Berly's Bookin' It! #10

^^I am continuing my book nook theme. This is when you know you are a true bibliophile!! LOL

Oh! About me? I am a mom of 3, married to a great guy (he introduced me to LT) and besides books, I love TKD, working in glass, and chocolate. I have had an eclectic "career" in nerve regeneration research, advertising, the NBA, and editing. Now I work with my husband cleaning industrial processed water and stormwater, getting it up to EPA standards. I do the marketing and the financial stuff.

There are more books coming in than going out and I am making but a small dent in the TBR piles; I haven't given up hope yet though! I can't because books are everywhere. Some are under the window in my bedroom, some are stacked by my night table, in the study, downstairs in the bookcases, and then there is the Kindle....I know you all understand. Of course, the conundrum is I wouldn't have it any other way. ; )

Reading Now
Burning Girl (247 pages) by Claire Messud INDIEspensable #68
The Lords of Discipline (578 pages) by Pat Conroy
Walk to Run One Mile (A) by Aaptiv, narrated by Jaime McFaden ( This is me trying to get back in shape--it's actually awesome! One segment a day for like three weeks.)

Read in September
75. Tragedy Plus Time: A Tragi-Comic Memoir (256 pages) (A) by Adam Cayton-Holland
74. Acqua Alta (387 pages) by Donna Leon 3.75

Read in August / 4,246 pages / 21,711 total read
73. A Criminal Defense (347 pages) (K) by William L. Meyers Jr 3.5
72. The Woman Who Died A Lot: A Thursday Next Novel (385 pages) (K) by Jasper Fforde 3.75
71. Archangel (200??) (A) by William Gibson, Michael St. John Smith 2.0
70. The Brand New Catastrophe (260 pages) (A) by Mike Scalise 3.5
69. The Good Samaritan (K) (390 pages) by John Marrs 3.0
68. Magical Thinking (268 pages) by Augusten Burroughs 4.0
67. The Masked City (Invisible Library Series #2) (K) (381 pages) by Genevieve Cogman 3.75
66. Death and Judgement (320 pages) (Commissario Guido Brunetti Series) (K) by Donna Leon 3.5
65. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (368 pages) by Darynda Jones 4.25
64. The Soul of an Octopus (254 pages) by Sy Montgomery 4.0
63. Third Grave Dead Ahead (368 pages) (A) by Darynda Jones, Narrated by Lorelei King 4.25
⭐️62. We Were Eight Years in Power (367 pages) Ta-Nehisi Coates 4.25
⭐️61. The Second Grave on the Left (336 pages) (A) by Darynda Jones, Narrated by Lorelei King 4.5

Read in July / 4,904 pages / 17,665 total read
60. Loving Frank (L) (K) (402 pages) by Nancy Horan-- RL Bookgroup (Frank Lloyd Wright) 3.5
59 Forever is the Worst Long Time (K) (read 100) by Camille Pagan DNF
⭐️58. First Grave on the Right (315 pages) (A) by Darynda Jones 4.5
57. The Invisible Library (K) (L) (351 pages) by Genevieve Cogman 3.5
56. The Snow Child (386 pages) by Eowyn Lvey 3.5
55. "D" is for Deadbeat (320 page) (A) by Sue Grafton 3.75
54. The Singularity Trap (release data 10/18, pages 350??)(A) by Dennis E. Taylor of Bobiverse Fame! 4.25
⭐️53. Beartown (432 pages) by Fredrick Backman 4.5
⭐️52. The Eye of Zoltar (405 pages) by Jasper Fforde 4.5
51. The Front by Patricia Cornwell (304 pages) 3.5
50. The Song of the Quarkbeast (290 pages) by Jasper Fforde 3.75
49. Howl's Moving Castle (438 pages) by Diana Wynne Jones 3.75
48. A Secret History of Witches (515 pages) by Louisa Morgan 3.75
47. The Last Dragonslayer (296 pages) by Jasper Fforde 4.0

Rating System
You probably won't see many below three because I am less afraid to use the Pearl rule now, but "Anathema" tickled me. So many books, so little time!

Masterpiece 5.0
Stunning 4.5
Excellent 4.0
Very Good 3.5
Good 3.0
Average 2.5
Eh 2.0
Don't Bother 1.5
Bad 1.0
Anathema 0.5

*=Off the Shelf
A=Audio
L=Library
GN=Graphic Novel
IR=Indiespensable Readers
K=Kindle
LT=LibraryThing Early Reviewer

Read in June / 1034 pages / 12,761 total read / 1 off the shelf
46. Search Inside Yourself (268 pages) by Chade-Meng Tan 3.0
⭐️45. A Gentleman in Moscow (462 pages) by Amor Towles 4.0 *
44. The Autobiography of Gucci Mane (304 pages) (A) by Gucci Mane 3.5

Read in May / 2,171 pages / 11,727 Total Read
43. Ten Women (50 pages) by Marcello Serrano DNF 2.5
42. Hello Universe (313 Pages) by Erin Estrada Kelly
⭐️41. The One and Only Ivan (307 pages) by Katherine Applegate 4.5
40. The Light of the Fireflies (329 pages) by Paul Pen
39. Dressed for Death (287 page) (K)(L) by Donna Leon 3.0
38. The Gray House (K) (110/728 pages) by Mariam Petrosyan -- DNF
37. No Time Like the Past (332 pages) (A) by Jodi Taylor 3.75
36. Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir (235 pages) (K) by Cinelle Barnes 3.0
35. The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind (208 pages) by Barbara K. Lipska 4.0

Read in April / 2,320 Pages / 9,554 Total Read / 2 Off the Shelf
34. Norse Mythology (299 pages) by Neil Gaiman 3.0
33. Start Without Me (278 pages) by Joshua Max Feldman *
⭐️32. The Hounds of Spring (160 pages) by Lucy Andrews Cummin 4.5
⭐️31. How to Get Run Over by a Truck (294 pages) (A) by Katie C.McKenna 4.5
30. I Feel Bad About My Neck (137 pages) by Nora Ephron 3.5 *
29. Neighborly: A novel (313 pages) (K) by Ellie Monago 3.5
28. The Ladies Room (220 pages) (A) by Carolyn Brown 4.0
27. The Jekyll Revelation (493 pages) (K) by Robert Masello 3.5
26. ...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him (126 pages) by Tomás Rivera

Read in March / 2,156 Pages / 7,234 Total Read / 1 Off the Shelf
25. C is for Corpse (K) (320 pages) by Sue Grafton 3.5
24. Digging in: A Novel (241 pages) (K) by Loretta Nyhan 4.0
23. Alias Grace (468 pages) by Margaret Atwood 3.5
22. A Time of Love and Tartan (K) (247 pages) by Alexander McCall Smith 4.0
⭐️21. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (320 pages) (A) by Roxane Gay 5.0 *
20. Death in a Strange Country (272 pages) by Donna Leon (K) (2 Guidos) 4.0
19. The Last Black Unicorn (288 pages) (A) by Tiffany Haddish 4.0

Read in February / 2,928 Pages Read / 5 Off the Shelf
18. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (176 pages) by Patrick Rothfuss 4.0 *
17. Killman Creek (348 pages) by Rachel Caine 4.25
16. Salvage the Bones (271 pages) by Jasmyn Ward 3.75 *
15. Raisin in the Sun (151 pages) by Lorraine Hansberry 4.0 *
14. Princess Diarist (A) (272 pages) by Carrie Fisher 2.5
13. B is for Burglar (K)(320 pages) by Sue Grafton 3.5
12. A is for Alibi (K)(224 pages) by Sue Grafton 3.5 *
⭐️11. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike (A) (400 pages) by Phil Knight 4.5
10. Parable of the Talents (422 pages) by Octavia Butler 3.5
⭐️9. The Dead House (500 pages) by Harry Bingham 4.5 *
8. The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--And Why (266 pages) by Amanda Ripley 4.0

Read in January / 2,150 Pages Read / 3 Off the Shelf
7. Black Swan Green (OTS) (294) by David Mitchell, ColourCAT Challenge 4.0 *
⭐️6. Parable of the Sower (345) by Octavia Butler 4.0
5. Vittorio, The Vampire (OTS) (288 pages) by Anne Rice 2.5 *
4. The Power (387 pages) by Naomi Alderman 3.75
3. God Stalk (271 pages) (K) by P.C. Hodgell, GR led by Roni 3.75
2. Talking As Fast As I Can (OTS) (209 pages) by Lauren Graham 3.0 *
1. Death at La Fenice (356 pages) (K) by Donna Leon, Two Guidos GR 3.75

⭐️ Favorites

Longer Plans for Reading


RL Book Club #1
February - Evicted by Matthew Desmond
April - The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck - DNF
June - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles ✅
August - Loving Frank by Nancy Horan ✅
October - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
December - Choose books!!

RL Book Club #2
January - The Power by Naomi Alderman ✅
February - Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood ✅
March - Alias Grace continued ✅
April - I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron ✅
May - The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin ✅
September -
October -
November -



The Guidos Murder Mystery Thread
January - Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon ✅
March - Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon ✅
May - Dressed for Death by Donna Leon (originally published as Anonymous Venetian in 1994) ✅
July - Death and Judgement by Donna Leon (originally published A Venetian Reckoning in 1995) ✅
September - Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (also published as Death in High Water) ✅
November - Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon (also published as Death of Faith)

I am hoping these challenges will help me choose books I already own.



ColorCAT Challenge
Black - Black Swan Green by David Mitchell ✅
Brown - Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry ✅
Green - Neighborly: A Novel by Ellie Monago ✅
Yellow - I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron ✅
Blue - Bear Town by Fredrick Backman ✅
--Purple - We are the Ones We have Been Waiting For by Alice Walker (The jacket cover is purple and, of course, Walker wrote The Color Purple, which I also have) or The Lady and the Peacock about Augn San Suu Kyi of Burma, by Peter Popham
--Pink - Fever at Dawn by Peter Gardos
Grey - Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs ✅
--Metallic -The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls, or The Disappearing Spoon Sam Kean or Consider the Fork Wilson
--Orange -The Burning Girl Claire Messud or My Life in Orange Tim Guest
--Red - Scarlet Marissa Meyer or Consider the Lobster DF Wallace or There, There
White - Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan ✅

And for color backup, Travic McGee by John D. MacDonald (thanks Joe!)



AlphaCAT Challenge
A - Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs ✅
B - The Burning Girl by Claire Messud -- reading
C - The Front by Patricia Cornwell
D
E
F - Start Without Me by Joshua Max Feldman ✅
G - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles ✅
H
I
J - Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward ✅
K - Killman Creek (348 pages) by Rachel Caine ✅
L
M
N
O
P - Shoe Dog by Phil Knight ✅
Q - The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde ✅
R
S - The Good Samaritan by John Marrs -- reading
T
U
V - Vittorio the Vampire by Anne Rice (love a double V!) ✅
W - Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck
X
Y - Y, U - Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Megn Tan ✅
Z - Swing Time by Zadie Smith

RandomCAT Challenge
January - Read a Book Bullet: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls ✔ ✔
February - Unusual Holidays (Portland Rose Festival): A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (rose-colored cover) ✔ ✔
March - Something that relates to "Headlines in the News": C is for Corpse ✔ ✔
April - Related to April (Published): The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin ✔ ✔
May - book with a flower or other plant in the title or on the cover: Hello Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly ✔ ✔
June - Unusual Narrators: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate ✔ ✔
July - Getting to Know You:
August - Mountains:
September - Happy Birthday!:



Bingo Completed
1. Famous Person in Title - Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls)
3. Originally in a Diff Language - The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen
4. New to You Author - God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell
7. Published 2018 - The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin
9. >500 Pages A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan
10. Set During a Holiday - Start Without Me by Joshua Max Feldman
11. LGBTQ Major Character - Less by Andrew Sean Greer
14. Number in the Title - We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
15. Humorous Book - Digging in: A Novel by Loretta Nyhan
18. Pacific Ocean Related - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
21. Autobio or Memoir - Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
22. Poetry or Play - Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
23. Longtime TBR - Vittorio the Vampire by Anne Rice
24. Story Involves Travel - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
25. Rank in Title - Princess Diarist by Carrie Fischer

Bingo Ideas
2. Published >100 Berly: years - Nickolas Nickelby
5. Relative Name in Title
6. Money in Title
8. X in the Title
12. See Below
13. Read a CAT
16. Unread 2017 purchase
17. Something in the Sky in Title

19. Fits at Least 2 KIT/CATS
20. Beautiful Cover

12. 1001 Books ??

I have read 170 of the first 200 listed in 1001 Books You Should Read Before you Die with LT as the source. That's 85% and I'm feeling pretty proud!

Still TBR ** likely candidates

Heart of Darkness
Rebecca by Daphne DeMaurier
Foundation Isaac Asimov
Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe
Atonement Ian McEwan
Murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie ??
Sidhartha Herman Hesse ??
Stanger in a Strange Land Heinlein
Woman in White Wilkie Collins
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep PK Dick
Spy Who Came In From the Cold LeCarre
God of Small Things Arundhati Roy
Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
The Big Sleep
Watchmen Alan Moore
The Reader Bernhard Schlink
**Faucault’s Pendulum Umberto Eco
The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan
Neuromancer William Gibson
Midnight’s Children Salman Rushdie
Possession AS Byatt
Brideshead Revisited
**Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
Day of the Triffids John Wyndham
Cold Comfort Farm Stella Gibbons
**Far From the Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy
Dick Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Douglas Adam
Bleak House Charles Dickens
Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy

Last year I read 47 out of the 85 new books I acquired. This year I am trying to read more off my shelves, but I also can't resist new books! We'll see how I do!!

✅ 32/65 read so far....

New Books in 2018
✅ Princess Diarist (A) by Carrie Fisher
2) Not Perfect (K) by Elizabeth LaBan - Free Amazon First*
✅ We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
✅ A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
5) Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs
6) Go, Went, Gone by Jeremy Erpenbeck (Beth's Fault!!)
✅ The Soul of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery
8) Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
✅ Alias Grace (K) by Margaret Atwood
✅ Killman Creek (K) by Rachel Caine, (Stillhouse Lake Series #2)
✅ Neighborly (K) by Elllie Monago - Free Amazon First*
✅ The Last Black Unicorn (A) by Tiffany Hadish - Free Amazon First*
✅ ...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomás Rivera
✅ A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
✅ B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton
✅ C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton
17) Poldark by Winston Grahman
✅ The Jekyll Revelation by Robert Masello
✅ A Time of Love and Tartan by Alexander McMall Smith
✅ Bear Town by Frederick Backman
21) The Empath's Survival Guide by Judith Orloff, MD
22) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
23) Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
24) Your Duck is My Duck by Deborah Eisenber, LT INDIEspensable Reader #72
25) Census by Jesse Ball, LT INDIEspensable Reader #72
26) Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
27) The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck
✅) No Time Like the Past #5 (A) by Jodi Taylor
✅ The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin
✅ Norse Mythology by Neil Gaimon
31) The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
✅ The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska
✅ Forever is the Worst Long Time: A Novel by Camille Pagán
34) The House by the River by Lena Manta
35) Still Waters: Sandhamn Murders, Book 1 by Viveca Sten
36) The Great Passage by Shion Miura *
37) The Question of Red by Laksmi Pamuntjak *
38) Last Train to Istanbul: A Novel by Ayse Kulin *
39) The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan *
✅ The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen *
✅ Ten Women by Marcela Serrano *
42) Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World by Christina Rickardsson, Tara F. Chace - Free Amazon First*
43) Conversations on Writing by Ursula K. Le Guin, LT INDIEspensable Reader #73
44) The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner, LT INDIEspensable Reader #73
45) The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, LT INDIEspensable Reader #73
46) There There by Tommy Orange, LT INDIEspensable Reader #74
✅ The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
✅ Hello, Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly
✅ The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (of Thursday Next fame, #1 in series)
50. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
✅ Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
✅ Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
53. Less by Andrew Sean Greer
✅ A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan
✅ The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde (Dragonslayer #3)
56. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
✅ The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
58. Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (Another series Twin talked me into!!)
✅ The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde (Dragonslayer #2)
✅ Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones *
✅ Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones *
62. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
63. The Weatherman by Steve Thayer (from Dad, set in Mpls) *
64. Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima, LT INDIEspensable Reader #75 N
65. The Third Hotel by Laura Van Den Berg, LT INDIEspensable Reader #75 N
66. Vox by Christin Dalcher
67. Pretend We Live Here by Genevieve Hudson

*=Free

Favorites from this year:
First Grave on the Right by Darynda jones
Beartown by Fredrick Backman
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 4.5
Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrew Cummins
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Favorites from 2017:
Fiction
Kafka on the Shore by Murakami
The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse#1) by Dennis E. Taylor
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
LaRose by Louise Erdrich
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Non-Fiction
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
Radium Girls by Katie Moore
Entwined: Sisters and Secrets in the Silent World of Artist Judith Scott Joyce Wallace Scott
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Dr. Mütter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

Series I want to continue...

#6 The Deepest Grave Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham
#4 Lethal White Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith, Fall 2018
#1 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
#4 E...by Sue Grafton
#6 Jodi Taylor
#4 The Chronicles of Kazam by Jasper Fforde, 2019??
#5 Fifth Grave Past the Light by Darynda Jones
#2 THe Masked City by Genevieve Cogman
#8 Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde

Happy new thread, Kim!

>1 Berly: = Awesome nook, complete with porcelain throne!

Your work with the NBA - National Basketball Association? National Book Award? Something else?

Happy new thread, Twin! Love the nook -- it gives me an idea...

Happy new thread, Kim!
>1 Berly: Books can be stored everywhere ;-)

Happy new thread - hope you are feeling better soon.
The topper is impressive stuff.

Happy new thread Kim my dear. I hope that you have had a good week and that all is well with you and the family. I am getting back to posting regularly now as the nights are shortening and the weather has changed a bit. I have taken advantage of the good weather we have had to get the two big gardening jobs well under way and both should be completed by the time we go away in September.

Sending love and hugs to you and the family dear friend from both of us over the pond.

>12 jnwelch: Hi Joe! So glad you like my latest book nook. It made me laugh. My pile is much smaller and magazine based. No shelves.

NBA as in MN Timberwolves Community Relations Director and Foundation Exec Director. Surprised?! : )

>13 BLBera: What idea...?

>14 FAMeulstee: Absolutely anywhere!! LOL

>15 charl08: The antibiotics have already kicked in. My throat feels so much better. I can eat now! Yay! Also my fever is much lower. Super wiped though. Progress though!

For those of you who didn't go back and read the end of the last thread (Do people actually do that!??! LOL), I just got diagnosed with pneumonia. In the middle of summer. Grrrrr.

>16 johnsimpson: It will be nice to see you posting more often again. Glad you are having success with your gardening projects. This year, my outdoor projects have been mostly weeding. Specifically, I am battling blackberry bushes everywhere and those suckers have big thorns! Hugs to you and Karen.

>17 Berly: Impressed! I'm a bigtime NBA fan. I'll quiz you next time we're together! :-)

>1 Berly: - Lol! I have heard of that room being referred to as *the library*, when a magazine rack is part of the décor, but this takes it to a whole new level! Love it! Who needs a sink or a shower anyhow....

>19 jnwelch: Okay, but you're going to have to pull up some really old stats and names. It was during the first years of the Timberwolves.

>20 jessibud2: I did wonder about the lack of a sink...

Happy new thread :)

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Kim. I hope you get better soon and have enough energy to meet-up with out of town family before they leave.

Happy Saturday, Kim! Happy new thread! I hope you are feeling better.

Happy new thread, pleased to hear that the antibiotics are working.

Interesting book nook - I do hope there is sink somewhere in that room.

>19 jnwelch: MN Timberwolves Community Relations Director and Foundation Exec Director

Wow, that sounds like an interesting job. A few years ago I was on an airport shuttle (from home to PHL) and met a guy who worked for the Timberwolves. He was a sort of scout who traveled to check out the Wolves' next opponents. He'd watch the opponent play another team and file reports back to the Wolves to help shape their strategy. I was fascinated both by his job and by his ability to travel for 3 weeks with only a carry-on bag.

Hi, Kim! I hope that you're feeling better today.

Hi Kim! Happy new thread, sorry about the pneumonia. Glad you're not contagious, sorry that you might not get to see all the family.

Re your topper - We have what we call the Book Bath, but it's only book wallpaper in one of the downstairs bathrooms.

>22 figsfromthistle: Thanks you!!

>23 drneutron: The good thing about sleeping all day yesterday was I managed to stay up late to watch the launch of the Parker Solar Probe!! But dang it, nope, not to be. What was the problem last night?

I am bummed they couldn't resolve it in time to restart the countdown, which I understand had to be within a rather narrow launch window of only 65 minutes. I read it was originally 2 hours long but was then further shortened in order to minimize "the spacecraft's exposure to the Van Allen radiation belts — a collection of charged particles held in place by Earth's magnetic field — that surround the planet." Sigh. That must have been so disappointing. But I am glad no harm was done and a second attempt can happen tonight.

So launch #2 has been rescheduled for tonight at 3:31 EST and I will again be watching!! Go, Dr Neutron, Go!!!

>24 Familyhistorian: Thanks! There is a big dinner scheduled for tonight. I might try to make that or see what else I can participate in, but probably only one thing. OR maybe still nothing today and I will wait for tomorrow. We'll see...

>25 msf59: Happy Sunday!! Do you leave today for Colorado? I wish you lots of fun o your trip. : )

>26 calm: Sadly, it does seem to be lacking a sink. I will have to talk to the builder. ; )

Adding bookshelves to my bathroom, of course. :)

Feel better. Don't overdo it. Like you always do.

>27 lauralkeet: Working at the NBA MN Timberwolves was a ton of fun! I knew who the scout guy was when I worked there, but we didn't interact very much. I really liked most of the players and I got to arrange all the player, mascot and dance team appearances; help the players choose a charity they wanted to work with and then arrange ways to do that; send out merchandise to fans; help with the halftime shows, etc. I also chaired the foundation. All the proceeds from one of the preseason games went to various charities decided upon by the board. They were all kid oriented. I also helped organize the grand opening of the _target Center (as it was then called). It was a crazy job, often 80 - 100 hours because we were also part of the game crew. I worked upstairs with the Executive suites and also some of the halftime shows. And I had great seats. I often joke that that's why my husband married me. LOL

>28 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. I woke up without a fever today! That's a good sign. : )

>29 karenmarie: Book wallpaper!! What a great idea. And you probably have a sink in your bathroom. ; )

>32 BLBera: Right? Can't have enough bookshelves.

>33 BLBera: Hey! What do you mean? I stayed home. In bed. All day yesterday. Just because I am thinking of going out today...

I just started Magical Thinking, a short story collection by Augusten Burroughs of Running with Scissors fame. It is already off to a great start. Melodramatic and funny at the same time.

From the back cover: "Sports nuts have Dave Barry, midwesterners have Garrison Keillor, and the rest of us -- gay guys, misfits, those with horrific childhoods -- have Burroughs...He hooks you into a story better than anybody." Entertainment Weekly (grade A-)

"...he extracts something funny from every shred of his own warped experience." People (four stars)

>34 Berly: what a cool job!

>35 Berly: Just saying. As soon as you feel better, you seem to overdo things.

Hi Kim! Glad you are feeling better.

>37 lauralkeet: It definitely was!

>38 BLBera: : P

>39 banjo123: Thanks! I am trying.

Happy new thread, Kim! I would have loved to enjoy a lazy day today, but it would have meant too long of a day of driving yesterday. I got home around lunchtime today, so I've been able to relax a bit since then.

Hi, Kim! Happy new thread! I love your thread topper. The paint color on my bathroom walls is called "reading room," but the room in that photo takes it to an even higher level!

So sorry about the pneumonia. Get well soon!

>21 Berly: So you worked with the Timberwolves when you were 10 years old?! That's the only way the timeline works, right? I'm even more impressed.

Pneumonia is serious stuff. I'm glad the antibiotics are kicking in. Hope you start feeling a lot better.

Glad you’re watching tonight. I’m on console getting into the countdown. Six hours to go!

>41 thornton37814: Welcome home! Glad you at least have this afternoon to relax and regroup.

>42 tymfos: I love that there is a paint color called "reading room"! Just makes me so happy. (What color is it?)

>43 jnwelch: Yes. Exactly. I was only 10 years old when I worked at the Timberwolves and they had to get one of those special permits allowing minors to work at night. Ha! (Thanks for trying to help me keep my age undercover.)

Pneumonia is serious, but my jaw completely dropped open when the doctor said I had it. Never would have suspected it. Well, maybe in a few days if I hadn't gone in...

>44 drneutron: Definitely watching again! I had my son and his two friends all watching with me last night. I will see you I can rope into watching tonight. : )

"NASA and the United Launch Alliance will try again on Sunday, at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 GMT). NASA has until Aug. 23 to launch the Parker Solar Probe this month."

>34 Berly: Do you still follow the Wolves? They have finally gotten watchable again after a long hiatus.

>46 Oberon: LOL. Yes, but I tend to watch them more when they are doing better. My relatives in MN let me know what's going on and when I should tune in.

Launch!!! The Parker Solar Probe. Yay Dr Neutron and crew. I just saw you live on TV!!

>48 Berly: Me too! So dramatic to watch.

Happy New Thread!

>1 Berly: This picture made me giggle. I had complaints from visitors about the lack of leg space in my old bathroom, but this is even worse.

>48 Berly: Great photo.

Happy new thread! How are you at 50 posts already?!

Happy Sunday, Kim. We leave for the airport, in a short while. I can't wait to breath some mountain air and finally meet Joanne, Anne and Kris. As you are well aware, Meet Ups are truly the best.

Happy new(ish) thread Kim. You’ve got me interested in the new Burroughs collection. I recently read an Anne Lamott book where she quotes Flannery O’connor who said, “anyone who survived childhood has enough material for a lifetime of writing.”

>48 Berly: That is so cool.

Just about in time to wish you a happy new thread, dear Kimmers. xx

>48 Berly: Jim is a bona fide hero.

>49 charl08: Right?!

>50 EllaTim: Thanks and nice to see you! The book are kinda "in your face" in this bathroom. LOL

Liftoff!

>51 ChelleBearss: Ummmm. IDK. It just kinda happens? 'Cuz nice people like you come visit? : )

>52 msf59: Hope you have a wonderful time on your vacation in the mountains! Very jealous happy about your meet-up!!

>53 brenzi: That O'Connor quote is so true! I am about halfway through Magical Thinking and have enjoyed every story except the one about the rat. Well written, a different view point, drama and humor. You should give it a try.

>54 BLBera: Go NASA!!!

>55 PaulCranswick: Paul is here! That makes me so very happy. I hope life is falling into place for you. You deserve it. : )

That topper pic is hilarious. I love it.

Sorry I missed the under-the-weather bit on your last thread. And now it has turned into pneumonia! Boo! I had it several years ago and I really believe this: rest. Really, you: rest.

I also see that you finally finished Eight Years in Power. I have two essays to go. I want to finish it soon!

>48 Berly: Very cool.

>36 Berly: Sounds like a good read. I'll await your comments.
And I'm glad you have something good to read. While. You. REST. xo

>an X in the title! Oooh, which book will that be? Orphan X, maybe?

>48 Berly: cool huh!! We even heard about it here in little ole NZ

Happy new thread!

Happy (relatively) new thread Kim! Hope you're feeling much better by now. Congrats to your kids on the new jobs and hope all is going well with them.

We took full advantage of the cooler weather this past weekend and spent more time on our patio than we have for a weeks. Alas - back to the 90's today. I'm so over this heat.

Finished The Last Dragonslayer Thank you for putting that series on my radar. Now I need to read the next books in the series. Over the weekend I started The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash. Love his writing.

Pneumonia. Rats. I hope you're feeling better.

Happy not so new thread, Kim! The NASA launch looked incredible! I need to visit Jim and congratulate him.
Pneumonia?! I hope you recover quickly! Pmonia is the pits :0(

Dropping by to wish you a speedy recovery!

>58 EBT1002: So I should rest? You think? I did venture out this past weekend to see my East Coast relatives for a bit, but other than that I have been good. Not that I have much choice -- I have NO ENERGY!! Sigh.

>59 LovingLit: X may prove to be troublesome...just saying!

>60 The_Hibernator: Thank you!! See you soon!

>61 SuziQoregon: Yeah, the normal temperatures almost felt cold after all these days in the 90s, and now we are right back in it!

I have heard of The Last Ballad -- I will check out what you think of it! Glad you liked The Last Dragonslayer -- yay!

>62 ffortsa: Rats indeed. No fever at the moment, which is awesome! Just pooped.

>63 Carmenere: Do go give Jim some props. He and NASA deserve it!!

I agree with your alliteration: pneumonia pits.

>64 figsfromthistle: Thank you!!!

I hope you're feeling better, Twin. Take it easy. No fever! Hooray! Rest.

Hi Kim my dear, sorry to see you are not well, glad that you don't have a fever. I will send special healing love and hugs from both of us to you dear friend. Rest and recuperate and take things nice and easy.

Glad you got a chance to see the launch!

>67 BLBera: Mmmmmm. Asthma kicked in and now I am on Prednisone for the like fourth time this year. Sigh.

>68 johnsimpson: Thanks. I am doing basically nothing. I woke up and say my son off to work and then I went back to bed and slept until 2. Did I mention I was tired? LOL

>69 drneutron: I was on the edge of my seat, hoping it was going to be a GO this time! I had my husband and son and daughter watch with me and then we watched a lot of the background videos. So much fun! Big congratulations to you and your crew. Can't wait to see what we learn about the sun. : )

And this is why I am not going to go outside. So many fires in Oregon and California. : (

It is smoky up here too. There is so much smoke in the air it is keeping the temperatures down a bit. Wasn't the launch spectacular? I thought I had missed it but tuned in on the second night in time to watch.

>72 Familyhistorian: I bet it is VERY smoky where you are! Ugh. Yay for the lower temps, but still Ugh. So glad you got to see the launch! I don't count it as a done deal until I see everyone high-fiving in the control room. : )

Sorry you're sick. Boo-Hiss. Feel better soon!

ETA: Utah is on fire as well. My sister is on evacuation alert. Depends on the wind, I guess. It is hard for them to sleep.

I saw a map today of all the places with fires and was surprised at how many there were. I'm sure some are not huge ones, but when they put the same size fire icon at each location, it really made it look like almost everything west of the Mississippi was on fire with the exception of the eastern parts of the states along the Mississippi.

>74 nittnut: Oh no! I am so sorry about your sister! I hope she, her loved ones and their home come out of this summer OK. We are just under an air alert. Nothing by comparison.

>75 thornton37814: There are so many fires and they are all west of the Mississippi. Here's a pretty recent map. The triangles change size depending on the fire.



Acres -- Triangle size represents:
More than 100000
50000 - 99999
25000 - 49999
10000 - 24999
Less than 10000 acres

>76 Berly: There were far more on the map I saw. Several in Arkansas, mostly in the Western part and at least one in Louisiana, lots in Texas.

Arggh. Debbi sends her sympathy, too, Kim. Pneumonia, asthma and smoke-polluted air. That's one lousy trio. We're sending lots of positive thoughts your way.

>77 thornton37814: Bad map!! I thought there were more, too. Maybe I can find a better one...

>78 jnwelch: Thank you! I am keeping outdoor activities to zero, except walking to the car. I am actually gonna head in to work for an hour or two today and see how I do.

Wow! I hope you get some rain to put out the fires. Take care.

>80 BLBera: Nothing in the forecast. : (

I made it to work today for a few hours. Home again happy in bed.

My latest reads include:

Burning Girl (247 pages) by Claire Messud INDIEspensable #68
The Good Samaritan (K) (390 pages) by John Marrs
The Brand New Catastrophe (A) by Mike Scalise

I am on about page 10 of all of them, so no real feel for them...yet!

Kim, I'm glad to hear you are feeling a little better. With this air quality, it's a good time to take it easy at home. I was in Sun River last week and expected lots of smoke. The air there was beautifully clear. Then I come back to Portland and the air quality danger. I think this is a record setting year for fires.

I hope you had a great time in Sun River! I love it there. : ) We may be setting all kinds of records this year: worst air, most fires, hottest year, driest summer....ugh!

I just got tickets to the OR Symphony at the end of August. I am taking my son -- each college freshman aligns him or herself with a special emphasis and Jack chose Social Awareness. They will have to do special projects around this theme. The OR Symphony performance, complete with a chorus, was specially commissioned and August is the World Debut. Here is an excerpt:

"The Emergency Shelter Intake Form"

We believe in social justice at any price
As long as it don't mean we have to make a sacrifice.
Mixed income housing's nice in theory
But in practice makes us leery, still this,
This doesn't have to be hard--
Build it anywhere at all,
Just not in my backyard.

Not in my backyard!
You can understand why we gotta stay on guard.
It's a sacred old tradition
Of denying folks permission
To gain entry in to our community--
That is if they don't look like you or me
And have an income of a million two or three.
This doesn't have to be hard--
Put 'em anywhere at all
But not in my backyard.

--Gabriel Kahane

Oh, this is going to be good. I can't wait!!

>85 Berly: Sounds brilliant, Kim. Look forward to hearing how it goes.

Hope that the resting is helping and that you get better soon. We've got a couple of industrial fires (fairly) locally that the firemen seem to be struggling to control, but nothing on the scale of >76 Berly:.

>85 Berly: that looks great, Kim, and it's nice that you can go with your son.

>79 Berly: If I remembered who posted it on Facebook, I'd go to their thread and put a link to the source of it.

>71 Berly: Sorry to see the fires are affecting you so much! Hope you find some relief from the poor air soon!
The fires are affecting British Columbia pretty bad as well. I think they called a state of emergency in part of the province.

Hi Kim! Pneumonia and asthma. Blech. And of course the smoke and ash don't help. Sending healing vibes for you to get energized and healthy soon.

I hope one of the three books in >82 Berly: snares you soon.

>85 Berly: Love that, Kim. You and your son will have a great and thought-provoking time, I'm sure.

>86 charl08: I think I was triple whammied with the pneumonia, asthma and the bad air from the fires. The prednisone seems to have helped a lot and today our air quality is in the green! It should be a good day. : )

>87 lauralkeet: I haven't finished reading the entire script, but I plan to do so today. Hubby and I are celebrating his parent's anniversary tonight and my FIL is the one who told me about this Symphony performance, so I want to be able to talk to him about it.

>88 thornton37814: I didn't really find a much better one in my quick search, so...

>89 ChelleBearss: The air index this morning is 13 (in the green) down from 167 yesterday. The wind must have switched and boy am I glad! (Sorry to all those now receiving it.) Smoke is bad in lots of places. My folks in MN are getting it from Canada.

>90 karenmarie: I have three books to launch into, and now the review of Less on your thread has prompted me to give that one another go! I better get cracking'!!

>91 jnwelch: I am very excited for "The Emergency Shelter Intake Form" and I will be sure to post an update after we see it.

>85 Berly: This does sound great, Kim. We are fighting a battle over affordable housing here.

I look forward to your thoughts about "The Emergency Shelter Intake Form", Kim!

I'm glad that you're feeling better.

>89 ChelleBearss: The state of emergency is for the whole province of BC as there are over 500 wildfires and the fire hazard warnings are in the extreme range for the majority of areas here.

I hope are getting your energy back, Kim. Enjoy your night out celebrating your hubby's parents anniversary.

>71 Berly: a friend of mine was recently in Oregon for an academic conference, people on her plane (from LA) were diverted because of smoke so she spent a good hour or so discussing fires. It sounds a disaster.

So sorry about the Triple Whammy that is making you tired and forced to stay inside, Kim. On the positive side, you are logging in lots of LT time and book time. That fire map is scary. I feel so bad for the people and animals in the paths of nature’s fury. We live in scary times.

>94 BLBera: Twin--I am really looking forward to the Symphony. I understand the large homeless population we have here with our (usually) temperate weather, but MN? Not so much.

>95 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl. You are one of my inspirations for social justice/awareness books, so I thought you might enjoy seeing this. : )

I am feeling better and the air quality is cooperating. I went for a walk today though, and it was humbling. Having been inactive for about 10 weeks between hamstring and now pneumonia, man I was huffing and puffing on the hills. I think I have my work cut out for me to even get in shape to go back to TKD! I am aiming for Septemberish...

>96 Familyhistorian: FH--500 fires is insane!! Where is the rain?!?

I had a wonderful time celebrating my in-laws' anniversary. We went to a fun restaurant with an aging view of downtown the river. It started off in the light, and then we got to watch the sunset and the twinkle of building lights as night crept in. I had crab-stuffed shrimp with a yummy orzo. Delicious! But I also went to work yesterday and ran some errands, so today I was toast.

>97 LovingLit: Meg--I fear these fires and smoke are our new summer reality. Sigh. Did your friend like Oregon, aside from the plane delay? I am almost used to your new name. ; )

>98 Donna828: Donna--It always pays to look on the bright side of things. Loving time to get caught up here on LT and, of course, reading some books. July and August have been big reading months for me. : )

I'm so glad you are feeling better, Twin. Our air quality has also been affected by the fires.

>59 LovingLit: and >65 Berly:
I plan to read Autobiography of Malcolm X before the end of the year.

>99 Berly: I'm glad you're feeling better and that the air quality is improving. I went for a run this morning and had a hard time with the smoke and the heat. I had to walk a couple of times. It's also the case that, because of the smoke and the heat, I have been running so much less often that I know I'm losing fitness. Bah.

I also know how frustrating it is to have lost your fitness while dealing with life and health issues. It will come back, Kim, as you know. It will take time but it will come back. You can only start where you are.

xo

Happy Sunday, Kim. We are back from our Colorado trip. It was awesome and the Meet Up with Joanne and Anne was a highlight too.

Now, back to the grind. I'd rather be hiking...

I hope you are feeling better.

>101 BLBera: Hi Twin! The air quality was good yesterday, so-so today. We'll see about tomorrow. We hit the 90s again for the next three days. It the forecast holds, we will break a record. Sigh.

>102 EBT1002: Ellen--I am now completely out of shape. But I did go watch TKD on Saturday to refresh my memory and about 10 of us went out for coffee afterwards. It was great to see everyone again -- it has been about 10 weeks since I have made a class.

So, my plan to get back in shape is to #1 hit my 10,000 steps per day. #2 Do a better job eating. #3 I started a 21 day fitness program aimed at running one mile by the end of it, so hopefully it is not too taxing -- I don't want to reinjure myself!! So far so good. Successfully on all fronts today, day #2. It's a start!

Hope your air clears up soon so you can get some runs in again!!

>103 msf59: Mark--welcome home!! I am so glad you had such a great time in Colorado. Sorry it's back to the grindstone. Happy Monday?! : /

The Brand New Catastrophe by Mike Scalise

At age 24, Mike Scalise had a previously undiagnosed pituitary tumor rupture in his brain. It left him with a hormone disorder called acromegaly and he had to learn to navigate a new and frustrating world of illness maintenance. Gigantism and acromegaly are actually one and the same, both forms being caused by an excess of insulin-like growth factor in the body. However, acromegaly occurs later in life and the excess growth factor is present after the fusion of cartilage plates in adulthood.

This book was an up close and personal look at how Mike dealt with a rare brain tumor and the resulting hormonal devastation, which then required constant monitoring. He has a wry sense of humor and it was interesting to follow him through his hospitalizations, office visits, school, jobs, family and romance. The book spans a little over a decade in his life. I listened to this on audio, and, quite frankly, found Mike to be a bit too dry, too monotone, and it lost a 1/2 star for that. I think it would be better in print. 3.5 stars

FYI -- Perhaps the most famous person to live with this condition is the professional wrestler, André the Giant. And the tallest person ever in the Guiness Book of Records (at 8 foot 11") also had acromegaly: Robert Wadlow.



André



Robert

Wow! The pictures are worth a thousand words here.

I am sick of the hot and humid weather. Today it's raining here, much needed. I hope we get rid of some of the humidity.

Hi Kim!

Glad to hear that you're able to jump back on the walking and fitness program, albeit slowly.

Take care and I do hope you like Less this time.

Happy Monday, Kim! I know how asthma can be such a bear but to add the smoky conditions in your neck of the woods must be complete misery! I hope conditions are improving and you're breathing a little bit easier.

Explains why I'm reaching for the inhaler

>107 karenmarie: Pictures are important. ; )

We are back to hot and unhealthy air. I am having a tough time of it today. Sigh. It is supposed to clear up by Wednesday evening.

>108 Carmenere: The walking is not happening today because we are in the unhealthy zone. Again. Maybe the treadmill and an easy walk while I listen to a book...!

>109 Berly: Exactly!! Ugh. I am using my inhalers and Prednisone. Still sucks. But the sunsets are gorgeous!! : )

I just started the next Jasper Fforde book, The Woman Who Died A Lot: A Thursday Next. They crack me up!! Thursday is a Literary Special Ops Detective who can travel in and out of literature, always in the best interest of humanity. Her first case involved Jane Eyre and someone trying to mess with the ending. Not quite sure what the puzzle will be this time, but I am in for the ride!

"I agree it's complicated," I (Thursday) said with a shrug. "Working in fiction does give one a somewhat tenuous hold on reality, but it's not the hold that's tenuous--it's the reality: Which reality? Whose reality? Does it matter anyway? And will there be cake?"

She has her priorities straight! LOL

Oh, Kimmers, so sorry to hear you've been dealing with pneumonia and then bad air and heat on top of it all while I was gallivanting around the country! Sending get well/ rain whammies (although they haven't been too effective on San Diego's drought, sorry.). LOVE Thursday Next. Love Jasper Fforde as well.

>111 ronincats: I am so glad one of us was gallivanting! : ) Jasper Ffrorde is a favorite. Last month I was enjoying his YA series, The Last Dragonslayer. I am never quite sure how he gets his ridiculous, fantastical worlds to work, but they do and they are funny and endearing and I love them!

PS--Thanks for the whammies!

>100 Berly:

The rain is here: Madison, Wisconsin was flooded with 10-13 inches last night!

>113 m.belljackson: Yeesh! I am glad you got some rain, but that seems a little excessive!

Update: I just saw some photos of the flooding. Wow. I hope all is well where you are.

>114 Berly:

My brother in Middleton (on Madison's West side) lost electricity for 10 hours
and says the street in front of their house is still like a river.

A mile from him, a man was swept away by the current. They are still looking for him.

Though my low lying east side rural house is usually hit the worst by heavy rains,
there was surprisingly little in the basement this morning.
My new system of 10 gallon yellow buckets ringing the foundation outside, odd as it is,
has definitely helped.

Sure would love to find affordable flood insurance!

>115 m.belljackson: I am glad your basement is mostly dry -- what a great idea with the buckets! I guess today will be a stay at home and read kinda day for you, since the streets are rivers. Yikes! Good luck finding insurance for the future. Sending best wishes.

Hey Twin, it sounds like you are feeling better. Slowly, but surely, right? I need to read some Fforde, after all the love he gets here. I read the first two Tuesday books eons ago, so I should probably reread.

>117 BLBera: Yes, slowly. But I am moving in the right direction, so it's all good.

Is the smoke any better in MN yet? Before it was the fires in CA. Now we are getting it from WA in the north. Sigh.

READ FFORDE!! : )

It's cloudy today and I think we still have an air quality warning, but I think it's supposed to get better in the next few days.

Take it easy and don't overdo.

I was a good girl and stayed inside and I did my steps on the treadmill. : )

I just downloaded an audio book, but it is more like an audio of a movie. Just under three hours long with multiple narrators and sound effects. We'll see!

Archangel by William Gibson and Michael St John Smith

Waving back... (Fforde in hand!)

Hi Kim!

>121 charl08: Hi! Which Fforde is in hand? : )

>122 karenmarie: Hi Karen!

I am off to work for a bit, then this afternoon dropping one child off at her job and taking my son to go shopping for some college supplies. Except for the car rides, hoping to stay inside again. We were ranked the second worst place on earth yesterday for air pollution. Ugh!!! Today should be the last day of it. We are also in contention to break the record for the most days in the 90s in a year...ever!! Where's my portable air conditioner with a filter? Sob. I don't have one!

Hope you are doing better with the pneumonia! And sorry about the pollution, too. I lived in LA in the early 80s and remember standing above Mulholland Drive looking at the brown cover of clouds over most of the valley. We're hot and humid but mostly clear and, according to the weather people, going to start taking the pleasant dive into fall starting tomorrow.

Mostly stopping by to say hello...I've been out and about for the past few weeks, preparing for workshop and then delivering and workshops and trying to finish up with fall event planning.

What an exciting job you must have had with the Timberwolves! Loved hearing about the work and fun!

Hi Kim! Happy new thread! (Phew - got here before you created the next one.) Feel better soon.

>123 Berly: I was going to ask: Fforde is in which hand? The one waving?

>121 charl08: >125 humouress: The one with the expanded forearm muscles (it's a bit of a brick). Reading Early Riser, and a bit gutted as I just found out he was touring this book at the beginning of the month. Argh.

Hope you'll be breathing easier soon. I hope too that all those wildfires will be dowsed. Here in the east, we've been deluged—not simply dowsed. The TV weatherman just noted that Reading, 35 miles southwest of us, and Allentown, 20 miles east, have had 23 1/2" and 20+" respectively since June 1.

Incidentally, I acquired a Jasper Fforde book a couple of weeks ago. Not the first in the series. I've got the impression that the books in the series should be read in order. What do you advise?

>124 witchyrichy: You actually read my thread if you went way back and saw the Timberwolves info!! LOL It was such a fun job. Hectic and crazy, but awesome.

Speaking of hectic and crazy...sounds like your life is on full tilt. Phew! Good luck with what remains.

>125 humouress: Thanks! Always a pleasure to see you. I am on the mend. Working on getting in shape to get back to TKD. Making progress.

One in each hand??

>126 charl08: Uh oh. Looks like Early Riser might take precedence. Just don't lose sight of Fforde. You can do bicep curls with it, too. Just saying.

>127 weird_O: So much rain in the east!! We really should share. It would work better for everyone. Have your been doing ok with all the wetness?

If it is one of the books in his series, you really have to read them in order. They are crazy enough on their own without missing the backstory. Which one did you get?

Sweet Thursday, Kim. Sorry to hear about your awful air pollution.

>105 Berly: 8' 11"!!! I watched a video (that's right, video) about the life of Andre the Giant a while ago with W. It was so interesting. And sad, obviously. It would be so hard to be *that* different.

Glad you are getting used to my new name :) It's the same old Megan.

Oh, and my friend did like Oregon, she was in the south of the state, and spent most of her time at the conference, (something about creativity). She met some cool people.

>128 Berly: Shucks, returned it to the library before I had a chance to do those curls... It was v good - and no series order requirements (in case Bill is reading this).

>128 Berly: We had no trouble with all the rain. Our house is atop a ridge, and it'd have to get Biblical before we face flooding. And we aren't inclined to drive around looking for flooding.

The Fforde book I got is Lost in a Good Book. I just have to jot down the titles in the series and wait until I get the first in the series.

I tried the first Fforde book and, at the time, it didn't do much for me. I didn't finish it. With you and so many others singing his praises, I wonder if I should give it another go.

Off to look at the PLA playlist.

Hope you are well. xo

>129 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb. The air quality finally improved on Thursday and Friday and then today we got our first (light) rain in weeks--doing great now!

>130 LovingLit: I would love to learn more about André; and, yes, it would be hard to be that different. I think he had the early onset kind of acromegaly which leads to the huge height as well as the other difficulties. Glad your friend liked Oregon. : )

>131 charl08: I am sure you can find another book to do the curls with. ; )

>132 weird_O: Glad you are safe and sound and dry! I think the Eyre Affair is the first in the Thursday Next series. Good luck finding a copy.

>133 EBT1002: Fforde is definitely offbeat and whimsical. If you can get in the groove and enjoy the humor, then his stuff is a big win. You should give it another try in your spare (!) time.

I am feeling pretty well again. Working on getting back in shape to head back to TKD in September. I hope...

Hope you are continuing to enjoy your new position, the people, the place. I look forward to more of you here once you find your rhythm again.

I finished Archangel, which was an almost three hour audio. It didn't work for me at all. The plot was weak; the characters meh, and some of the voices were not good. 2.0

Other than that, I spent yesterday battling blackberry bushes. I won, but they got a few good scratches in! Ouch.

Today my son and I went shopping for back to school supplies and stuff for his dorm room. He was in seventh heaven--so excited! One of his friends came over this evening and he has his first day of school tomorrow as a senior in HS and it totally took me by surprise. I am so not on that time frame now -- college classes don't start until 9/24!!

So what else am I reading...

Burning Girl (247 pages) by Claire Messud INDIEspensable #68
A Criminal Defense (K) by William L. Meyers Jr
Tragedy + Time: A Tragi-Comic Memoir (A) by Adam Cayton-Holland
Walk to Run One Mile (A) by Aaptiv, narrated by Jaime McFaden ( This is me trying to get back in shape--it's actually awesome! One segment a day for like three weeks.)

Well, back to the grindstone tomorrow. : )

Hi Kim!

Glad to hear that you're feeling pretty well again.

Wow, 9/24. My daughter started back up at her local community college 8/17. She's taking four classes and so far so good. This is her third attempt at college and after working hard for 3 years in a menial job she realizes that she needs to get that piece of paper. She's even learning things too. *smile*

Hi Kim! Glad to hear you are enjoying the most recent Thursday Next - she's one of my favourite fictional characters although I think the first four books in that series were my favourite.

Hi, Kim. How is Tragedy + Time? I have been curious about that one.

Hey Twin - I know what you mean about the school schedule. If it weren't for my daughter telling me, I would have no idea when they have breaks, etc. It'a amazing how easy it is to leave it behind once the kids leave school.

>136 karenmarie: Hey! Third time can be the charm! It helps when the kids actually WANT to go to school instead of just doing it because everyone else is. Best of luck to your daughter!

>137 souloftherose: I agree. The first couple Thursdays were the best, not that the rest are bad mind you. I am hoping the next one dips back into some literary happenings....hints were dropped.

>138 msf59: I know nothing about the author or his story, family ,background, so going into Tragedy + Time wide open. So far, I like the pacing and tone. Sounds like a rough life, but told with humor. So far so good--I am about 30 min in.

>139 BLBera: Seriously! Twenty years of back-to-school and the first year no one is in public education and the schedule is out the window!! LOL.

I am watching a little US Open tennis....go Serena!!

Oh! And I got my latest INDIEspensable box (thank you Hubby!). #75



Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima

It is spring. A young woman, left by her husband, starts a new life in a Tokyo apartment. Yuko Tsushima's Territory of Light follows her over the course of a year as she struggles to bring up her two-year-old daughter alone. Her new home is filled with lights, streaming through the windows, so bright you have to squint, but she finds herself plummeting deeper into darkness, becoming unstable, untethered. As the months come and go and the seasons turn, she must confront what she has lost and what she will become. At once tender and lacerating, luminous and unsettling, Territory of Light is a novel of abandonment, desire and transformation. It was originally published in twelve parts in the Japanese literary monthly Gunzo, between 1978 and 1979, each chapter marking the months in real time.



The Third Hotel by Laura Van Den Berg

Shortly after Clare arrives in Havana, Cuba, to attend the annual Festival of New Latin American Cinema, she finds her husband Richard standing outside a museum. He's wearing a white linen suit she's never seen before, and he's supposed to be dead. Grief-stricken and baffled, Clare tails Richard, a horror film scholar, through the newly tourist-filled streets of Havana, clocking his every move. As the distinction between reality and fantasy blurs, Clare finds grounding in memories of her childhood in Florida and of her marriage.

I am starting a new thread to keep track of all these amazing INDIEspensable books and I realize I am way behind reading them!! I am thinking next year, these may be a primary focus.

Take a look..
https://www.librarything.com/topic/295472#

DO you want me to add that thread to the Threadbook?

Uhhhh...I think it is more of a place for me to keep track of the list. And it is a work in progress...not sure anyone else would use it? IDK!!

#73 A Criminal Defense by William L. Meyer Jr, 3.5 Stars

A reporter is murdered. A rich business man is charged, caught cleaning up the incriminating scene. He claims innocence. Enter his school friend and lawyer. The one with a troubled brother, a marriage in trouble and a cute kid. Throw in some blackmail, high society kerfuffles, affairs and a sibling rivalry for a pretty good mix. I pieced together most of the ending, but not all of it! A good read.

Spent the day getting daughter ready for fall classes. Lots of small admin mistakes to clear up. Course substitutions not accounted for, overrides that needed to be updated in order to take upper classes, parking pass, etc, etc. Made good progress. She is first on the wait list for one class...in the past that has worked out okay. Fingers crossed! Then I picked up a few more storage things for my son's dorm room. He is pretty set now. Phew!

I am starting this month's Guido selection: Acqua Alta by Donna Leon.

>144 Berly: No prob. I'll hold off - just let me know if you'd like me to add it.

So glad you are feeling better! I hope the air continues to get better.

The INDIEspensable box sounds fun - like a gift in the mail each month. It's very tempting to give it a go.

Looks like you are feeling better and getting lots accomplished! Hope your kiddos enjoy their back to school! Chloe starts JK next Thursday, eek!

Hope your air quality has improved! Second worst in the world, wow!

>147 drneutron: Thanks! I was at Powell's yesterday and I asked if they could give me a complete list of the INDIEspensable collection. Hoping someone will get back to me....I'll let you know when I get it all fixed up.

>148 streamsong: Books in the mail are always fun to get! And I love that this collection celebrates the smaller INDIE publishers. There have been a lot of great books--recommended!

>149 ChelleBearss: Hurray for back-to-school! Hope Chloe has a great year. : )

Our air quality is FINALLY back to normal. Now if we could just get a little rain....

Hi Kim!

Glad the air quality is back to normal. If I could give you some of our rain, I would. We had a hum-dinger of a thunderstorm in the middle of the night. It woke me up it was so loud, but we have clear skies today.

Hey there Twin - your Indie box looks great. Nice Hubby - he just might be a keeper. How often do the books come?

It was great meeting you yesterday, Kim! Too bad your trip to MN fell through. It would have been nice seeing you again. Did you get any books yesterday? Did you like the talk?

>151 karenmarie: I love thunderstorms!! Just not in the middle of the night. LOL

>152 BLBera: Hubby is definitely a keeper. The boxes come every 6-8 weeks. : )

>153 The_Hibernator: Awesome to meet you and Aaron last night! My trip to MN will be rescheduled in 2019, so I will let you know when.

The talk at Powell's last night was really interesting. It was actually moderated by Leni Zumas, who lives here in Portland, and Genevieve Hudson used to be one of her students. Hudson's collection of short stories, Pretend We Live Here, explores finding yourself, whether it be your home, your friends, or within your own body. Several of the stories explore what it is like to discover you are gay. I really liked both women.

I was pretty restrained, only picking up her book and Vox. (I already own Red Clocks by Zumas).





Hudson and Zumas talk at Powell's

Another fun Portland LT meet-up last night with Rachel and her new hubby Aaron from MN. Thank you for making the drive up to Portland to be with us!! Dinner at Deschutes followed by (of course) a trip to Powell's Bookstore.

Rachel, you look awesome and I hope you continue to feel well until your big day in December!! Have a great time on the rest of your trip in Sun River.





Rhonda, Juli, Rachel and (?!), Aaron, Kim

Portland meet-ups are the best. It looks like all were having a good time. I loved The Red Clocks, Twin. You should read it.

>156 BLBera: : )

The Red Clocks is right by my bedside. The trouble is so are a lot of other books! LOL. But you always give good advice so I will try to move it up a bit. How was your first week of classes?

>132 weird_O: About Jasper. My wife and I had tonsorial touch-ups on Monday. Which meant I had to kill some time at my hometown library. And just for me, there was a $5-a-bag sale in progress. I got a second Fforde, this one titled Thursday Next: First Among Sequels.

My daughter tells me that Granddaughter Helen probably has the first books in the series. I trust her to lend me the first.

And I shall see both daughter and granddaughter tomorrow. It's Gram's birthday on Monday; there gonna be a party tomorrow!

Looks like you had fun at the meet up, Kim. Good to hear your air quality has improved. It has here too and there are less forest fires now (in the 400s rather than 500s).

>157 Berly: It was good. I have good groups. My dystopian fiction group seems like a good one.

Meet up looks like fun, and how great you got to go along to hear some local authors. I'm also very tempted by the boxes. I need to step away from that!

Hi Kim!

Nice meet up photos. What a lovely excuse to go to Powell's.

Hooray for meet ups!

>158 weird_O: Nice job rounding up the Ffordes! I hope Granddaughter Helen lends you the first one soon. Have fun at the party! And what else did you get in your $5 bag? Lucky you!

>159 Familyhistorian: Meet-ups are always fun! Aaron and Rachel were lots of fun and they seem like a very happy couple. I hope I'll get to see them again when I head out to MN next year.

>160 BLBera: I love the books you chose for your dystopian fiction group--hope you have a lot of fun with that! I read over on your thread that you have over 100 students this semester--that's a lot of grading. Good luck!

>161 charl08: I took a snap shot of the upcoming author calendar for September. There are one or two I might have to squeeze into the calendar. And then Roberta tipped me off that Craig Johnson is coming to the other Powell's location--yaay!!

>162 karenmarie: Any excuse to go to Powell's is a good one! LOL

>163 rosalita: Exactly!!! : )

>155 Berly: Great meet-up pictures, Kim! And hurrah for getting the kids set up for school.

>166 ronincats: Thanks!

Very little reading happened today. I watched tennis and saw Crazy Rich Asians in the theater. And ate popcorn and Milk Duds. : )

Happy Sunday, Kim. Great meet-up photos, thanks for sharing them. Here it's definitely autumn now - foggy, raining, some sun and the leaves turn their colour. It's my favourite season.

>155 Berly: I always love a good meet up pic!! Good to see it included food and books, both vital components of an LT meet up :)

>155 Berly: Powell's and Portland and meet-ups. All on my to do list.

Ticked one off my list just now by visiting one of my best LT friends to wish her a glorious Sunday.

Great meet-up pics! Glad that you all had a great time!

Hi Kim! Thanks for posting the pictures. Sounds like a great talk.

>169 LovingLit: An LT Meet-up, by definition, has to include food and books! Of course!

>170 PaulCranswick: Paul was here!! I am glad to hear that Portland (and me) are still on your to-do list, Paul. Someday soon, I hope! I have sorely missed your cheerful presence on my thread. I hope this is habit forming. ; )

>171 ChelleBearss: A pleasure, as always, to meet fellow LTers.

>172 banjo123: Absolutely! Did you walk away with any books?

Today Hubby and I went for a walk on Sauvie Island. It was absolutely gorgeous! And I got all my steps in for the day. : )

Beautiful photos. It looks like a wonderful place.

>174 Berly: that's so pretty. How far is that from where you live?

Happy Labor Day, Kim. Lots of fun activity to comment on over here. Yah, for the author event. I have Red Clocks saved on audio and the story collection sounds good also.

Hooray for another Portland Meet Up and visiting with Rachel and Aaron. Nice photos too.

I also like your Sauvie Island photos. Pretty place.

>174 Berly: Nice photos, Twin. Did you see that Peggy gave a call out for us on her thread? Have a lovely week.

Hi Kim! What a beautiful place to take a walk. Thanks for sharing the photos.

>175 Ameise1: Thanks! It is a gorgeous place...and we didn't even make it to the beaches! Just the inner nature trails.

>176 lauralkeet: It is just a half hour from my house. I want to go back again later in the fall. Several places have corn mazes to get lost in!! LOL

>177 msf59: Mark was here!!! And you came even though I didn't post any bird pictures. : ) Hope you enjoy your day off today. (You do have today off, right?)

>178 BLBera: Hi Twin! Thanks. No, I didn't--I will have to go see...

>179 karenmarie: It was so nice to be outside. The weather was perfect! Mid 70s. Lots of sunshine and a gentle breeze. And no smoke!!

>164 Berly: The partying on Saturday was excellent. A New England clam bake in Pennsylvania: lobster rolls, clams, corn on the cob, beer, wine, and soda. All our kids and grandkids gathered for Gram's 70th birthday.

Yes, I got The Eyre Affair is now in my hands. I won't clutter your thread with lists of what I got. But some decent stuff.

>182 weird_O: Yum! I wish I could have come to that party! Glad to hear you got your hands on The Eyre Affair -- now I just hope you enjoy it. And whatever else you managed to acquire. Happy Labor Day!!

Well, I was going to read The Great Santini for the AAC and Pat Conroy this month, but apparently I already read it and gave it a 3.5. Meh. So I don't want to bother re-reading it. Instead I found The Lords of Discipline for $1.99 on Kindle and I am going to give that a try. It has a LT rating of 4.08.

>155 Berly: What a wonderful photo of a great meet up!
I write to say that I appreciate you very much. Though I haven't felt well enough to participate in the 75 group, still, you visit my thread, and you are always so very kind.

The world needs more of you! Thank you!!!!

Linda--How nice to see you here!! I am not sure you fully grasp just how much you are appreciated by me and others on LT. You are such a strong woman, an inspiration to me. I hope that someday VERY soon you will be feeling better again. How is the count down toward retirement going?

Thanks again and again Kim for all your kind words. I retire October 31. I am slowly taking things from my office into my car and bringing them home. My co-workers are beginning to notice the difference. I very much like my job and co-workers. It is a wonderful 36 years.

>187 Whisper1: I wish you a wonderful last two months, a chance to have the excitement of the new year and a chance to be with all your old friends. I know they will be enjoying every last minute with you!

Oooh, finally visiting your thread, love the topper - it gives me flashbacks to childhood me sneaking into the bathroom with a book shoved up the front of my t-shirt/sweater. Nonchalantly wandering past my parents "Who me, carrying a book into the bathroom? You must be thinking of someone else, I would never do that. My arm is just awkwardly braced against my stomach for... reasons. Yes, reasons. Nothing to do with the hidden book."

>189 evilmoose: Ha! I knew I liked you, you sneaky thing you. : ) So nice to see you "out and about" on LT.

>174 Berly: That makes me a little homesick for Portland!

>184 Berly: Ooh. I am off to see if that deal is still on...

Hope you're well. Loved the meetup photos. I'm trying to work out a time to go visit my parents before the end of the year, but not successful so far. We were supposed to all meet in CA for Thanksgiving and my parents' 50th anniversary celebration, but now one of my brothers has a daughter who might?!? be getting married at Christmas, so there goes 2 years of planning. I guess I should just be glad I hadn't bought plane tickets yet. Just a little annoyed that all the rest of my family forgets that we have to fly all the way across the country and it is Not Cheap and there are any number of ways to become stranded in strange airports for the holidays. *sob* Oh well. If I manage a trip to Portland, I will let you know and see if you can fit another Powell's meetup into your schedule. :)

Nice meet up photos, Kim!

>191 nittnut: Hey there, Jenn! If I make you miss it enough will you come visit?! LOL

Weddings. I feel your pain. I was supposed to go to MN to see my sister and brother, but then it turns out my brother's niece decided to get married on that same weekend, and that took precedence. The Nerve! (I am being a little sarcastic here.) So we are rescheduling the sibling meet-up for next year. Luckily (same as you) I had not booked my flight yet, but my sister has to use her vacation time or lose it. So I talked her into coming out here for a visit, 'cuz why should we miss out on all the fun, right? She is coming next weekend. : )

Let me know if you can get out here -- that would be awesome!

>192 kidzdoc: Hi, Darryl! Glad you liked the meet-up photos. I keep telling you that I would be happy to have one of you in front of Powell's, too. Hint Hint. How is that Dr convention shaping up out here? : )

Hi, Kimmers. I am watching the Cubs, (they are losing...sighs) and visiting a few threads.

I am also starting The Lords of Discipline, if not tomorrow, then Thursday for sure, also on audio.

>194 msf59: Sorry about the Cubs. I am behind watching the US Open and just watched Federer lose. : (

I changed my mind on the Pat Conroy read and I am also reading The Lords of Discipline! I have it downloaded; probably gonna start tomorrow. We'll have to compare notes. : )

We're hitting the road (well, the air) soon, Kim, but I wanted to stop by. Looks like another great meetup!

>196 jnwelch: Safe travels, Joe!! Thanks for popping in before you take off. I'll follow your exploits on your thread.

Hey Beth! Glad to see your air quality has improved. It means ours has too. Very nice meetup pics! I had to Google Sauvie Island and ooo laaa laaa! It looks gorgeous! So much of nature to enjoy out your way! Hurrah for getting those steps in too!

>195 Berly: I read The Lords of Discipline a long time ago, but I remember liking it. It might have been my first Conroy, come to think of it. I'm a fan of his and have read quite a few more in the years since.

>198 Carmenere: Ahem. This is Kim not Beth/BLBera my Twin. (And now you know why she is my Twin!!) LOL

Glad your air is cleaned up, too. That sure was nasty. Sauvie Island is beautiful and fun. I want to go through one of the corn mazes this fall--they are amazing! Look...

>199 rosalita: Oh good! Glad to hear you liked The Lords of Discipline--I am looking forward to diving in tonight!!

Nice to see the blue skies in your photos, Kim. Those look like pretty neat mazes.

>202 Familyhistorian: The blue skies are soooo welcome! I have never done the corn mazes and intend to fix that this year. ; )

Hi Kim!

I'm going to read My Reading Life for the AAC. It's off the shelf, on my desk. Good start, right?

I want to go through one of the corn mazes this fall--they are amazing! Ha.

Hehe. We took a class trip once to a farm that had a corn maize (nothing like your pics, though). I lost a student in there, though only for a few minutes. A few moments of panic but no harm done. We all laughed about it afterwards. Even the kid!

75. I finished Tragedy Plus Time on audio, read by the author Adam Cayton-Holland. He is a stand-up comedian, so the delivery was well done. Adam received tons of positive support following a post he did about the suicide of his beloved sister. He was approached and asked to expand his thoughts into a book. Needless to say, the result is bitter sweet. It is a tribute to her, therapy for him, a wonderful story of family and love, charming, painful, funny and honest. A bit of a hard read, because of the loss, but good. 3.75

>204 karenmarie: LOL. Well played! And good start on the book.

>205 jessibud2: Glad everyone took it well! Phew. : )

Sweet Thursday, Kim. The Lords of Discipline is off to a good start. I am getting used to the broad dialogue, which seems to be Conroy's style.

Raining here but it has finally cooled off.

Hi Kim, the photo's of the maze's look great my dear, we have a few not far from us but have never been, maybe like you I should give them a go. Hope you and the family are ok as we both are, we are rested from the removals and ready for our holiday starting Saturday with Amy and Andy.

My reading is starting to pick up and I hope it continues through to the end of the year. Sending love and hugs to you and the family from both of us dear friend.

>208 msf59: I keep getting dragged away to other things and I haven't even started LoD yet!! Today is my son's 18th birthday so we are headed out to dinner with the grandparetns to celbrate. Maybe after that....glad to hear it is off to a good start for you.

And that is has finally cooled off!

>209 johnsimpson: Let's make a pact--we'll both go to the corn mazes this year!!

Glad you are recovered from the removals and that you have holiday on the horizon. August was a banner reading month for me, but September is off tot a slow start....

Hugs to you and yours. : )

>198 Carmenere: Hey Twin, or Kith? We're messing people up again. It might be time for a shared topper. :)

Happy 18th birthday for your son - it's amazing that you are not getting older.

Have fun with the sis.

>200 Berly: >209 johnsimpson:

Online at Treinen Farm, there's a great TRILOBITE Corn Maze for 2017 and this year is THE ELEPHANT'S CHILD!

(Owners have assured me there's no way a political connection.)

>198 Carmenere: >200 Berly: >211 BLBera: Oops, I did it again! Ding dang it! Believe me, I know who I'm talking to but my fingers didn't get the message.
The corn mazes are indeed a"maze"ing! What fun!!
Happy birthday #18 to you son!

Hi, Kim! No way I can catch up, but I do enjoy your pictures. The meet-up looks great (you all look great!), and Sauvie Island looks great, and the corn mazes are amazing.
I pretty much enjoyed The Lords of Discipline years ago when it came out. Of course, I'm a sucker for school stories. My uncle, who worked in the state dept. of education in SC, passed on unimpressive evaluations of Conroy (thinking The Water Is Wide here), but that didn't influence my enjoyment of *Lords*. I still remember the toe jam man.
OOOO!! 75+ Congratulations!

RIP

Those corn mazes look incredibly complicated to set up - and, I assume, to get out of. Being a person of 'normal' 5' stature, I would have no clues. Do they provide maps?

>85 Berly: Wonderful statement about "Not in my backyard."

So very true.

I hope you are feeling better.

Lots of love to you.

>206 Berly: Congrats on hitting 75!!

Hope things are going well in your world!

>206 Berly: Congratulations on reaching 75, Kim!

>211 BLBera: Hi, Bim. Yes, we are once again confusing people!! LOL. Let me just say I am honored to be confused for someone as kind, smart and funny as you. ; )

And how nice of you to notice that I am frozen in time as all me kids continue to get older!!!

I can't wait to see my sister on Wednesday.

>213 m.belljackson: I looked up the farm and the elephant corn maze looks awesome! They also had a cute video on how they made it...about 2/3 down their home page.

http://treinenfarm.com

Hi Kim, congrats on reaching 75 books read for the year my dear and super congrats for your son's 18th birthday, I hope he has a great day and you have a lovely family meal. We are ready for tomorrow morning when we set off to Tenby and more so as we are calling in at Hay-on-Wye to break our journey. Think we may have a few books to put in the car for the two hour journey from Hay to Tenby before we fully start the holiday.

Sending love and hugs to you and the family from both of us dear friend.

>214 Carmenere: No worries!! It is a running joke and Beth and I would be sad if our Twin link was broken. : ) And I am sure I have mixed up others as well.

We had a wonderful time out last night celebrating the big 18. Great restaurant on the 40th floor with a wonderful view of downtown Portland and the river and mountains. Food was AMAZING! Most importantly, Jack felt the love.

>215 LizzieD: Glad you enjoyed my photos. They are a quick way to catch up n the threads, aren't they? And thanks for the congrats on reaching 75! I am not sure it was the best book for that notch, but that's theorder I finished in...

>217 ffortsa: I only have 4 and 1/2 (the half is important) inches on you, so I am doomed in the corn maze, too. I have actually never done one. I am kinda scared I will get lost and never find my way out!! (That's not really a thing...is it?)

>218 Whisper1: Hello, Linda!! Love seeing you here on my thread. : )

I never mentioned that I finally saw the whole performance of "Emergency Shelter Intake Form" (mentioned first in post >85 Berly:). It was wonderful! There are 13 sections. Some sung by a soprano soloist, some by a four-man group, and the finale sung by The Maybelle Community Singers Choir, composed largely of members who are actually currently using shelter services. The Oregon Symphony was wonderful, too. Afterwards, I got to meet one of the young men in the choir as well as the Symphony President. The session was recorded and I know they are talking to other symphonies across the US, so if you hear about this in your community, go see it!

III Where did you stay last night?

Where did you stay last night?
Check one box only
On the Street
Emergency Shelter
Transitional Housing
Psychiatric Facility
Hospital (non-psychiatric)
Hospital whose fluorescent light
And whose scent of death
Make you feel all kinds of nauseous,

And from which you flee
In a flowered gown
At 3am into the April dark...

Jail/Prison/Juvenile Facility
Domestic Violence Situation

Living with Relatives/Friends
Living with Relatives/Friends
Whose judgement of you is
Trying your patience.

Living with Relatives/Friends
Whose Patience is being tried
By you and your family.

Living with Relatives/Friends
In a half-finished basement
Where you and your son and daughter
Share a bed
In which you lie awake;
Listen to footsteps upstairs,
The breath of your children,
And wonder what you did wrong...

Motel not paid for by Shelter Voucher
Motel not painted by Edward Hopper
Motel whose manager looks at you
Sideways with a mouthful of rotten teeth,
A look that you can't help but think
Has got something to do with
The color of your skin...

Foster Care/Group Home
Permanent Supportive Housing
Place Not Meant for Habitation
Car/Bus/Subway/An Embankment

A Bridge
A Forest
A Ridge
A Clocktower

In the moon, in the sun
In a room overrun
With disappointment despondency,
And a broken flat screen tv screen
Watched by rats enthusiastically
You wonder what you did wrong...

-- Gabriel Kahane

>219 ChelleBearss: Chelle--Thanks for noticing I hit the magic 75!! Whoohoo!

"Hope things are well in your world." Well....So my current medical issue is that my thyroid meds are off and apparently way too high. I lowered my dose and the test were even worse 6 weeks later. So I am lowereing the level yet again. Wish me luck! It messes with my whole energy level and lately it has been causing my heart to be whacky too. Over the past week, the heart seems to be settling back to normal again -- thank goodness! -- now if I could just get a little energy back. Aren't you glad you asked?! LOL

>220 FAMeulstee: Anita--Thank you! I am hoping I hit the 100 mark this year. It is within reach I think. : )

>222 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Glad you are all set for your trip and you remember to pack the books. I hope oto hear lots about it on your thread. Hugs!

>225 Berly:, Thanks Kim my dear.

>225 Berly: Sorry your thyroid is still off.
Don't know if this might help, but I have always an "up" in summer, so I prefer not to change my thyroid meds in summer. Going down takes much longer than going up. When I was on levothyroxine it took months before the blood counts were good again. After lowering the dose it kept going up for a while. My body seems to react more direct on the Thyrax.
With high levels of T4 the whole body goes faster, including the heart. For me it ment I could also read faster ;-)

Happy Friday, Kim! Congrats on hitting the mighty 75!! Yah!!

Congrats on 75!

>226 johnsimpson: : )

>227 FAMeulstee: I like the "read faster" benefit!! LOL I am trying to be patient with the rest of it. ; )

>228 msf59: Thanks and yay indeed!

>229 drneutron: Gracias!!! {{{{{beams}}}}

Oooh!! Lineup for the Portland Literary Arts Book Festival just announced:

The November 10th lineup will include . . .

FICTION WRITERS: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah author of Friday Black / Jamel Brinkley author of A Lucky Man / Adrienne Celt author of Invitation to a Bonfire / Ingrid Rojas Contreras author of Fruit of the Drunken Tree / Patrick deWitt author of French Exit / Aminder Dhaliwal author of Woman World / Joseph Fink author of Alice Isn't Dead / John Freeman editor of Freeman's Journal / Kim Fu author of The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore / Aja Gabel author of The Ensemble / Lauren Groff author of Florida / Lisa Halliday author of Asymmetry / Tom Hanks author of Uncommon Type / Vanessa Hua author of A River of Stars / Lydia Kiesling author of The Golden State /Rachel Kushner author of The Mars Room / Jonathan Lethem author of The Feral Detective / Jason Lutes author of Berlin / Ling Ma author of Severance / Tommy Orange author of There There / Amy Stewart author of Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit / Zulema Renee Summerfield author of Every Other Weekend / Luis Alberto Urrea author of The House of Broken Angels / Willy Vlautin author of Don't Skip Out on Me / Daniel H. Wilson author of Guardian Angels and Other Monsters / Leni Zumas author of Red Clocks.

>231 Berly: - Sounds great! I would LOVE to see Tom Hanks talk about his book!! How many days is the festival, Kim?

Hi Kim!

Belated happy 18th birthday to your son. Sorry to hear that your thyroid levels are all wacky.

>231 Berly: Yikes. I've only heard of two of those authors - Lauren Groff and Tom Hanks.

Congrats on reaching 75, Twin. >231 Berly: This lineup seriously makes me want to move to Portland. I've read several and would love to see the authors. You've got some reading to do, Twin!

Sorry the thyroid is wacky. I hope you get it straightened out soon.

Congrats on 75

>232 jessibud2: It is a one day blowout!! I can't wait. I have to see the schedule so I can figure out who to see when. : )

>233 karenmarie: I have read or have books by:

Patrick deWitt (read other), John Freeman (read other), Lauren Groff author of Florida (have it), Tom Hanks author of Uncommon Type (read it), Rachel Kushner author of The Mars Room (have it), Tommy Orange author of There There (have it), Amy Stewart author of Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit (reading the series), Luis Alberto Urrea (read other), Leni Zumas author of Red Clocks (have it and read other).

So excited!!

>234 BLBera: Well, you could move to Portland, Twin, or come visit again!!! Please!

>235 figsfromthistle: Thank you!! Now onward to 100 (I hope). : )

Hi Kim! Catching up and "How the heck did you manage to come down with pneumonia in the middle of summer? OMG, Poor you! Yes, August was bad for air quality conditions due to the wildfires, and worse if one has asthma.

Congrats on 75!

Hi Lori--Clearly I am a talented patient! LOL. Thankfully that is all cleared up. : )

Super psyched I made 75 already this year. Hoping for 100.

Hi Kim, there's plenty of time left to get to 100 books. That is my goal, too, and I'm only at #67. Congratulations on reaching the magical 75! Enjoy the visit with your sister. Is she as much of a reader as you?

I love the island picture upthread. What a great place to get your steps in. We're having a rainy Saturday here and I'm not even halfway to the 10,000 steps I strive for. I may be walking in circles around the house with a book in hand before the day is over.

Congrats on 75, Kim! And on getting Jack to age 18!!! We used to do the Kroger's corn maze every year, but ended up quitting due to all the traffic coming off of the island. But it is a lot of fun. Maybe if you could go on a weekday?

>239 Donna828: I certainly think so!! We can do it! My sister is a reader, but she is also a single mom with four kids, so maybe not quite as much time to read. I plan to send her home with some of mine though. : )

Good luck on the steps! It is a daily struggle to fit them in. I am only at 6,000....

>240 banjo123: 75 and 18 are both great numbers!! Yeah, a weekday might be a good idea...thanks. Happy Saturday!

So, I had the most frustrating internet library experience today. I was trying to download the new app (Libby) for audio books and when I went to sign on using my library card number, my password didn't work. I tried resetting it using the card number, my email, my phone number...nothing worked. I finally drove to the library and said I needed a techie person to help me. I was so afraid I would come across as an idiot with no tech skills, but I had tried every single thing she suggested. I finally asked her to please use her library computer to reset my password associated with my card and then everything worked great. I didn't leave until I could sign on with my phone and computer. And the app works!! Success!

>231 Berly: Wowza, Kimmers! That is an amazing group of authors! I am totally floored. I sure hope you can see as many of these talented authors as you can.

Sorry, about the elibrary issues but glad you got it figured out. I have not tried Libby.

>243 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I will do my best.

So I am stunned by the drama on the tennis court at the US Open with Serena and the head ref. I don't know who would have won if it had gone differently; I am a Serena fan and she may have come back to win as she has so many times in the past. But I think Osaka is up and coming and she was playing so well. I do not think the umpire should have awarded a game penalty, and it blew up the whole match. I think Osaka would have been thrilled to come in second against her idol Serena, yet she was crying through the award ceremony as the winner. I am sad that Osaka's first Grand Slam was lessened by all of this. She showed great composure, humbleness and lots of great shots! I wish both ladies lots of success.

It was a mess, wasn't it, Twin? Serena gets lots of calls that other players don't get...It is too bad that Osaka's first win had to come like this.

A total mess. : (

>245 Berly: and >246 BLBera: and >247 Berly: A total mess.
Umpire should have showed restraint, held back from the full-game penalty. It was such a multi-layered controversy and will overshadow Naomi Osaka's brilliant play forever. And we'll never know if Serena would have/could have come back as she has done so many times. Even poor Naomi doesn't get to know if she could/would have beat her idol under more ideal circumstances. Serena's point that male players behave much more badly and do not draw such ire from umpires is well taken. And the issue of coaching from the box: I believe her coach was coaching her, but he -- and all the announcers -- were saying that happens ALL the time by ALL coaches. Why call it out in this match at this point in time? I believe in Implicit Bias.

On a side note, I did end up loving Washington Black and now I'm enjoying Blind Justice, a good ol' mystery novel. :-)

>242 Berly: Whew!

This morning I rode the stationary bike while listing to a podcast called "Caliphate." It is SO intense.

>248 EBT1002: Yes.

>249 EBT1002: I will have to look it up! Thanks.

>250 Berly: A colleague at UW recommended it. He was totally caught up in it and I started listening in my final days of commuting in Seattle but then lost track during the transition. I think it might be just what I need to motivate me on the stationary bike (which I generally find devastatingly boring).

>251 EBT1002: So first I need the podcast, then I need a stationary bike. !!!! : )

Ha!

>245 Berly: Kim, I was astounded at the outcome of the match, as you were. I am a fan of both Williams and Osaka. It ended badly for both of them and I think the outcome was determined by bad calls by the umpire. How sad for Osaka.

I hope your health is on the mend and you are out enjoying this fabulous weather. I went to my grandson's first soccer game of the season today and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. I know soon enough we'll be sitting in the rain as usual.

Have a great Sunday.

>225 Berly: Sorry to see your thyroid levels are off. I have hypo-thyroid and mine makes me sluggish and quick to anger when my meds are off. Hope yours get back on track quickly!

Hi Kim!

>236 Berly: You will definitely get to meet authors whose books you know. Very exciting.

>245 Berly: We didn't watch the Osaka/Williams match because Bill took a dislike to Serena at the 2009 US Open where she threatened the linesman and won't watch her at all. I've seen replays of what happened yesterday, am sad for Osaka more than Williams, frankly. Serena should have known better and controlled her temper, regardless of the inherent fairness/unfairness of the coaching call. Throwing rackets and verbally abusing the official in charge were just plain stupid.

>248 EBT1002: I agree completely.

>252 Berly: I also find stationary biking boring, Kim. Do you really want to go there? Although maybe I should check out the podcast for my walks. I've been trying to get in walking outside as much as possible these days before the W word comes.

Have a great Sunday.

>255 ChelleBearss: So you know exactly what I am going through. Ugh.

>256 karenmarie: I agree that Serena should have a better grip on her temper. But the coaching/cheating thing really ticked her off and that was on the umpire. Why call it when everyone is doing it? Some players even have conversations.

Anyhow. I am most disappointed that the debacle diminished the joy that Osaka should have had winning her first Major Tournament. She was playing brilliantly.

>257 BLBera: LOL. The podcast -- yes! Stationary bike -- probably not. But everything seems to be going wrong at once. My heel is killing me and even walking is a problem. So biking or swimming are better options right now. I am tired of being less than whole. Sigh.

Enough vitriol and complaining...time for a new thread!!! Off to set it up...

Okay! Ready.