should make a good book club discussion on Thursday.

And I've got to warble a bit about my current book: an LTER called Engineering Eden about bear management in Yellowstone Park. It's a combination of a great history of Yellowstone and the natural history of bears, especially the bear/human interactions in the Park. Ultimately, it's about a lawsuit brought by a man's family whom a grizzly killed. But it's a whole lot more.

Janet, I am very interested in your current read. As mentioned, we vacationed in Yellowstone and it is a remarkable place. I'll be sure to read this one.

Engineering Eden sounds fascinating! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I have a college friend who lives in Belgrade MT and if she hasn't heard of this book, I'll make sure knows about it too.

I've been trying to cut down on book buying recently (!) but I am having lunch with a friend and then we are walking across the street to the local indie bookstore. I have a gift card from there that still has more than enough to buy this book with.....

Hi Linda and Karen!

The funny thing is that there is another Yellowstone book newly out that I am also interested in.

I was sitting in my chiropractor's waiting room flipping through a National Geographic that was entirely devoted to Yellowstone Park. (You'll see why this was funny if you read the below link). Then I saw that the entire issue had been written by David Quammen, a science writer whose book Spillover I really liked.

And I saw that it was going to be expanded into a book called Yellowstone: A Journey Through America's Wild Heart with photographs by the National Geographic photographers.

So I was interested. And then I found that he will be in Missoula signing the new book the first week of September. I'd love to hear him talk, so I will probably go. Other LT'ers (can't remember who - Katherine maybe?) have said he was at the Washington DC book fair a few years back, but it was so crowded they couldn't get in - so it will be a treat to hear him.

Here's his web site : http://www.davidquammen.com/

Happy Friday, Janet. Good reviews of Oscar Wao and Atonement. I liked both books too. I have still not read Coetzee. Bad Mark?

I am loving The Hour of Land. Her writing is gorgeous. Have you read her before?

>132 streamsong: Both the books look good...still longing for a trip to the West.

>135 streamsong: Katherine maybe?
Good memory! Yes, he was at the National Book Festival, interviewed by Steve Inskeep of NPR: https://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7014 . And I did see it. (E. O. Wilson was the one that was way way way poorly planned overcrowded.)

why this was funny
Heh, I do.

>136 msf59: Hi Mark! Happy Saturday to you! This was my first Coetzee and several people in the 1001 group said it was not one of his best. But he has 10 books listed on the combined 06/08/10/12 1001 Books To Read Before You Die (which is actually a total 1305 books) with only Charles Dickens equaling that number. I believe Coetzrr is on the Booker long list this year .... so I think we both need to read him - but my recommendation is to start somewhere other than Elizabeth Costello :-)

>137 witchyrichy: Hi Karen - Hope you make it. And perhaps, if you visit Glacier, we may even meet up!

>138 qebo: Hi Katherine - Happy Saturday! I remembered half of it right, anyway. Thanks so much for the link - I don't have time for the 42 minute interview this morning, but I'll be sure to listen to it later. What do you think? Would you drive an hour drive after work to go and hear him?

Happy weekend Janet! :D How cool that David Quammen will be in Missoula next month. Hope you get time to see him!

Hi, Janet. I hope you are having a good weekend. Have the fires been quenched?

>129 streamsong: I'm glad you enjoyed the McEwan, Janet. He is a deceptively challenging author don't you think?

>138 qebo: Thanks again for the link, Katherine. I really enjoyed the interview. I had no idea David Quammen did not have a background science, or in writing either for that matter. I'm now even more impressed with Spillover.

>140 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! Happy Weekend! David Quammen actually lives in Bozeman, so you'd think I would have crossed paths with him before - but that hasn't happened. I will definitely try to see him.

>141 ronincats: Hi Roni! The fires are sort of quenched. The one across the valley has good fireline between fire and homes. The final outcome was 16 homes lost and 50 outbuildings. It continues to burn to the westward, toward the Montana/ Idaho border and I can still see occasional flames at night. It won't be out entirely until snow comes.

We're also getting quite a bit of smoke from several fires in the Idaho wilderness. Luckily, it blows out pretty well by morning so far, although it can be miserable-ish in the evenings.

>142 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! You are absolutely right - 'deceptively challenging' is a great phrase!

Woot! Just found out that the National Education Association's Big Read event in Missoula is Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich. Although Erdrich will not be there, it will be a month of dozens of very interesting Native American activities.

Here's the link for anyone interested in just how awesome it can be when a library, bookstores, local businesses, art museum, Salish and Kootenai Tribe and University come together to sponsor events:

http://www.neabigread.org/communities/?community_id=2115

It's really hard to get there after work - but I'll earmark several of them to attend. Beware of happy ravings mid-September through mid-October.

Part of it coincides with the Montana Festival of the Book which has a session honoring Salish & Kootenai Tribal member Debra Magpie Earling and Anne Hillerman as a featured author.

COMPLETED IN AUGUST:

66. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz - 2007; July GeoCAT -- Central America and the Caribbean -Global Reading: Dominican Republic; Pulitzer Prize Challenge; 1001;Aug TIOLI # 14. Read a book which has both a preposition and a homophone in the title; ROOT #21/50; acquired 2012 = 4 ROOT points 66/225; listened to audio

67 . Elizabeth Costello - J. M. Coetzee - 2003 - June Geocat: Australia & New Zealand; 1001, TIOLI #6 Read a bucket list book (1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die); ROOT #22/50; acquired 2015 = 1 ROOT point 67/225

68. Atonement - Ian McEwan - 2001 - August BAC; 1001; Aug TIOLI #11. Read any book where a word in the title has one more or 1 less letter than the previous book on the list; audiobook, library

69. Any Other Name - Craig Johnson - 2014 - Longmire Group Read; TIOLI #9. Read a Western; ROOT #23/50; ac'd 2015 - 1 ROOT point = 68/225

70. The Girl With Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee - 2015 - RL Brown Bag Book Club; Global Reading: North Korea; acquired 2016

71. Black Water - Joyce Carol Oates - 1992 - August AAC - TIOLI # 4. Read a book by an author with a unisex given name; 1001 Books to read before you die; library

72. Engineering Eden - Jordan Fisher Smith - 2016; LTER; TIOLI # 13. Read a book which starts with an order; acquired 2016

And What I'm Reading Now (Ain't gonna start nothin else till these are done!!!!)

Oscar Wao has been on my TBR stack for way too long now. I will try and book horn him in soon. I love the blue locks! I have a white streak that bothers me...hmmmm. Is it permanent? Maybe I'll wait u till next year when I turn 70. I figure anything goes when I am that age!

Too bad you didn't see meteors from the tower. Glad you got to see them the next night. I so wanted to see the Northern Lights when we were in northern Michigan a week or so ago. No luck. Of course, they have been spotted in various magnificent colors since then. I'll just have to enjoy the Facebook postings.

>147 Donna828: Hi Donna- good to see you!

I think it would be awesome for you to sport hair color for your seventieth! Mine are actually extensions, which I could remove at any time. My hairdresser told me that blue dye tends to fade to green, which is why she recommended the extensions.

Oscar Wao was really good, but the language is a bit rough - luckily a lot of that is in Spanish.

I've only seen the Northern Lights once, and didn't even recognize what I was seeing until my friend pointed out what they were. In my defense, we were driving at night in Colorado - it was some sort of anomaly that they were that far south.

Happy Sunday, Janet! August was a good month for you reading-wise! It's nice when there are no loser books.

Hi Mamie - Thanks for stopping by! I don't remember ever reading fewer books than I did in August. I'm not sure what happened, although I believe the heavy forest fire smoke had something to do with it.

This morning it is still only 47 degrees (I had to start the propane furnace). We've had a nice soaky rain all night and I'm sure it has been snowing on the surrounding mountains. So hooray! Even if it's cold it's probably the fire-ending event we needed. I'm hoping it will lead to an absolutely beautiful fall.

I have a quiet day planned for today. I'm trying to finish Jimmy Bluefeather a wonderful novel set in Alaska. Someone had mentioned the National Outdoor Book Awards on their thread, and since this is one of the few fiction works honored, I thought I'd give it a try. Author Kim Heacox has written extensively about Alaska and this one is absolutely poetic. Funny and heartbreaking and I feel like I'm right there in the handcarved canoe with the whales. I'll definitely try more by this author.

Other stuff today: Reading, LT, housecleaning, barbeque tonight at Mom's retirement village.

The upcoming week is extremely busy:

Tuesday evening a Vietnamese cooking class in Missoula with DD.

Wednesday - a presentation here in town by extreme canoeist Tyler Bradt. If you've ever watched a few minutes of an adventure show with a crazy person an extreme athlete canoeing off waterfalls or the like, that may well have been Tyler. He's the son of a friend.

Several videos and TV segments here: https://www.facebook.com/Tyler.W.Bradt/

And Friday is the David Quammen talk/signing in Missoula.

69. Any Other Name - Craig Johnson - 2014
- Longmire Group Read
- TIOLI #9. Read a Western;
ROOT #23/50; acquired 2015 - 1 ROOT point = 68/225

Walt Longmire is asked by his old friend, Lucian Connelly, to investigate the suicide of an old friend. Naturally, Walt agrees to take the case.

The suicide, once Walt gives it a good poke, is far more complicated than it seems. He soon finds out that not only was the old friend a cop, but the wife is one of Lucian's long ago girl friends. There is also the small matter of three missing women in the town.

Walt gets tangled in the complicated case, even though daughter his Cady will be producing Walt’s first grandchild momentarily, and fully expects her father to be present.

There are lots of good interactions and humor between Walt and his friend Henry Standing Bear. Other western details I especially enjoyed include finding oneself in a blizzard afoot in a herd of bison, and the detailing of the Historic Lodge in the Black Hills that once acted as the Summer White house. If you are a train aficionado, the coal trains play a large part as well.

Even with the good moments, this installment seemed a little recycled to me. Walt himself tells a cabby there are statistically only twenty murders a year in Wyoming. (How many have occurred in the last year in these books? No wonder he's now working on one in South Dakota.) The crime is one we have seen before, although in another form. And the question of Walt making it out alive, much less in time to be at the grandchild’s birth didn’t really engage me. I found this question much too similar to whether Walt would make it to Cady’s wedding in a previous volume.

Still fun, lots of great original western details and humor even if the suspense was lacking.

70. The Girl With Seven Names - Hyeonseo Lee - 2015
- RL Brown Bag Book Club
- Global Reading: North Korea
- August TIOLI #11. Read any book where a word in the title has one more or 1 less letter than the previous book on the list
- acquired 2016

Hyeonseo Lee was born and raised in North Korean. The city she lived was quite prosperous, second only to the capitol city of Pyongyang, where the ruling elite lived. Because Lee's city was separated from China only by a narrow river, the city's prosperity was built on smuggling goods from China and sending them onward to Pyongyang. Many of Lee's relatives, including her mother, made their living by smuggling.

Lee grew up in the totalitarian state, where all thoughts were absolutely controlled. The ruling Kim’s were regarded as gods with mythologies built around them. North Korea propaganda assured her that North Korea was the most prosperous nation in the world, and that it's enemies, especially its arch-enemies, South Korea, the US and Japan, were so jealous as to stop at nothing to bring the country down. Citizens of Korea had no way of disputing this as access to information is absolutley controled.

Lee began questioning this however, after seeing people dying in the streets from famine, as well as noticing that although North Korea seldom had electricity, the lights from nearby China shown brightly.

It’s little wonder then, that Lee decided to cross the river into China and see a bit of the world before she turned eighteen. She was under the impression that by doing it before she reached her legal majority, she would be considered a child and there would be no sanctions against her even if she was caught. Lee expected to be gone only overnight, helped by her mother’s smuggling contacts to visit some distant cousins in China. In reality, it was the last time she would live in North Korea, as a return there could result in her own and her family’s deaths.

Her life as an illegal Korean in China was very hard and required quick wits and multiple identities. If she had been discovered, China would have immediately deported her back to North Korea and almost certain death. If she could reach South Korea, she would have political asylum, but it was a difficult road that she travelled as she was determined to also free her younger brother and mother. And interestingly enough, South Koreans view North Korean refugees as very low class.

I found this to be a vivid portrait of life in North Korea and the experiences of those who manage to escape. . One of the book's most stunning statements was that North Koreans have no personal idea of human rights – the entire notion, which we cherish but often take for granted, is foreign to the citizens of North Korea, who exist only at the pleasure of the regime.

Highly recommended.

>152 streamsong: Onto the wishlist it goes.

>153 qebo: Hi Katherine! I think you'll like it!

I've finished two:



Jimmy Bluefeather is absolutely excellent! This one needs to be picked up by one of the major warblers here on LT since I haven't seen it mentioned.

and my audiobook:



On the Move is an interesting life by an interesting guy.

Onto my next audio for September Series & Sequels and also a ROOT that's been on Planet TBR since 2013:

Woot! Yesterday was my ten year thingaversary!

I still have 22 books that I entered in 2006 that are unread. Sigh.

Belated Happy 10th Thingaversary!

>155 streamsong: Happy Thingaversary! Gonna get the 10 books plus one you've earned? It's a tradition, you know. :)

Happy Thingaversary, Janet!

Congrats on the 10 years with LT. Wow, that's great!

Happy thingaversary. You are brave to look at the books you entered back in 2006. I might try it (mine comes up in March, so a while to go yet).

>152 streamsong: This sounds good. I've got How I Became a North Korean out from the library to read at the moment.

I've added The Girl with Seven Names to Mount TBR.

Congrats on your 10th Thingaversary! My 10th is in October. Amazing we've been around so long, huh?

Happy Thingaversary, Janet!

Thanks for stopping by and for the good wishes, Anita, Karen, Roni, Mary, Charlotte, Morphy and Darryl!

>157 karenmarie: I think I'll skip acquiring the 11 books for my anniversary. What a first world problem to have - a huge pile of unread books! I'm thinking about alternatives. Should I donate some books? Maybe clean out 11 from the TBR pile and/or 11 from the read books? Perhaps donate to donorschoose.org to buy some books for a classroom? Maybe all of the above? Who knows? I look at my list of acquired books in >8 streamsong: and feel so rich, but I'm sure not getting the ones I've purchased this year read to say nothing about my ROOTS challenge.

Yesterday I went to David Quammen's talk in Missoula coinciding with the release of his new book Yellowstone: A Journey Through America's Wild Heart.



And I splurged on the book, which, being richly illustrated with photos from National Geographics's wonderful photographers is sheer eye candy. His talk was very engaging, but very similar to the facts that I garnered from Engineering Eden. It will be interesting to read this book and see how the perspectives differ, but it will be a few months until I get to it.

>160 charl08: I saw you mention How I Became a North Korean on your thread, Char, and thought it sounded interesting. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it.

>161 Morphidae: I hope you enjoy it, Morphy! Cool that our anniversaries are so close. LT has really increased the breadth of my reading and I love my reading friendships. Here is to many more years!

Another September review:



71. Black Water - Joyce Carol Oates - 1992
- August AAC
- 1001 Books
- TIOLI # 4. Read a book by an author with a unisex given name
- library

This is a re-imagining of the Chappaquiddick Incident in which a probably drunk Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car into a river, drowning his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. According to Wikipedia, Senator Kennedy failed to call for help for nine hours after the accident and there is evidence that Mary Jo died of suffocation rather than drowning.

In this short novella the senator is only identified as ‘The Senator’, however his life details are quite clear, including the assassination of his brother Bobby. Mary Jo Kopechne is given the fictional name Kelly Kelleher.

The story plays out from Kelly’s viewpoint as she is dying. She recalls her life, her growing beyond her parents, her decision to attend the swank party where she meets her political idol, The Senator. And finally her fatal decision to leave with him.

Beautifully written. Haunting and haunted. This is one I won’t forget for a long time.

>163 streamsong: I like the thought of donating books instead of buying them for your thingaversary, Janet!

>163 streamsong: Glad you enjoyed meeting him, Janet. The book looks beautiful.

>163 streamsong: Should I donate some books?
Hah, maybe after year 10 on LT it can be assumed that the books need to go in the opposite direction.

I went to David Quammen's talk in Missoula
Oh, glad you got there, and glad the trip was worthwhile.

>146 streamsong: I love that clothbound cover of Great Expectations. I'm waiting for an excuse to buy something in that range.

>154 streamsong: I'm reading Halucinations, my first Oliver Sacks book. Well, when I say reading, I put it down a couple of months ago but picked it up again today. I like his writing style, sort of conversational. It certainly sounds like he has had an interesting life.

Happy Sunday, Janet. Good review of Black Water. That one sounds very good. Glad your JCO pick was a memorable one.

The Yellowstone book sounds like a keeper too.

Hi Janet!

>164 streamsong: I've always been haunted by the Mary Jo Kopechne incident. Black Water added to my wishlist.

>163 streamsong: That book looks lovely.

And Black Water sounds quite interesting. I will add it to the wishlist.

I know I've been warbling a bit on my own thread about The Hour of Land but I do recommend it, especially as an audiobook (narrated by the author).

You're getting close to that 75 mark.....

>165 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Good to see you as always. I haven't done anything with the donating books yet - still thinking.

On Linda's thread she mentioned a book by Elizabeth Berg called Make Someone Happy. I ordered a copy, and am reading one of the blog posts in the book each morning. It's a good uplifting way to start the day.

>166 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel - Yes, David Quammen was a very good speaker. I'll be interested to see what his next project is. I would have bought a copy of Spillover for him to sign, but alas, the book store didn't have one. He mentioned that he would be meeting with one of the high profile guys from our lab in Boston this next week on the opening of a BL4 (high containment high security) lab there. So I think he is still interested in the microbial world. He also said that he is under contract for 3 articles a year for National Geographic.

>167 qebo: Hi Katherine! "Hah, maybe after year 10 on LT it can be assumed that the books need to go in the opposite direction."
Exactly! I'll never do a Kondo decluttering of my books, but getting rid of a few around the edges is a good thing. Releasing them for others to enjoy.

>168 eclecticdodo: Hi Jo! That volume of Great Expectations was actually pretty reasonably priced. Umm, less than $20 which isn't bad for a splurge.

I see you're following along with Emma. Me too! I just read it last year, so I'm not rereading it, but lurking on the tutoring is fascinating.

Oliver Sacks mentioned in his memoir that he felt that writing up unusual case studies in an easy way seems have been his mission in life- he was interested in doing it from a very young age.

Off to walk the dog and get ready for work. It's 29 degrees F here this morning --- Brrrr!

>172 streamsong: yes, I'm really surprised by how much I'm enjoying Emma. I'm actually thinking I might invest in a nice print edition (currently have e-book and audiobook - the narration of which is excellent by the way).

It's got up to 29deg C here, despite being September and having a massive thunderstorm at lunchtime!w

Yikes, 29F brrrr indeed!
Great review of Black Water,by JCO. It has been added to my list.

>169 msf59: Hi Mark - Hope you have a wonderful week! That was the first JCO book that I've read. I've really been enjoying your American Authors challenge. I haven't read every month, but I haven't read an author I didn't like.

But I may have to go more lightly on the author challenges. Big sigh. I am so far behind on my ROOTS challenge and I really truly need/want to get 50 of the oldies read.

Not to mention having 3 LTER books to read.

And 6 library books. I picked up the last of my holds yesterday from the library - Homegoing which has been much-warbled about here on LT.

>170 karenmarie: , >171 EBT1002: >174 mdoris: Karen, Ellen and Mary:Black Water was really disturbing. It's very short, and you know the ending. I'm not sure I'm hoping you 'enjoy' it. but as I said, haunting and haunted.

>171 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I've added The Hour of Land to my list on my home page of friends' recommendations. It sounds wonderful, but for right now I need to hit the ROOTS. Where has this year gone?

>173 eclecticdodo: Yay for Austen and lyzard! She has tutoring threads in the archives for the other big 5 Austen's. All of them are so excellent!

A little warmer here this morning - 38 degrees F. It should get into the 70's again today. We should be having a lovely golden fall with the early freeze last night.

I'm off work this morning as Mom is in congestive heart failure. I need to take her back to the cardiologist with trips to xray and lab for blood work (BNP levels) before the doctor's appointment. The whole thing takes several hours, but my boss is being very understanding. I think she's a bit better than last week - still very short of breath but less swelling in her legs.

Last of the September Reviews:



72. Engineering Eden - Jordan Fisher Smith - 2016;
- LTER;
- TIOLI # 13. Read a book which starts with an order;
- acquired 2016

From the Cover: “In 1972, a young man named Harry Walker left his home on a farm in Alabama to find himself. Nineteen days later he was killed by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone national park.”

After Harry Walker's death by a grizzly in Yellowstone, his family brought a lawsuit against the Park claiming that Yellowstone had withheld vital knowledge about bear activity from its tourists/visitors which directly brought about Harry's death.

And there was truth in that statement. In the late 60's and early 70's, Yellowstone biologists had decided to return bears to a more natural state and to quit feeding them at dumpsites as a tourist spectacle. This left the bears, accustomed to human food, prowling campgrounds searching for food instead of returning to natural food sources. In addition, the Park was severely under-reporting bear/human incidents including a bloody scalp at a ruined campsite, although no body was found.

Harry Walker, on the other hand, was camped illegally. How much did his actions contribute to his death?

Harry's death and subsequent lawsuit make up only a small portion of this book. Instead, author Jordan Fisher Smith traces the history of Yellowstone and its various practices and theories of its wildlife population management to give readers a thorough understanding of how the practices in 1970 came about, and how they vary from practices today as well as at earlier times from the park's inception a hundred years ago.

I enjoyed the way the various threads tied together forming a clear picture of management controversies and the personalities of the people involved with them, including well known names such as Frank and Charles Craighead and Starker Leopold. I found the writing informative but not dry- a great example of narrative non-fiction.

I do believe that the final chapters giving a brief outline of management incidents in Glacier and Sequoia National Park – which also included not only bear, but also tourist and fire management, to be a bit outside the scope of this book. All of these additional incidents are examples of 'Engineering Eden' but might be worthy of a separate book.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the National Parks, Yellowstone Park and wildlife.

***ETA*** I meant to mention that Jordan Fisher Smith will be speaking at the Montana Festival of the Book next week. He's one of the authors that I am looking forward to hearing speak.

I am having too much fun with a facebook meme that I know I've seen before but is tickling my funny bone as we go into the Halloween season.

Add 'With a chainsaw' to the title of the last book you've read.

My Last two Books:

"On the Move: A Life With a Chainsaw"
"The Dance of Anger With a Chainsaw"

I'm currently reading:

"Great Expectations With a Chainsaw"
"The Man in the Wooden Hat With a Chainsaw"
"The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy With a Chainsaw"

What are you reading?

Last read not so good: "Miss Dornton's Hero With a Chainsaw"

but current reading fun:
"Great Expectations With a Chainsaw"
"Until I Find You With a Chainsaw" - yikes!
"All Cry Chaos With a Chainsaw"

I'm sorry about your mother's congestive heart failure but glad to hear that she's better this week than last week.

The Cat Who Walks through Walls with a Chainsaw

I am sorry to read about your mothers problem, hope all went well.

The meme makes me reading now:
"The voyage of the Beagle with a chainsaw"
"The sweetness at the bottom of the pie with a chainsaw"

:-)

All over the group, people are talking seriously about Booker nominees and literature.

Karen, Morphy, and Anita - thanks so much for being silly with me. I love all the titles you guys have posted. They are making me laugh!

Mom's appointment didn't go well yesterday. Although the swelling in her legs has gone down, she still has quite a bit of fluid in her lungs. And her heart, which is usually beating way too fast has slowed down to a dangerous level. The cardiologist took her off several medicines in the hopes that her heart rate would increase. I take her in again on Friday for another EKG and they will decide about putting in a pacemaker.

My boss is still being wonderful about me being in and out to get Mom to her appointments. The one yesterday took three hours again. Chest xray, lab, doctor, EKG, doctor.

Hi, Janet. Good review of Engineering Eden. It definitely sounds like something I would like.

Thanks for the update on your Mom. I hope things begin to look better.

Look forward to your thoughts on Homegoing.

I'm chuckling about On the Move with a chainsaw. Sounds like a Simpson’s treehouse of horror episode.

How I Became a North Korean with a Chainsaw?
(I suppose at least it's not with a missile)

>182 streamsong: I'm sorry things are so difficult with your mom. *hugs*

Happy weekend Janet! Sorry about the troubles with your mom.

Keeping you and your mom in my thoughts, Janet. Big hugs to you both.

>183 msf59: Hi Mark - Thanks for stopping by. I think you would enjoy Engineering Eden. The next one I need to review, Jimmy Bluefeather is the one I was warbling about on your thread. It will be one of my favorite books of the year.

Thanks for all the good wishes about Mom, Mark, Charlotte, Morphy, Rachel and Amber. She goes into the hospital in Missoula on Sunday and they will insert a pacemaker on Monday. Her symptoms are increasing rapidly, so there is a chance they may have to do it before then on an emergency basis.

I'm taking the whole next week off. If things go well with Mom, I'll go the Festival of the Book in Missoula. If they don't go so well, I'll be at hand.

I'm sorry about your Mom, Janet and hope that the hospital visit for the pacemaker goes well.

>188 streamsong: Sorry about your mom's continuing health troubles. Good that your job is allowing you the flexibility to help out as needed.

>154 streamsong: AND
>163 streamsong: Both books are on the tbr pile.

I hope your mother adjusts to the pacemaker. And, how wonderful that your boss is supportive in your need to be with your mother. I also have flexibility in my job, and it is one of the major reasons I've stayed in academia for 32 years.

All the best to you.

I hope that your mother's problems are sorted out soon, Janet.

Morning Janet! Keep us updated about Mom's progress.

>178 streamsong: As Good as Gone With A Chainsaw. What a fun meme!

Belated congratulations on ten years of LT, Janet. I love the idea of a one-book splurge such as your Yellowstone book and then donating some books. I will do that on my Thingaversary in March.

So sorry about your mother's setback. It's good that you have an understanding boss and can be nearby while she is hospitalized. My prayers are with both of you.

>178 streamsong: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress with a Chainsaw

Unfortunately Mom's heart stopped Friday before the appointment for the pacemaker on Monday.

She was revived but is not doing very well. She will probably be going to hospice. My brother is coming today from Tempe.

>196 streamsong: Oh, I'm sorry. Thinking of you.

>196 streamsong: I'm so sorry. It must be a very difficult time for you right now. My heart goes out to you and your family. *hugs*

If you want to hold off on the book for now, just let me know.

>196 streamsong: So sorry to read about your Mom, Janet, sending comforting thoughts.

Prayers for you, your Mom, and your family.

Janet, I am so, so sorry to hear about your mother. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Sorry to hear the news, Janet. You are in our prayers.

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother, Janet. I'll say a prayer for her and your family.

What a tough time you must be having. Very sorry to hear about your mom. Thinking of you and family.

oh I'm so sorry. Praying that you will all have peace in the situation

>196 streamsong: Just to add my sympathy at such a tough time.

Hi Janet. I'm stopping in to see how your mother is doing. I'm so sorry that she is not doing well. I send gentle hugs and prayers.

So sorry about your mother, Janet. You & your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

I am so sad about your mother, Janet. It's good that your brother will be with you. Peaceful prayers for your mother.

I'm sorry, too, Janet. I'm keeping you and your mom in my thoughts.

Thanks for the support, everyone.

Mom is in cardiac care in Missoula. It's a really really long story, so I won't even try to explain. She'll be moved to a rehab center this week.

You must be exhausted, Janet. I'm keeping you and your mother in my thoughts and prayers. Long distance hugs, too!

Finished the audio of:



Started listening to :



Not much reading going on, but I have been working on:

Glad to see you back with us and that your mom is being cared for.

Your mom is a tough one. I'm rooting for her! The fact that she'll be going to a rehab center speaks volumes. I just finished Homecoming this morning. It's as good as everyone has been telling us.

Thanks for the update regarding your mother. I stopped by to see if there was any new information. I continue to thing of you and send prayers and hugs.

Thank you Morphy, Donna and Linda. I appreciate your continuing support. Things are very up and down for Mom. It was a perfect storm of things going wrong and she will have a long way to come back.

73. Jimmy Bluefeather - Kim Heacox - 2015
- TIOLI #11. Read a book about moving house or taking a trip;
library

From the jacket description:

”Old Keb Wisting is somewhere around ninety-five years old (he lost count awhile ago) and in constant pain and thinks he wants to die. He also thinks he thinks too much. Part Norwegian and part Tlingit Native (“with some Filipino and Portuguese thrown in”), he’s the last living canoe carver in the village of Jinkaat, in Southeast Alaska. "

I found this book through the list of National Outdoor Book Award (Outdoor Literature (Fiction), 2015). I saw that very few fiction books had won awards, so I decided to give this a try.

Wow- outstanding.

Old Keb, the Tlingit elder, sees death beginning to wait for him, as well as seeing a mystical raven alerting him something is up.
When Keb's grandson James loses his prospects at professional basketball due to a logging accident, James falls deep into depression. Keb decides to carve one last traditional canoe with his grandson and take one last journey, to a glacial bay where Keb grew up, and which is now part of a National Marine Refuge. Keb, James, two of James’ friends and a dog who thinks he might be a lizard – or a dinosaur- slip quietly away in the canoe.

It soon seems like all of Alaska is looking for Keb and his canoe.

They immediately become the subject of an all-out government search due to the fear that the trip will bring unwanted publicity for Tlingit issues surrounding the Marine reserve. The government does this under the guise of bringing Keb back for his own safety.

Others want to find him to wish him on his way and to speed him on this final voyage.

There is also evil hunting him out due to things James said about the logging accident.

But Keb has lived on these waters for almost ninety years and this wise old man isn’t as easy to catch as might be guessed.

This book is both humorous and touching – with a lot of knowledge of Alaska’s world and wildlife ( oh the whales!) and the Tlingit way of life – which in many ways is both similar and different to small town life everywhere.

This will be one of my favorite books of the year. If you don’t see me for a while, perhaps I’ve headed off to Alaska. That’s just how good this book is.

Ouch, book bullet. *falls over*

Did you enjoy Life of Pi?

Happy Sunday, Janet. I hope you love Homegoing. One of my top reads of the year.

I have a library copy of Jimmy Bluefeather, waiting nearby. I hope to squeeze it in next month.

>211 streamsong: really really long story
All packed in to a week off. Do you go back to work tomorrow?

>213 streamsong: I read Homegoing a couple weeks ago, and the buzz is deserved.

Ouch - that BB stings! :) Jimmy Bluefeather now on the list...

>219 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy. Thanks for the smile. Hope you enjoy Jimmy Bluefeather. I may splurge and buy myself a signed hardcover.

>220 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel. Yes I really liked Life of Pi, especially the ending. ;-) I've started calling my grey striped tiger cat Richard Junior. This is the formerly feral cat that my dog adopted and invited into the family. Richard Junior, also known as Cree for the cry of a hawk, even accompanies his dog friend and me on walks.

>221 msf59: >222 qebo: Hi Mark and Catherine. Yes, I love what I've read of Homegoing. Unfortunately, it's a new book at the library with a two week limit, which is up today. I think I'll return it and try again later. I haven't been taking it to the hospital because I hate dragging library books all over the place - especially lovely new ones. When I get home at night, I'm absolutely exhausted and not doing much reading. I'll check it out again later, when I have sit-and-read time and give it the attention it deserves.

>221 msf59: Mark, I hope you enjoy Jimmy Bluefeather. In my opinion it's a book waiting to be discovered.

>222 qebo: "really really long story - All packed in to a week off"

No, I won't make it into work yet for a day or two. Today I need to get Mom transferred into a different facility and take up my power of attorney to be able to pay deposits for where she needs to go.

At one point, she was not expected to pull through the night, so my brother was here from Tempe. Yesterday, he had to return home to work. My daughter who lives in Missoula, also needs to be back at work full time.

Mom had a really down day yesterday, not eating or drinking much and refusing any therapy. The outcome is still very much undecided.

>224 streamsong: I hardly know what to say. I'm sorry you are struggling with something so distressing and hope your mom gets better.

>225 Morphidae: Thank you Morphy. I really appreciate it.

I finished the audiobook of Casino Royale yesterday and started an audio for next month's CAC Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.

I didn't make it to the Montana Book Festival. They had some great authors I wanted to hear. Virginia Reeves, who wrote Work Like Any Other was there since she went to high school and college in Helena.

I also wanted to hear Anne Hillerman, Jordan Fisher Smith who is the author Engineering Eden which I liked, and a Pulitzer Prize winning Poet, Gregory Pardlo. Hopefully next year.

I managed to stop by our FOL several days in, and while the fiction was very picked over, I found these in the religion section. I am a very liberal Christian and enjoy reading about a wide variety of faiths.

The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art- Madeleine L'Engle
Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra (Hindu/ new Age Writer)
In the Shadow of the Buddha: One Man's Journey of Discovery in Tibet by Matteo Pistono

And picking up my newest audio book, I found these leftovers on the free table:

Mable Hoffman's All-New Crockery Favorites
Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son by Anne Lamott
A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid

Unlurking to wish the best for you and your mom.

The roller coaster took another turn and Mom entered hospice on Friday.

>228 streamsong: Oh my. A roller coaster indeed. I'm sorry you and your mom have to go through this.

>226 streamsong: I have the Yancey book, I think. I'm so interested in reading about different interpretations of religions as well. I'm hoping I'll have time to throw in some related non-fiction when I do my year long Bible read next year.

>228 streamsong: I'm so sorry. I hope your last days together are filled with grace and peace. *hugs*

>228 streamsong: I am sorry Janet, hugs.

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother's condition, Janet. My thoughts and prayers will be with both of you.

Janet, I've been away from home the last three weeks and not checking into LT. I'm so sorry to hear about how your mom's condition has deteriorated during that time. I know you've been dealing with this for quite a while, even if not at this level, and am sending you half-a-dozen big hugs and one good night's sleep, special delivery.

ETA I was back visiting my mom after her breast surgery earlier this summer. Fortunately, she is doing well at 85 but I know this day is coming eventually--may it be a long time. You have been such a support to your mother these last years.

Sorry to read about your mother. Praying for you. It's so hard to see our moms sick and even worse when we lose them.

Thank you for all your kind words.

Mom passed away very peacefully Monday afternoon. She was 89 and taught countless kids to read and love books.

I'll be back in a week or so and start a new thread.

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother's passing, Janet. I'll continue to keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Heartfelt commiserations from your friend in Malaysia. Anyone who contributes so comprehensively towards child literacy is to be honored in anyone's books but when it is your Mom pride obviously is tempered by mourning. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family. xx

I'm so sorry for your loss. A daughter losing their mother can be a particularly painful thing. *hugs*

I'm so glad that her passing was peaceful, that she didn't suffer or lose her identity, and so very, very sorry for your loss, Janet.

>236 streamsong: I'm so sorry.

I am very sorry to hear the news, Janet! My heart goes out to you and your family.

Oh, Janet, I am so sorry to hear about your mother. So much has happened here in your thread while I was away. Your mom's downturn, your birthday, blue hair, meteors, thingaversary, and now this. Such is life, I guess, filled with good things and with sad things, even the very saddest - losing someone so dear. To have happy memories of your mom teaching children to read must give warmth to your heart. Ether-hugs from a reading friend.

Oh Janet, thinking of you. Was so sorry to hear about your mom's passing.

So sorry. Nothing helpful to say, but I'm sending hugs and prayers.

I am thinking of you as you grieve but also remember your mother with love and joy.

Janet, take the time you need to get used to life without caregiving. You are an amazing daughter and I know your mother's passing has left a big hole in your life. How wonderful that she spent so much time teaching children to read and love books! I am very sorry for your loss.

Hi Janet, my condolences for the loss of your mother. You're both in my prayers.

My condolences, Janet, sending hugs.

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by: Darryl, Paul, Morphy, Roni, Katherine, Cindy, Mary, Jo, Karen, Donna, Rachel, Anita. I wish I could give you all big hugs.

This has really been a tough time and I so appreciate all your support.

The funeral was Tuesday. I'm now clearing the apartment of papers and doing legal work. Evenings I binge watch West Wing and sort papers.

Back to work on Monday.

I'm working slowly on my new thread. Come join me there!