tymfos (Terri) tries to read 75 in 2020

I'm Terri, and I've participated in this challenge since 2009. 2019 was the first year I didn't read at least 75 books. With work, grad school, and life in general, I only read 41. I hope to do better this year, though my pace will likely be slow until commencement in May.

ETA to add: I didn't expect a pandemic when I thought I'd read more this year. I'm just not concentrating well to read.

I read a wide variety of books, but am partial to mysteries, especially when I'm under stress. They are comfort food for my brain.

Currently Reading:

Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel AUDIO and paperback
The Decent Inn of Death by Rennie Airth



Abandoned reading:
Help for the Haunted by John Searles AUDIO
The Smile of a Ghost by Phil Rickman
Bad Days in History: a Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year by Michael Farquhar E-BOOK

Books completed in 2020

Memorable children's books read earlier in the year as part of my work
I've decided to count these, as I've read them during the year, and they make my total seem not so pitiful.

63. Catch That Chicken by Atinuke
62. Jules vs. the Ocean Jessie Sima
61. We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
60. Cat Dog Dog by Nelly Buchet
59. Terry Fox and Me by Mary Beth Leatherdale
58. Let's Go to Taekwondo by Aram Kim
57. A is for Another Rabbit by Hannah Batsel

Books completed in DECEMBER

Memorable children's books read as part of my work:
56. Extraordinary Ordinary Ella by Amber Hendricks
55. A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett
54. Sparky and Spike by Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Dan Andreasen
53. Bear Needs Help by Sarah S. Brannen
52. I'm Trying to Love Math by Bethany Barton
51. The Hundred-Year Barn by Patricia MacLachlan
50. Ellie's Dragon by Bob Graham
49. Neighbors by Kasya Denisevich
48. Quiet Down, Loud Town! by Alastair Heim
47. Butts are Everywhere by Jonathan Stutzman

Books completed in NOVEMBER
(Books 43 through 46 are Junior Library Guild books read as a part of my work)
46. Breaking the Ice: The True Story of the First Woman to Play in the National Hockey League by Angie Bullaro
45. If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
44. Hello, Arnie by Laurie Keller
43. I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott

42. How to Think Like a Cat by Stephane Garnier AUDIO (11-14-2020)
41. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen (11-10-2020)
40. Choosing Civility by P.M. Forni AUDIO (11-07-2020)
39. The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria by Greg King AUDIO (11-05-2020)

Books completed in OCTOBER

38. The Shadows: A Novel by Alex North AUDIO (10-31-2020)
37. Dark Shadows by Marilyn Ross AUDIO (10-24-2020)
36. The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen AUDIO (10-17-2020)
35. Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver AUDIO (10-15-2020)
34. The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump edited by Ronald J. Sider (10-13-2020)

Books completed in SEPTEMBER

33. Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson AUDIO (9-28-2020)
32. A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke AUDIO (9-5-2020)

Books completed in AUGUST

31. The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb AUDIO (8-17-2020)
30. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (8-15-2020)
29. The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson AUDIO (8-14-2020)
28. The Island by Ragnar Jonasson AUDIO (8-12-2020)
27. The Silence by Susan Allott (8-11-2020)
26. The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson AUDIO (8-9-2020)
25. Collision on Tenerife by Jon Ziomek AUDIO (8-7-2020)

Books completed in JULY
"Move on! Nothing to see here, folks!"

Books completed in June
24. Grace Will Lead Us Home:The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes AUDIO (6/17/2020)

Books completed in May
23. The Toll by Cherie Priest AUDIO (5-16-2020)
22. Inside Jobs by Ben H. Winters AUDIO (5-13-2020)
21. Flight 232 by Laurence Gonzales AUDIO (5-11-2020)
20. A Graveyard for Lunatics by Ray Bradbury (5-8-2020)
19. Get Well Soon: History's worst plagues and the heroes who fought them by Jennifer Wright AUDIO (5-4-2020)
18. Pointing from the grave by Samantha Weinberg AUDIO (5-2-2020)

Books completed in April
17. Storm Kings: the untold history of America's First Tornado chasers by Lee Sandin AUDIO (4-27-2020)
16. Archives: Principles and Practices by Laura A. Millar (4-22-2020)
15. Ghostland: an American history in haunted places by Colin Dickey AUDIO (4-20-2020)
14. American Fire by Monica Hesse AUDIO (4-17-2020)
13. Murder in Rat Alley by Mark de Castrique (4-11-2020)
12. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higgenbotham AUDIO (4-10-2020) AUDIO
11. Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky (4-4-2020) AUDIO

Books completed in March
10. Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves (3-31-20)
9. Ruthless Tide: the Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood by Al Roker AUDIO
8. The Only Plane in the Sky: an oral history of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff AUDIO

Books completed in February
7. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (2-22-2020) AUDIO
6. The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party, by Daniel James Brown (2-16-2020) AUDIO
5. Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt (2-14-2020) AUDIO

Books completed in January
4. Gorilla and the Bird by Zack McDermott (1-17-19)
3. Ghosts of the Jersey Shore by Lynda Lee Macken (1-10-2020)
2. Fever Year: the Killer Flu of 1918 by Don Brown GRAPHIC NONFICTION (1-5-2020)
1. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb (1-1-2020)

Welcome to my thread!

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Got you...

ed!!

Hi Terri! Happy 2020 reading!

Best wishes for 2020!

Happy New Year, Terri.

Happy new year, Terri! Wishing you all the best in 2020!

Welcome back!

Happy reading in 2020, Terri!

Happy New Year Terri. I didn't realize you were so close to graduation. Good luck to you.

Happy reading 2020, Terri.

Hi Terri! Stopping by with best wishes for 2020.

Good luck with grad school and reading in 2020, Terri.

>6 PaulCranswick: You're first, Paul! Have a piece of pie:



Hello, Kim, Lori, Diana, Beth Lynda, Jim, Anita, Bonnie, Barbara, Lori, and Meg! Thanks for stopping by, and for the well-wishes.

Book #1

If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O by Sharyn McCrumb (1-1-2020)

A folk singer moves to town trying to prepare for a comeback, but begins receiving ominous notes in the mail. A high school student disappears. Meanwhile, the town is preparing for the Class of 1966's 20-year reunion, at which time a plaque will be dedicated to classmates who died in the war in Vietnam. Sheriff Spencer Arrowood, whose brother Cal died in the war, is reluctant to provide a speech for the event.

This was the first of McCrumb's Ballad novels, and while I'd read many of them, I had not read this one before. It was quite good.

>19 tymfos: I don't think I've ever read that one either. Maybe I can read it later in the year. I really enjoy her Ballad series.

>19 tymfos: That's one of my favorite series...I still have a few to read.

Happy new year, tymfos! I hope all is well with you. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your first book of the year. I've haven't hear the name Sharon McCrumb since my days with Half Price Books. She's a goodie.

Lori, Linda, and Brodie, it seems like we all like Sharyn McCrumb. She has long been a favorite of mine. It's just one example of how librarians can affect our reading: a previous director of our library really liked Sharyn McCrumb's work, and made sure her books were present and visible to a browsing newcomer to town (me, 20+ years ago) who was looking for a "new" author to read.

Book #2

Fever Year: the Killer Flu of 1918 by Don Brown GRAPHIC (1-5-2020)

I never really saw the appeal of graphic novels. I'm primarily a verbal learner, not visually oriented. But I noted a suggestion years ago at a children's literature conference that the graphic format could be very useful to get young people interested in history and other nonfiction topics. So when our Jr. Library Guild order brought us a graphic nonfiction treatment about the 1918 Flu Pandemic, I thought it worth a look.

I was impressed.

There's a lot of information in that slender volume Fever Year by Don Brown. I've read several books and attended a presentation by a history professor on the subject, but I learned some new things from this book. This book takes its history seriously -- it is complete with notes and a bibliography. The illustrations help bring home just how awful the flu pandemic was.

Highly recommended.

>23 tymfos: I got to meet her a couple years ago. A local genealogist with ties to the area of West Virginia in which The Unquiet Grave was set helped her research. Sharyn came to town for a book signing and because I knew her friend, I got to spend a little more time with her.

Dropping a star, Terri. Happy New Year to you. We used loads of GNs in our home schooling - the kids loved them, and there are some excellent ones out there.

>24 thornton37814: I remember you posting about that, Lori. That is so cool! The Unquiet Grave is high on my list of books I want to read.

>25 Crazymamie: Mamie!!!! So good to "see" you! You've been missed. Happy New Year to you!
GNs will never be my favorite type of book, but I think they have real value.

I just submitted my application to graduate in May. It'll be here before I know it.

Happy New Year, Terri!

Happy 2020 Terri. And, congratulations on attending grad school. I was not as active as I wanted to be in 2019. I vow to be visiting threads more often, and certainly, yours will be one of those.

Happy 2020, Terri.

I'm a GN fan, and as Mamie says, there are some excellent ones out there. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei and Good Talk by Mira Jacob were two of my favorites last year.

>19 tymfos: I've been meaning to read this one, Terri. Maybe this year.

Hi, Stasia, Linda, Joe, and Beth!. Thanks for stopping by!

Book #3 Ghosts of the Jersey Shore by Lyda Lee Mackin (01-10-2020)

These are short accounts of regional ghost stories. I don't find them particularly well-written, but it's a nice mix of stories. The fact that I'm familiar with some of the places makes it more interesting.

Hi Terri, hope your new year is off to a great start.

We were expecting a massive rain/ice/snow storm. We got the rain but seemed to have skipped over the ice, with maybe 5 or 6 inches of snow on the way this afternoon and evening. A nice day to stay inside and read, I'd say.

Terri I hope that you'll soon be back to your pre-2019 reading and posting. The absence of your regular presence here was felt last year.

>32 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda! We're having some unseasonably warm weather the past few days, but snow is supposedly coming this weekend.

>33 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! With the semester starting now, I probably won't be around much until May. I'm on pace to receive my Masters degree then, and I think that will free up some time for reading and LT. Of course, I'm planning on it freeing up time for a lot of things, so I'll still probably be in a time crunch situation. I'll likely never get back to the kind of participation here that I had when I was working part-time, at least until I retire (whenever that is), but I hope to be a little more present here.

>34 tymfos: Exciting that you will be graduating in May. Do you have a position lined up already or are you in the process of applying places?

Good luck managing your time--there's never enough!! LOL

I had missed your thread at the start of the year, so I'm glad you posted on Introductions!

Looking forward to following your reading some, but I hear you, I can't participate as much as I used to when I was part-time either. Here's hoping life calms down for you after school finishes in May!

>35 thornton37814: I was named director of my local library in 2017, with the condition that I earn the masters. I plan to stay here until I retire — I’m totally happy here.

>36 Berly: Time just seems to zip by more and more quickly! But life is so interesting now!

>37 bell7: I’m glad you found my thread, Mary!

Hi Terri, I just stumbled upon your new thread and am looking forward to seeing what you’re reading and getting more mystery recs from you!

>31 tymfos: That one sounds interesting.

>38 tymfos: That's great. Always nice when you don't have to search for a job!

>41 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne! I look forward to seeing what you're reading, too.

>42 thornton37814: This job is a pretty good fit for me, and I love this library! The staff is great to work with, and the Board is supportive.

Book #4 Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness and a mother's love by Zack McDermott (01-17-2020)

This is the story of an attorney from Kansas ("the Gorilla") who has Bipolar 1 disorder. He experiences a psychotic episode while working as a Legal Aid attorney in New York City, and simultaneously trying to launch a stand-up comedy career. His mother ("The Bird") is the one who makes sure he gets the care he needs, and stands up for him when the "system" is failing him . . . which is what it does for a lot of people with mental illness. She is fierce, and she loves him. In the family history is an uncle who had schizophrenia, and when you meet the rest of his family over the course of the book, it seems a lot of them are a little unstable.

If you are a reader who is really uncomfortable with profanity, you probably won't like this book. If you can deal with the language, you'll learn a lot about what it can be like to deal with bipolar disorder, and how a mother's love can make so much difference.

>43 tymfos: Not really a fan of profanity, especially in my nonfiction, but that one looks really good. Into the BlackHole it goes!

>44 alcottacre: It was interesting, Stasia. The fact that he was a Legal Aid attorney working with the mentally ill gave him a really broad view, beyond his own personal experience, of all the stumbling blocks society puts in the path of people with mental illness.

>43 tymfos: Nice review!! Hope February is off to a good start for you. : )

>23 tymfos: I am very interested in that GN, Terri. In a strange coincidence, we are dealing with the flu in GN based posters for part of the museum exhibit we are due to open later in February.

How wonderful that you are almost at the end of getting your masters. May will be here before you know it.

>46 Berly: Hi, Kim! February has had its good moments, but overall this semester is a tough one.

>47 Familyhistorian: I think perhaps I shouldn't have aimed to graduate this May. This semester is a bear. I should have never taken my faculty advisor's suggestion to do my internship AND take my final class this semester. The class is a lot of work, and it's really hard finding enough time to spend at my internship library. It doesn't help that I got sick at Christmas time and still haven't fully recovered.

Book #5 Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk across Victorian America, by Linda Hunt

This is a fascinating story about a woman who, in trying to save her family's farm, accepted a challenge to walk across America for a prize of $10,000. Leaving with only $5 and what they could carry, Helga and her daughter defied the norms of the time in terms of female conduct, and braved all kinds of challenges in their effort to walk from coast to coast.

Book #6 The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party, by Daniel James Brown.

A detailed look at the, yes, harrowing situation faced by the ill-fated Donner Party as they struggled to reach California, and were snowbound in the mountains with inadequate supplies. A true story well told.

Terri, I am sorry that life is so hectic right now. And that you got sick at Christmas and haven't fully recovered - that lingering stuff is going around this season. Hoping you feel better very soon. Keeping you in my thoughts and hoping to see more of you here once you have more time. Hang in there.

Wishing you continued good fortune with your studies, Terri. Rooting for a great result for you when you graduate after spring.

Have a lovely weekend.

Thank you for the kind words, Mamie and Paul!

Book #7Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann AUDIO
Excellent account of a terrible string of murders, violence and injustice toward Native Americans, and the birth of the FBI.

I just realized that six of the seven books I’ve completed this year have been nonfiction. That’s very unusual for me.

>51 tymfos: I've put that one on my library list.
Happy Sunday, Terri.

>51 tymfos: Yes I will get that one soon myself. Have seen it on a few threads and it looks just my thing.

>51 tymfos: That was a fascinating and distressing book, wasn't it Terri? I get on a non-fiction binge every so often, and it might be about time for another one.

>53 Ameise1: Hi, Barbara! That was a good book.

>54 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! I think that's one you'd like.

>55 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, "fascinating and distressing" is a good description.

After an adjustment at the chiropractors yesterday, I slept without back pain last night for the first time in quite a while. It still felt pretty good all day today -- still need to lean on the railing some to get up stairs, but definitely a big improvement! It felt so good this morning, I immediately cancelled my cat's vet checkup appointment Friday and rescheduled it for when my son is on Spring Break and can help out -- I'm not about to mess up my back again lugging that big cat and carrier out to the car and into the vet's office!

Boy, a lot has happened since my last post. I'm so totally behind on everyone's threads, I don't know where to start to catch up.

Our library is closed due to the state of emergency for COVID-19. Late on Friday the 13th we were told to close to the public as of Saturday, but staff could still work as long as we practiced social distancing and diligent disinfection, etc. We were making real progress on a weeding project in the days that followed. Then Thursday night, we got the order to completely vacate the building. I can't even work alone in my office, except for absolutely essential operations to maintain the library as a viable entity. I'm not sure how working alone in my office in an empty building is a risk for anyone, but . . . call me the Librarian in Exile.

So anyway, like so many Americans, I'm being thrown into the world of remote working. I'm getting a crash course in some technologies I haven't used, or rarely used, in the past. My internship has been disrupted, and my commencement ceremony postponed. But so far, I'm healthy, my family is healthy, and there haven't been any known cases in our county. Wouldn't it be lovely if precautions would keep it all that way, but I fear it's inevitable that the coronavirus will make its way here.

Being in the midst of a disaster, I decided to read about another one, perhaps to remind me that we do manage to get through terrible times. I'm listening to The Only Plane in the Sky: an oral history of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff.

I'm rather stalled in my reading of Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves. I'm stalled partly because Jimmy Perez is being a jerk so far in this one, and partly (I think) because it's the last in the Shetland Series, and I hate to see the series end. I was listening to Where the Crawdads Sing, but the loan expired. I do have a copy of the book to read -- it's in the pile with Wild Fire. I'm also reading Murder in Rat Alley by Mark De Castrique. And my textbook Archives Principles and Practice.

I hope to get around to some threads in the days ahead. Meanwhile, stay safe, everyone.

>57 tymfos: Glad to hear that you and your family remain healthy and no cases yet in your county. My family and I also remain healthy and hope that continues. My 700K person county got its first case on March 11 and we are now up to 65 cases. They don't really identify where cases areexcept that a central county HS faculty member and a person who works at the junior college library (also central county) have tested positively.

Early last year, for the weeklong polar vortex, we got a crash course in working remotely, which I did for the first time. Then, in May, my worldwide company got hacked so we got a lot of practice working remotely for a month, without most of our usual tools. Hard to say how long this will be but my sister who works in downtown Chicago was told at least 3 months of working remotely so I suspect the same.

As with the 9/11 aftermath, for a week or so, I didn't even want to read. Just watch news and listen to the radio. Lately, that's changed as I finished a book about the Chicago Cubs and am now reading the latest World War 2 mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal. Since I'm not getting out to buy books (and don't much feel like it even if I could), I've been trying to focus on the Net Galley books I need to read. Occasionally, pick up a book on my shelves.

Hang in there!!

A student who had been in the library, mainly exposing those who worked on the floor above me, tested negative, so we're breathing a bit of a sigh of relief since we had contact with those who worked on that floor. That's one reason we wish our administrators would just go to "work from home." We just don't know how that incidental contact might take place. We are encouraging students to use electronic reference services and avoid personal contact. Such a foreign concept to those of us who prefer to be able to see they are "getting it."

"Such a foreign concept to those of us who prefer to be able to see they are "getting it." Yes....but more important right now is seeing that they are NOT getting IT....if you know what I mean. :>)

>57 tymfos: Terri-- Just think, you get to stretch your brain and learn new technology! Hurray! Seriously though, I am glad to hear from you that all is well. And best of luck with the books -- I am reading Every Dead Thing, which doesn't sound quite right in these times, but it is a really good murder mystery. Stay well!! : )

Update: still working from home, and probably will be for a while. Officially, shut down until at least April 6. But the Health Secretary in our state told religious leaders she met with today that closures will likely last into May, news which our Bishop conveyed via a Facebook posting and email. No gatherings for Holy Week or Easter. Our bishop is talking about providing remote Easter services, but that's not going to feel too festive -- more like perpetual Lent. I imagine libraries will have a similar schedule for reopening, though maybe we might be able to go in and prepare a little sooner. When they pulled the rug out from under us with no warning to say we couldn't work in the building any more, we had boxes of books on the floor for a weeding project. It would be nice to get them moved before the public comes in again.

Our county now has 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Aggravation: Like most public libraries, we depend on E-Rate to help subsidize our internet services. It's a hassle but I've never had a problem getting ours approved until today. We are in the second year of a 2-year contract with the option for a third year, so no change at all. But they suddenly want information about the equipment charge on our bill. They want an SKU number and model number for the equipment. Well the cable modem is in the library and I'm at home. Furthermore, even if I slip into the library, the cramped location of our equipment is such that I probably can't get to the part of the equipment with the information without disconnecting some of the equipment. This is NOT the time to lose the internet connection for our server! You'd think since we've been ordered to stay work from home, they wouldn't hassle us for this kind of information right now.

>58 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda! Glad you are back to reading baseball and mystery books. I'm still not able to concentrate on reading. This is my first work-from-home experience, and our library has rather limited tech capabilities. Add to that our sometimes iffy home internet service, and the fact that my son's college classes are all now online, and some of the neat things other libraries are doing remotely just aren't possible for us. I keep up our website, and am doing a lot of extra social media outreach, but that's about all I can do, besides keep up the necessary administrative stuff and finish off my schoolwork for the semester.

>59 thornton37814: Lori, I'm glad that student tested negative. I can understand wanting to work from home when you're in a situation where there's contact with a number of people. When we first closed to the public, we were doing serious social distancing, with only a few people in the building at a time, and those spaced out in projects in far corners of the building. Lots of Clorox wipes, hand washing, and hand sanitizer. (Is "sanitizer" spelled wrong? My spell check doesn't like it.) Stay safe!

>60 laytonwoman3rd: Great observation, Linda!

>61 Berly: Kim, I actually contacted the professor I had last summer for our library technologies course to thank her for making me more comfortable with trying new technology. But I think my brain is just about all stretched out just dealing with all that's going on.

Book #8 The Only Plane in the Sky: the oral history of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff AUDIO (3-27-20).

How appropriate to listen to this oral history, with a 45-person cast which made it seem like I was really hearing the voices of those providing their recollections. Actually, a couple of people did portray themselves, if I heard the credits correctly, and there were actual recordings of presidential addresses and some plane-to-ground communications from that day. Eerie! It just gave me a whole different feel for the day than the other books I've read about 9/11.

Why listen to a 9/11 book now? I was feeling too serious for light reading, and it helps to remember that our world has been through tough times before and gotten through it, I guess

Last night, my cat Sig jumped on the bookshelf and was sitting on the book Gorilla and the Bird, which was lying on the shelf in front of the shelved books. So for a few minutes, I had Gorilla and the Bird and the cat on the shelf!

Book #9 Ruthless Tide: The heroes and villains of the Johnstown Flood, America's Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster by Al Roker AUDIO

I seem to be in a disastrous mood lately. Books about the Donner Party, the Osage Murders, 9/11, and now the Johnstown Flood.

This was surprisingly good, and I stayed up late listening to this the other evening. There were some nice historical tidbits about the region prior to the flood that I didn't expect and very much appreciated.

>48 tymfos: Adding Bold Spirit to the BlackHole. The Indifferent Stars Above is already there.

>51 tymfos: I have already read that one, so I get to dodge that particular BB!

>62 tymfos: I hope you got that aggravation worked out!

>64 tymfos: I need to read that one too. Thanks for the recommendation, Terri!

>65 tymfos: LOL

>66 tymfos: The only things I know about the Johnstown Flood are the tidbits I remember from David McCullough's book on the subject. I will have to give Ruthless Tide a try too.

I hope you and yours continue to stay healthy and safe, Terri!

>67 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia! Good to "see" you here! I'd say McCullough's book is the authoritative one about the Johnstown Flood, but I enjoyed Roker's Ruthless Tide a lot. Stay safe!

To continue my "disastrous" listening, I now am listening to Bellevue: Three Centuries of medicine and mayhem at America's most storied hospital by David Oshinksy. It starts out talking about Bellevue's origins in the yellow fever epidemics.

I finished a real, paper, hold-in-your-hand book last night!

Book #10 Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves (3-31-20)

The last of the Shetland series finds Jimmy Perez dealing with the murder of a young woman who had come to the islands to tend to the children in a doctor's family. She is found hanging in someone else's barn, in the same place where the barn's previous owner committed suicide. It deals with the tensions between Shetlanders and "outsiders" who come to the islands. The family who owns the barn has a son on the autism spectrum, and as the parent of a son on the spectrum, I appreciate Cleeves' nuanced portrayal of him.

Meanwhile, Perez receives some bombshell news from Willow when she arrives to take over the case.

I'm sorry to see this series end.

>66 tymfos: Interesting...I'm reading David McCullough's The Johnstown Flood, and it's a bit harder going than I usually find him. I think it's the timing, which seems to be working against my appreciation of disaster literature.

>69 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda! Oddly, I'm finding the disaster reading almost reassuring, because no matter how bad things get, there are generally better days ahead, and the human race does manage to overcome adversity.

For what it's worth, I listened to the audio book of McCullough's Johnstown Flood, and that worked for me. It was very well done.

Book #11 Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky AUDIO (4-4-2020)

I picked this thinking it appropriate to read of New York's most famous public hospital, with New York being the "hot spot" of COVID-19 in the US. It was meant to be a small diversion from my disaster reading of 9/11, Johnstown Flood, etc. But Bellevue's roots are back in a pesthouse in early American yellow fever epidemics, and that's only the beginning of the story of their struggles in epidemics. There was also typhus, and the 1918 influenza pandemic, and it's sobering to see how treating one Ebola patient, with all the contagion protocols, strained their resources. Of course, COVID-19 is a different type of contagion than Ebola. But still ...

It really is a fascinating book, and I learned a lot that I never knew about Bellevue's historic role in medical research, and the various controversies that arose among the staff as medical ideas changed. One thing that was clear is that it's been a while since our country has taken seriously its need for public health investment, which is most unfortunate in the current course of events.

Continuing my sober nonficition listening: Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.

Hope you have had a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Terri.

>68 tymfos: Sad to see that Anne Cleeves series end, Terri, but I just read the first one in her new series, The Long Call. It was excellent. I hope working from home is going well for you and that you are able to keep up with your studies.

>73 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Best wishes to you!

>74 Familyhistorian: That's good to know, about her new series. I and my household are hanging in there, and studies are going well. However, yesterday I learned that my brother in Virginia has COVID-19. Horrible news!

I finished yet another disaster-themed audio book:

Book #12 Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. AUDIO (4-10-2020)

This was a fascinating account of the Chernobyl disaster. It's one of those crises that everyone knows something about, but the details Higgenbotham reveals really bring the crisis and its handling to life. The audio was well done. Highly recommended!

I turned in a major school assignment this evening with an hour to spare. Now I'm going to relax with a novel and a glass of port. It's been quite a week.

Book #13 Murder in Rat Alley by Mark De Castrique (4-11-2020)

This latest installment in the Sam Blackman series was a good one. Like all the entries in this series, it's a little unusual. In the process of bulldozing an emergency fire break during a forest fire, the long-buried body of a long-missing computer scientist is found at a facility with past ties to the Apollo program. The family of the dead man -- one of whom is a friend of Sam and Nakayla's -- asks them to investigate. Is this in any way tied to the death of the dead man's brother, a military intelligence officer, in Vietnam? Both seem to have died at about the same time. This case proves to be dangerous, as other murders and a firebombing seem tied to Sam and Nakayla's investigation.

As always with this series, in the process of following the investigation, the reader is introduced to more interesting locations in the Asheville, North Carolina area.

I started Where the Crawdads Sing quite a while back, before the library got shut down. I listened to about the first quarter or so on audio, then switched to a hardcover edition. I think my reading of it may be spoiled by over-amped-up expectations due to all the hype I've heard about it. Or maybe I'm just in the wrong mood. I'm always a moody reader, and these days I'm probably even more moody than usual.

I think I'm going to let it sit and find something more suited to my current mood . . . or whatever. I'm listening to an audio of American Fire, continuing my streak of major-disaster-and-crime nonfiction selections. For my non-audio reading, I'm really not sure what to read. It's not like I don't have anything at home to read. Libraries and bookstores could close for years, and I wouldn't run out of books to read!

This is such a strange time in our world! It's especially strange in my world, where church is so central. No Holy Week services. No EASTER service, except on TV or internet from empty churches. Except for the idiots who insist on defying social distancing. "God will protect me," they say. Well, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, wasn't one of the temptations for him to behave recklessly because God's angels would protect him? And how did he respond? Something like, "Scripture says, "do not put the Lord your God to the test."

On a humorous note, my husband was trying to record a message to his congregation today, and our cat decided to get into the picture. Meow!

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Terri.

Thanks, Paul. Best wishes to you!

Wishing everyone a blessed Easter, joyous Passover, and wonderful Spring day.

I spent a lot of time looking at my bookshelves late last night. Do you ever look at your books and wonder, "why the heck did I buy that one? and that one?"

I finally settled on Ray Bradbury, A Graveyard for Lunatics.

Book #14 American Fire by Monica Hesse AUDIO (4/17/2020)

On the rural Eastern Shore of Virginia, Accomack County is burning. Vacant structures are being torched.

A portrait of the county, with its ageing and declining population, is vividly drawn by the author. We can almost feel the exhaustion of the volunteer firefighters as they battle dozens of arson fires, sometimes several in one evening. We sense the frustration of the law enforcement authorities, as the overwhelmed local police and fire investigators are assisted by neighboring jurisdictions and state authorities.

We also meet Charlie and Tonya. It surely would have been better for everyone in Accomack County if they had never met.

The excellent audio version held my attention to the end, but left me shaking my head. Is there ever any real accounting for the bizarre behavior of disturbed individuals in utterly dysfunctional relationships?

A fascinating true story.

Book #15 Ghostland: An American history in haunted places by Colin Dickey AUDIO (completed 4/20/2020)

The title of this caught my eye, and the combination of ghosts and history. This is really a pulling apart of ghost stories from around the U.S. with social commentary. Dickey purports to examine the accuracy of their historical roots and provide a sociological explanation for their evolution. Dickey is a skeptic regarding the paranormal, though at times he admits pondering the possibility that there might be something to it. There is a lot more of social commentary than there is of ghost stories. Interesting, but not stellar. The audio was reasonably well done.

One thing I enjoyed -- he wrote of a legend of which I was only vaguely aware, from a place in the next county from where I live. I need to find out more about that one.

Book #16 Archives: Principles and Practices by Laura A. Millar (4-22-2020)

This was the textbook for a class in Archives Management for Small Repositories. I liked this textbook a lot. The author had a trace of a sense of humor, and a firm grasp on the realities of working in small archives, and how it may differ from the ideal archival situation.

There! I've finished the last textbook for my Masters program. All my internship work and paperwork are turned in. I just have a discussion post and one more paper to finish for my archives class, and then I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!

>83 tymfos: Congratulations, Terri....you're almost there!

>84 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda! Funny, I've been so eager to finish, but now I feel a little sorry to see my studies end. Not that I'll stop learning -- we have to do continuing education, but it won't be the same. I find myself dragging my heels on that final assignment.

I'm feeling a little apprehensive about what library work will look like in this age of COVID-19, when we finally reopen, how we'll manage to do good library work with social distancing protocols. Our regular in-person summer programming is cancelled, of course. There's talk of letting people in one at a time or doing curbside pickup, when restrictions are finally loosened and we can serve the public again. Constant sanitizing. Quarantining books for several days when they are returned.

I can't help feeling that this is not what I signed up for!

Several of my employees are in higher-risk groups, due to age or health conditions. I consider myself one of them -- over 60 and with a history of respiratory complications even with garden-variety flu.

>85 tymfos: It is certainly going to be challenging to accommodate the "new normal" when libraries can re-open. As a Board member (and now President) I really get that "this is not what I signed up for" feeling. We have no idea what kind of funding we'll be getting now, whether donations will dry up, we've already cancelled our biggest annual fundraiser, and the new bookmobile we desperately need is in grave jeopardy.

>85 tymfos: I think we are all questioning what it will look like. Will our mostly residential university be all or mostly commuter? If we are open, how can we move computer workstations to accommodate social distancing while providing enough? Will we even be able to get enough sanitizing wipes, etc. to clean those after every use? (I suspect enrollments everywhere will decline because some people who lost jobs won't be able to afford to attend. If it's online again, some may choose to sit out until they can attend in person.) So many "ifs."

>75 tymfos: I hope your brother is doing better, Terri.

>86 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, we had planned to do our Annual Appeal to coincide with National Library Week. Of course, that turned out to be a non-starter!
>87 thornton37814: Lori, all those are valid concerns. I don't see any way to space our public computers for social distancing. We're just going to have to go to pulling them as far apart as the space will allow, and using every other one. Not enough.
>88 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! I really don't have any way to get information. I've had no more contact, and it's very worrying!
This next book is one my brother would like, as he loves anything to do with weather.

Book #17 Storm Kings: the untold history of America's First Tornado chasers by Lee Sandin AUDIO (4-27-2020)

When they say "history of America's first Tornado chasers," they aren't kidding! This book starts before Ben Franklin and his kite, and slowly moves through the history of tornado forecasting. The book doesn't actually get to what the modern mind thinks of as "storm chasers" until the Epilogue! It was not quite what I expected. However, it was informative and well-written.

It seems the 19th-century weather forecasters were intent on squabbling over their pet theories. The sad thing, it seems they each had a genuine piece of the puzzle, and if they would have worked together, they might have had much earlier success. As it was, each was so insistent on proclaiming that he was completely right and the other guys were completely wrong that everything just went nowhere. I think there's a lesson for our times in that!

>89 tymfos: We're currently using every other one also -- and staggering which are used on facing rows. I think most of our staff returns to the library next week. The message we received seems to give librarians the option of continuing to work from home, but most of us will probably work at least part of the time at the library. We still aren't sure what summer months will look like--and summer schedules for librarians begin the week after next. Faculty contracts are now delayed which always brings a little fear with it.

>90 thornton37814: It's all very worrying. Also, I get very annoyed with people on both sides who try to play politics with this, and the people who buy up medical and sanitation supplies and price gouge really infuriate me. Once upon a time, most people in our country pulled together when there was a crisis. There were always some who tried to take advantage to profit or whatever, but they were the outliers.

Book #18 Pointing from the Grave: A True Story of Murder and DNA by Samantha Weinberg AUDIO (5-2-2020)

This is a true crime story, but also contains a lot of information about the history of DNA research. Some of the crime-related details were very unpleasant. The author was quite upfront about the fact that she got very emotionally involved in the story. I found some of her involvement, at the end, a little strange. It's hard to say what I think of this -- very mixed feelings.

>91 tymfos: Yes. Too much is being politicized . . . and the truth is, we need the two sides working together. I feel fortunate to live in a part of the country where I feel people are attempting to pull together. The medium and larger churches in our area of multiple denominations are working together in our county for a common reopening plan. Right now the target date is May 31 (Pentecost Sunday), but we were warned that could change. We were also warned that it won't be on the same as it was prior to the pandemic. They want to keep people safe. They are talking with local and state health and government officials (and with our Congressmen from D.C.) as they make the plans. I opened a package of toilet paper I purchased at the beginning of the pandemic. It is the same brand as what I had on hand, but its texture and feel is rougher. I wonder what shortcuts the manufacturers took to get fresh rolls out to us.

>92 thornton37814: It sounds like your churches are working well together and with the authorities. That's great.

Book #19 Get Well Soon: History's worst plagues and the heroes who fought them by Jennifer Wright. AUDIO (5-4-2020)

Being in the midst of a pandemic, I found this 2017 account of medical plagues of various types very interesting. It's amazing how enjoyable she could make such a grim subject. But Wright is an excellent writer, and also had just the right touch of dark humor.

I found some passages quite worth noting, especially in light of our current situation.

From the Introduction:

". . . when plagues erupt, some people behave amazingly well. They minimize the level of death and destruction around them. They are kind, they are courageous. They showcase the best of our nature. Other people behave like superstitious lunatics and add to the death toll."

". . . whether plagues are managed quickly doesn't just depend on hard-working doctors and scientists. It depends on people who like to sleep in on weekends and watch movies and eat french fries and do the fantastic common things in life. Which is to say, it depends on all of us. Whether a civilization fares well during a crisis has a great deal to do with how the ordinary, non-scientist citizen responds."

On learning from the past:

"... when the next outbreak comes, and I lack the optimism to believe it won't, so many of our challenges will remain the same. We will be so much better off if the absolute maximum number of present-day and future people handle the disease with the aplomb of some of the best figures in this book."

Near the end of the chapter on the 1918 pandemic, she quotes John Barry from his book The Great Influenza:

"Those in authority must retain the public's trust. The way to do that is to distort nothing. To put the best face on nothing. To try to manipulate no one. Leadership must make whatever horror exists concrete."

Wright closes that chapter, " ... we are always stronger when we work together. If there is a next time, it would be very much to our benefit to remember that."

It IS next time now, and I fear that some people have NOT remembered that!

>94 tymfos: Well-timed and sounds like a good read! I know it is strange to have your studies come to an end and now to make the transition during this weird time. But it will work out!! : ) And, selfishly, now you'll have more time on LT. Yay!

>85 tymfos: - Hi Terri, you are raising some really good points. Here in British Columbia, we will be moving to Phase 2 mid-March which I believe includes libraries re-opening, but I haven't looked into what exactly that means. Right now, patrons only have access to the digital services.

>94 tymfos: - A timely read!

>94 tymfos: You pulled out some good quote there, Terri. It's too bad that we can see many instances of people (and politicians) not behaving well during this time but it is surprising the people who have stepped up and provided good leadership. I hope it is enough to get us through this.

>95 Berly: Hi, Kim! It was actually kind of good, in a way, to be working from home this last month while finishing up my classwork (as long as our home internet connection kept working).

>96 lkernagh: That's the way it is here. We've added to our digital services a bit, because that's all folks can access now. Our county goes from"red" to "yellow" (I imagine that's somewhat like your Phase 2) next Friday. However, while the governor has libraries on the list of operations allowed to open with modifications in Phase 2, and staff will definitely be allowed back in the building, we can't do public-facing services until a "guidance" document is issued by our Office of Commonwealth Libraries. It has to be vetted by the Department of Education and the PA Department of Health. Who knows how long that bureaucratic process will take? I see our District Library is saying they will open in June.

>97 Familyhistorian: I think we've seen the full range of human behavior, magnified, in this pandemic. There's been everything from heroes to total buffoons.

Book #20 A Graveyard for Lunatics by Ray Bradbury (5-8-2020)

This is the second in a trio of Bradbury books set in southern California. This one is centered on a movie studio situated next to a graveyard. A mysterious note sends the protagonist to the cemetery at midnight, where he sees what appears to be the long-deceased studio founder climbing the wall! The story is populated by all manner of strange characters and strange situations. I didn't like it as much as the previous one, Death is a Lonely Business.

>99 tymfos: Bradbury I haven’t read! Time to see if I can track down a copy.

>100 drneutron: Wow, Jim! Did I get you with a book bullet?? ;)

>101 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

Book #21 Flight 232 by Laurence Gonzales AUDIO (5-11-2020)

This is about the famous plane crash of a DC-10 in Sioux City, Iowa in 1989. It is the first time a commercial plane which had totally lost all hydraulic power managed to get down to the ground with survivors. A lot of people died, a lot were badly injured, but there were survivors, and some who even walked away relatively unscathed, at least physically.

There is a lot of good information in this book, but I don't think it's structured well. I read another review that complained about this. It seemed like the author wanted to get the whole story of each person he interviewed, so you'd get through the crash with several people, and everyone would be on the ground, and then presto you'd be back at the beginning with someone else, and a lot of the info repeated. This made for an eighteen-hour audio book, when I think the story would have been better told with some editing.

I listened to this as an audio book. It was an Audible Original. The narration was well done, nothing exceptional, but nothing annoying, either.

I remember this crash very clearly, because when I saw the report on the TV news the day it crashed, I was with a friend who had been on the same flight on the same plane just a couple of days before. She had taken it to Chicago (its normal destination) to catch a connecting flight to Philadelphia, I think. Anyway, I'm glad she wasn't on it the day it went down!

Book #22 Inside Jobs by Ben H. Winters AUDIO (5-13-2020)

This brief collection of short stories is an Audible Original that was offered for free this month. I cannot find a catalog record for it anywhere via the add books search, even from Amazon. I can't even locate a listing on Amazon's website, and they own Audible. Perhaps it doesn't exist except as an offer to Audible members. Someone managed to add it to their LT library -- looks like a manual addition, just title and cover, not even an author listed -- and there is a touchstone.

These are tales of crime set in the midst of our current coronavirus lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and quarantines. To tell you how memorable it was, I finished it early this morning and already have to stop and think what the stories were about. There are three stories. The first one is kind of funny. Picture a bunch of thugs planning a heist via Zoom meeting, with all the technical glitches and distractions of home. Problem is, their "mark" has isolated himself out of their reach. Oh, and there's no honor among thieves, they say. The middle story is about two brothers inheriting a house and stuck together in it during the lockdown. The final story is kind of a modern take on the movie "Rear Window" theme.

It was short, it had its moments, and it was certainly timely.

eta to fix out-of-order sentences

I don't know why, but I'm doing a LOT of reading by listening to audio books, and very little reading with my eyes. Maybe it's all the screen time I've had lately, with finishing up my studies and work-at-home? I'm just wanting to be read to. There's something about having a book read to me. All kinds of books, but this one was a horror novel. Listening to scary stories really takes me back!

Book #23 The Toll by Cherie Priest AUDIO (5-16-2020)

This odd tale is set in a tiny, isolated Georgia town near the Okefenokee Swamp. "Staywater is part of the world, but it's a different, weird little part," notes the police sergeant. "Things happen here that might not happen anyplace else." This includes the odd happenings out on Rt. 177 in the swamp where, travelling west to east, you may encounter an extra bridge that's usually not there -- a creepy, one-lane structure with stone pilings, the other end of which is strangely hidden by -- what? People who try to cross that bridge have a way of disappearing, as does the bridge.

This is definitely a weird little town. And those of us readers from "anyplace else" need to suspend disbelief to enjoy this novel. Much of what happens in and around Staywater is not of this world.

I read this because I rather enjoyed the author's Eden Moore trilogy. This was rather different, but entertaining.

Next, still on audio, but a total change of pace:

>102 tymfos: That flight 232 book sounds right up my alley. Thanks. I'll have to look for that one.

Hi Terri, lovely to see you are getting in some good reading time via audiobooks!

>106 lindapanzo: Yes, Linda, I think you would appreciate that one!

>107 lkernagh: Hi, Lori! Yes, I've been listening away, sometimes in the wee hours of the night. There's something about listening to a story at night. It's hard for me to hit "stop" and go to bed.

>109 lindapanzo: I do like to read books about plane crashes but especially when some people managed to survive. Always interested in how they survived and in hearing their stories.

The last such book I read, last year, was about that 1970's plane crash at Tenerife.

>109 lindapanzo: Linda, if you like hearing the stories of people from the plane, you'll like this book.

I'm interested in plane crashes. I love the Smithsonian Channel program Air Disasters. I'm especially fascinated by the way they investigate the causes, which is the focus of that program. It's like a detective story, solving a mystery. And what they find can make air travel safer in the future. They did an episode about the crash at Tenerife -- that was the one where two jumbo jets collided on the runway when the one plane took off too soon, right? The deadliest plane accident of them all, as I recall. How was that book? Can you give me the title, a touchstone? I might want to read that one!

>104 tymfos: Now there’s a book I could get into! While I’m not a fan of audio books in general (it’s my auditory attention span, not the idea of audiobooks), I do love to listen to horror and ghost stories. Especially at night in the dark.
Oh dear, what does that say about me?

I also like to listen to old mysteries (think Holmes, Poirot, Wimsey, etc); I find the familiarity soothing to my jangled nerves.

>105 tymfos: What??? Don Quixote on audio? The mind reels...

I hope the upcoming weekend is smooth and calm for you and yours, Terri.

>110 tymfos: I first heard about it because a survivor was a local, from Northbrook, IL.

It is Collision on Tenerife: The How and Why of the World's Worst Aviation Disaster by Jon Ziomek.

Aha, I found the local newspaper article that first led me to look for the book.

https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20190323/NEWS/190329450?cid=search

At this time of the end of Ramadan I want to give thanks for your friendship in this wonderful group, Terri.

Enjoy the long weekend.

>103 tymfos: You made me chuckle picturing the thugs planning a heist on Zoom. I wonder what their backgrounds looked like.

>111 Matke: Gail, I'm not sure what it says about you (listening to horror stories in the dark) but whatever, it must apply to me, too.

Don Quixote on audio is over 39 hours long. I wouldn't have tried it if I had to borrow it (not enough time to finish) but I had an
Audible credit to use. The most listening time I ever purchased with one Audible credit except when I bought a Bible on audio. Oh, and George Guidall is the narrator. That's the ONLY reason I dared to attempt it on audio. It's still rather daunting.

>112 lindapanzo: Thanks for the title and the article, Linda!

>113 PaulCranswick: Paul, best wishes to you, friend!

>114 Familyhistorian: Meg, I don't think they were sophisticated enough to select a background other than just where they were. One was in the bathroom because it was the only place he could try to get some peace from his family! Oh, and my cut-and-paste of that review went a little wacky. I'm going to go edit it.

Today, our library actually let people borrow "real" paper, physical books for the first time since mid-March. We're still limited to "contact-free" service. People place holds or call or email to request what they want, and pick them up by appointment. Returned items are quarantined for disinfection. It's all very convoluted to implement.

>116 tymfos: We're doing the same. It's been pretty busy as a result but so far has gone smoothly with appointments every 15 minutes. How's it going for you?

>116 tymfos: I recently returned some books (finally!) and picked up a book at my town library. They notified me, as usual, that my hold was ready but then I had to call to tell them when I’d pick it up. They then check out the item and leave it, bagged with your name, on a table outside. It seemed pretty efficient, there were about 10 bags waiting on the table. They ask everyone to wear masks and keep their distance.

It was nice to be able to pick up my hold but honestly, it made me sad not knowing when I could browse safely again.

T--My audio reading has also picked up in the last few months and I am enjoying the Audible free books a lot. Glad you are connecting with your library again. : )

>117 bell7: It's been much slower than I expected. A few of our patrons who are used to placing holds online are doing it and arranging pickups, and we had a few phone calls and emails from super-regular patrons asking if particular books were available, but most folks are staying away, despite a blitz of publicity via Facebook, Twitter, 2 newspapers, our website, our big sign out front, and flyers posted around town. Oh, and then there are the people who manage to NOT see "STOP: by appointment only" signs on two doors they have to go through to get into the library. (They usually want photocopies.)

We started our next start-up phase -- letting people in to use computers by appointment -- and the very first person went ballistic when his time was up and he had to leave. Did he think he could just sit there and have the computer to himself all day? How would we schedule other users?

>118 Copperskye: Joanne, that's basically the system we're using. It is sad to not just be able to have folks browse.

>119 Berly: Kim, even my audio reading is now falling off. Nothing in my recently-completed library training prepared me to run a library in a pandemic. Every business dealing with the public in our state has to designate a "Pandemic Safety Officer," or some such rot, and I had to sign on the dotted line to be it for my library. I sure never intended to be a Pandemic Safety Officer when I took this job!

Add to all of this the reality of what is going on these days. I truly support the cause of fighting injustice, but I see news coverage of people marching by the thousands in the streets, shouting, in the midst of a pandemic, and I wonder what's the point of all the extensive precautions we're doing in the library? We have to wear masks all day unless in a closed office alone -- even if only two people, both employees, are in the room, and they are 50 feet apart and one is behind a plexiglass sneeze guard.

I'm finding it really hard to concentrate on reading, except for audio, and that was falling off, too. I needed a break from my 39-hour recording of Don Quixote. I stumbled on an audio book in cloudLibrary about the Charlestown hate crime massacre at Mother Emmanuel AME Church, and I know the anniversary is next week. Our synod is having a virtual memorial service available online Wednesday, which has bee designated by our denomination as a day of remembrance of the Emmanuel 9 and contemplation regarding racism, both systemic and personal, and how we can be agents of change for a society to value all human beings regardless of race.

Our region's Bishop was a friend of the senior pastor at Mother Emmanuel, who was among those killed.

Book #24 Grace Will Lead Us Home:The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes AUDIO (completed 6/17/2020)

Today is the 5th anniversary of the massacre at Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston. I've been reading this book to commemorate it, and finished it this evening. What a senseless act it was! And how amazing that some of the families could speak words of forgiveness toward the killer, and pray for him, even in their anguish!

I guess I should stop being amazed by how incredibly racist some people can be, but the perpetrator of this massacre was unbelievably warped. Amazingly, he wasn't really raised that way -- he embraced white supremacy through propaganda and contacts on the Internet.

I was somewhat prepared for the horror of the crime, awful as it was, because I had read news accounts of what happened -- though this was more detailed. What surprised me was some of the aftermath of the crime, in the turmoil of the relationships of some of the survivors and their church. It seems there was some messiness about money that was donated, and some survivors felt neglected by the church in the months that followed. I wish the author could have offered more points of view on those matters, but was likely limited by who was willing to speak with her.

I recall a comment by someone quoted in the book to the effect that it seems almost easier to forgive a stranger for a horrible act than to deal with someone you care about that you feel has wronged you in a much less serious way. As I read about the aftermath, I had been thinking just that before I came to that comment.

>122 tymfos: Events such as the ones covered in your last read are rather proof that there is no such thing as white supremacy.

What a sad indictment upon society that despite all the improvements in general living standards, public health and education someone can still lose their life because they are the wrong colour or the wrong gender or the wrong creed or the wrong sexuality. Why is there such hate in the world?

>123 PaulCranswick: Paul, I'd like to think that maybe things are going to change, that the protests and the conversation going on now seem different somehow and maybe some progress will be made. But people are so divided these days, I'm not sure I can be hopeful.

>112 lindapanzo: Linda, Collision on Tenerife is going to be available through Audible at the end of the month, and I just used a credit to pre-order it!

I also pre-ordered the upcoming James Lee Burke book in the Dave Robicheaux series. That series has always had just enough of a touch of the supernatural that I enjoyed it, but it didn't overwhelm the crime drama. However, reading the description of this one, it sounds like Burke is venturing more into a sci-fi/horror mode with the troubled detective. I'm not sure I'm going to like it, but it should be interesting. I love Will Patton's narration on the audios in this series.

I continue to nibble away at the audio of Don Quixote. Frankly, the story drives me crazy, and I'm not sure I understand why it's such a classic. However, George Guidall's narration is excellent.

>125 tymfos: Hope you like it, Terri. I haven't been reading many disaster books lately. Mostly cozies, though I may give a nonfiction book a try sometime soon.

One of the libraries I deal with is now allowing us to get books on hold that they put on a tray by the front door. There are no appointments we just line up if there is more than one person there. No one is allowed in the building yet. I hope things go well for you as the liaison for you library.

>125 tymfos: I thought The Glass Rainbow (N0. 18) was a wonderful entry in the Robicheaux series, and for a while I thought it might be the last one. The ending was a bit ambiguous, and it could have been the last act. After reading Creole Belle, I devoutly wished it had been, and I have not been tempted to read another one. Burke always used a lot of violence in his books, but he crossed a line for me with that one, and he killed off one too many women besides. Either he's got old and cranky, or I have.

In this difficult year with an unprecedented pandemic and where the ills of the past intrude sadly upon the present there must still be room for positivity. Be rightly proud of your country. To all my American friends, enjoy your 4th of July weekend.

Just stopping by to say hi and catch up, Terri. I hope your Sunday is peaceful and your week hopeful.

>126 lindapanzo: I'm listening to it now, and finding it very interesting.

>127 Familyhistorian: We did pickup in the vestibule for a while. I wouldn't have wanted to just put them out on a tray by the door with no appointment -- afraid someone other than the designated patron would take some! Then we added letting people in by appointment to use computers, then two weeks of "browse by appointment," one patron/household at a time. Yesterday was the first day the library was open without appointments with masks and social distancing required and the desk shielded with plexiglass. Lots of sanitizing and hand-washing. Still no in-person programs, the local history room requires an appointment, and the meeting room is not available. Some members of my book discussion group want to start meeting outdoors, socially distanced, which sounds good to me -- it's a small group. It's been nice seeing our "regulars" again.

>128 laytonwoman3rd: I think we've all gotten older and crankier. I've gotten frustrated with the level of violence in the Robicheaux series, and I keep wishing Dave and Clete would get some sense (for crying out loud!) but there's something about it that makes me keep reading them.

>129 PaulCranswick: Thank you very much, Paul. It's hard to feel proud of my country these days. I know there are many good people doing great things here, but the most obnoxious and hate-filled voices seem to be the loudest drowning out the rest, and their immaturity and selfishness tend to taint my view of everything these days.

>130 Matke: Thank you, Gail! Sunday was nice, and my week has gotten off to a pretty good start, all things considered.

It took us a little less than two months to go from the library being totally closed and staff not even allowed to work in the building, to now being mostly open, albeit with a lot of changes and limited hours. Each step in between helped us to develop procedures and notice issues that needed to be addressed before it would have been wise to move forward. In the current circumstances, I think it's now as safe a place as any other area building I can think of, unless you're totally sheltering at home. I'm proud of my staff!

>132 tymfos: - Very happy to see your post about the successful re-open of your library, Terri!

Glad to hear things are going well with the reopening, Terri. We're still staff in the building limited hours and curbside pickup by appointment, which is likely to continue for a few more weeks. Most of our patrons have been very happy and understanding, but we've started to get a few calls from people angry they can't browse. I don't think they'll be happy when they find out it will be limited and by appointment when we are ready to go there.

>133 lkernagh: Lori, things have been slow, in terms of visitors and circulation, and we have no in-person programming going on. On the other hand, we did a major movement of our juvenile nonfiction books, are having a major electrical project, and have just started our annual appeal. We've been doing a lot of catalog cleanup work. We need adequate staffing on hand to maintain our sanitation protocols if things get busy, but since business is slow, we need to keep everyone busy working on something!

>134 bell7: Mary, our patrons were very impatient to get back in the building. Very few were interested in pickup by appointment. Even browsing by appointment had few takers. Fortunately, even in more normal times, we generally don't have more people here at once than can easily social distance except when programs are going on (which they aren't now). And (at least up to now) we haven't had battles over face masks, which surprises me because many people in our area are ignoring the requirement for face masks, and there have been nasty scenes in some local stores over it. I'd like to think we have a more educated/enlightened clientele? Or maybe it's just that they know they can get service for free from us, so they are less demanding?

Since I was last on LT, we have had a death in the family, quite unexpected. My father-in-law died of a head injury as the result of a fall. It's been quite a shock. My husband is coping pretty well. My son was especially close to his grandpa, so it's hit him really hard. He only has one grandparent left now, his paternal grandmother. She, of course, is in shock. Her life has abruptly been turned upside down.

Anyway, I'm trying to get back to reading . . . or at least listening. After a break, I finally finished this audio.

Book #25 Collision on Tenerife by Jon Ziomak. AUDIO (8-7-2020)

When two jumbo jets collided on a runway on the island of Tenerife, it was the worst aircraft accident ever in terms of passenger fatalities. A whole chain of events led to this disaster, and this book explores those causes, what happened at the time of the crash, the reaction of the survivors. It takes a look at aviation safety and the emotional impact of air disasters upon those who survive them. Very interesting!

Book #26 The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson AUDIO (8-9-2020)

I decided to read this because I read really good reviews of the third and latest book in this series, The Mist, but I like to read series in order, so I wanted to read the first book in the series, set in Iceland.

Early on, I wasn't terribly impressed. I was annoyed by the protagonist. While I agreed that her forced retirement was unfair, I resented her attitude that retirement equaled no activity and sitting home alone. Most retired people I know are very active, unless their health holds them back. Don't they have volunteer work in Iceland? Also, her poor judgment in many matters made me think that maybe she really should retire. However, there were hints that all was not as it seemed, that there were hidden factors, so I continued.

I really needed to get close to the end of the book to understand her point of view. It actually turned out to be pretty powerful. But the ending had me wondering where the series could possibly go next. I'm moving on to the second in series, The Island.

So I'm just over 1/3 of the way to 75 books, at a point in the year when I'm almost 2/3 of the way through the year.

I'm determined to get back to reading. I need the escape!

>135 tymfos: Oh, Terry, I'm so sorry about your father-in-law's death. It's a terrible time to go through that. My mother passed away, somewhat unexpectedly also, in June. The shock is hard enough to manage when things are "normal". Condolences to your family.

>139 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you. And my sincere condolences to you and your family, Linda. I'm very sorry about your mother's death.

This has been a horrible year, and it just keeps getting worse.

>138 tymfos: I can sympathize. Working from home has meant that my reading rate is falling off. I need to get back to a better balance. So sorry for your loss.

>141 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

I had really hoped that, once I finished my Masters degree, I'd have time to read up a storm. A shame I had to finish in 2020!

>135 tymfos: So sorry to hear of your loss, Terri. I can empathise with your son as I was especially close to my Gran and took her passing very hard in 1994 and I was holding her hand as she slipped away- it is actually why I came to Malaysia.

I hope the year gets better for you. I do miss your regular presence here and it is really strange to have read so many more books than you!

>143 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

Book #27 The Silence by Susan Allott (LT Early Reviewer copy, uncorrected proof)

I was slow getting into this story, which is a shame because in the end it turned out to be a pretty good read. It's just that none of the characters are really likable. Ilsa, a recovering alcoholic, returns to Australia from her home in England when she learns her father is a person of interest in the disappearance (and presumed death) of a neighbor they knew 30 years ago. The story alternates between 1997 and 1967. Ilsa's family is highly dysfunctional; her father has been a heavy drinker all his life. The marriage of Steve and Mandy -- Mandy was the neighbor who disappeared -- was quite unhealthy, also.

The story is noteworthy in that it deals with the Stolen Generation -- the Aboriginal children who were taken from their families by the Australian government and sent to institutions where they were subject to abuse. It also deals with the sometimes strained relationship between England and Australia.

I'm glad the reopening has gone well so far and that people are able to distance. We have a cohort of people who like to use the computers (some for hours), and using all of them while distancing, or having staff help, isn't possible. Our closure has been especially hard on them, I think. Curbside has kept us busy, and we're up to appointments every 10 minutes 9:10-4:50, Monday-Friday, plus delivering to people who can't come or make those hours.

I'm so sorry to hear about your father-in-law's passing. It's always hard but especially so with a lot of the travel and other restrictions going on at the same time.

>145 bell7: One good thing is that both my mother-in-law's and my own household are both in states that don't have any travel restrictions with each other!

Book #28 The Island by Ragnar Jonasson. AUDIO (8-12-2020)

This book follows The Darkness in publication of the Hidden Iceland series, but is actually a "prequel." Here we meet our detective protagonist Hulda not at the end of her career, but in the midst of it. A group of four age thirty-ish people have gone to an isolated island for a weekend. Ten years before, a fifth member of their group was murdered. The dead girl's father was arrested for the crime, but committed suicide in jail. The dead girl's brother is one of the group. The story of what happens on the island is told in short chapters from each character's point of view. There are flashbacks to the past events. We also encounter Hulda, who will soon be called to the island to investigate . . . something. (You must read the book to find out what!)

The book is much more complex than that description does justice. Listening on audio, I sometimes had to take a moment to orient myself as to where and when we were; there are times when the author uses a vagueness on those issues to raise the suspense and sense of mystery.

Overall, a pretty good mystery. I think it might stand alone, but having been introduced to Hulda in The Darkness and knowing a fair bit about her story really was helpful.

Book #29 The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson AUDIO (8-14-2020)

This the new installment in the Hidden Iceland series with Hulda, an inspector with CID in Iceland.

Hulda is dealing with the implosion of her family life, and two investigations. One is the disappearance of a young woman. The other, which lands on her plate as she returns from bereavement leave, involves a pair of deaths on an isolated farm in one of Iceland's most remote areas.

Like other books in the series, the complex narrative alternates between different places and times, from the point of view of different characters. It's difficult, at first, to see how all the threads fit together. But the plot twists is way along, building suspense and offering surprises which eventually connect the dots.

An unusual novel that starts out slowly, but builds suspense as it moves along.

Book #30

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (8-15-2020)

Oh, I enjoyed this! This was sort of two books in one. This book alternated chapters between the present-day experiences of a young woman who has just inherited an infamous estate, and chapters from a book her father wrote about their family's 20 days in the supposedly haunted house before they went screaming into the night, never to return. Oh, and she doesn't remember any of what happened when they lived there (she was only 5) but she doesn't believe a word of what her father wrote.

She returns to the house (which she didn't know her father still owned until she inherited it!) in order to renovate it for resale, that type of undertaking being her line of work. Soon she finds disconcerting evidence that at least some elements of her father's book are true. Soon odd goings-on have her wondering if the house is, indeed, haunted.

Then the kitchen ceiling comes crashing down, and the house gives up one of its secrets.

Just when you think you have it figured out, there's another surprise. That's the kind of book that it is, and it kept me turning pages more eagerly than anything I've read just for fun in quite a while. Heartily recommended for those who like page turners with a good dose of creepiness.

It's amazing what a week's vacation can do for my reading count, especially when pandemic worries keep me from going out and doing much of anything interesting. I finished more books in the past week than I did the last two months! I'm still leaning heavily on audio books, though.

>147 tymfos: I still have that one to look forward to reading.

That is more like the Terri I remember; knocking off 5 books in a week!

>150 thornton37814: Hi, Lori! It's kind of an odd series, but I've enjoyed it.

>151 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! It was fun while it lasted, but back to a hectic work schedule, I'm slowing down a bit.

Book #31

The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb AUDIO (8-17-2020)

A rather wild young woman marries after a whirlwind courtship, and doesn't live to see her first anniversary. At first, it is called an accident and she is buried, but she is exhumed for autopsy after whispers circulate among the neighbors, and then her mother tells a strange, eerie tale to the county prosecutor.

The telling of the story of the woman and her family alternates with the remembrances of an African-American lawyer who was involved in the trial, and who much later landed in the state's mental hospital for "negroes."

I love most of Sharyn McCrumb's books. The locations and solid sense of place, the historical detail, everything about them tend to resonate with me. This was a good one.

>152 tymfos: Oh, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed The Unquiet Grave, Terri. I still have that one to look forward to. McCrumb is a favorite, although I did give up on her King's Mountain, a very rare occurrence.

>152 tymfos: A friend helped McCrumb with the research on that one.

>153 laytonwoman3rd: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

>154 thornton37814: Hi, Lori! I remember you telling me about that. That's so neat!

Life has gotten hectic. I am really looking forward to the day off for Labor Day on Monday.

As always, I find books in your thread that I want to read. I wish I could find them in my libraries! The Iceland books don't appeal, but the others do.

Also, hi! hope you and yours are well. I peek in now and then...I can't seem to get back into the habit the same as before, but I can't leave my friends completely behind.

>156 mckait: Kath, my friend! So good to hear from you. We are both rather scarce here these days. I hope you and yours are well.

My reading fell off a cliff when I got back from vacation. This year has just been so stressful, in so many ways.

My nerves are calmed quite a bit now after a very affirming board meeting today. I really do have a wonderful library board, who kindly help me navigate the oceans of red tape involved in running a library these days. It's refreshing, especially when I know their work lives are as hectic as mine, if not more so. I also have a great staff.

I did manage to finish one more (audio) book since vacation. I've been slow to post it, partly because I've been busy, and partly because I don't know what to say about it.

Book #32

A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke. AUDIO (9-05-2020)

The latest (and I heard a rumor that it's the last) of the Dave Robicheaux series takes us back -- back to earlier days, when Dave and Clete were younger. After losing his badge, Dave has been reinstated in the New Iberia Sherriff's office on a probationary level.

This series has always had an element of eeriness, hints of the paranormal, but this one takes it beyond hints and eeriness to -- what? Horror? Science Fiction? In one regard, it's the age-old good vs. evil battle, but it's more complex than that. The prose is magnificent when Burke describes the Louisiana setting, much of the subject matter is profound and thought provoking, but this story really didn't quite work for me.

I still enjoyed hearing Will Patton narrating the book, though there were a couple of times I thought he got his character voices mixed up. I used my last Audible credit to preorder this before I cancelled my subscription.

OK, now I'm going to relax with a small glass of wine and then turn in for the night.

Glad to see you have such a supportive library board, Terri!

>158 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori

Book #33

Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson AUDIO narrated by George Guidall (9-28-2020)

Walt Longmire is back -- back in Wyoming, where he belongs; back among his familiar supporting cast -- Vic, Henry Standing Bear, and the rest. He's suffering after-affects from his experiences in Mexico, and pondering if he should stand for re-election or retire.

A friend from a nearby Veterans Home dies, and what he leaves behind is surprising -- a roomful of books about art, a shoebox full of money, and a painting that isn't quite a complete painting . . . Oh, it's a difficult story to describe, but then just read it yourself -- Craig Johnson tells it brilliantly, and it's even better when narrated by the great George Guidall. Honest, this is a really good one. It was like visiting with an old friend, one whose life is a lot more interesting than mine. Boy, howdy!!

Hi Terri. I followed your thread a lot more often in 2019.
I hope I didn't miss too much waiting until now to drop by.
2020 has been tough. I'm reading a lot just to simply "escape reality"!

I used to read a lot of Sharyn McCrumb's work. I don't remember this one, though. Sounds eerily appropriate for an October story!

I have a couple unread Longmires on the shelf....I like escaping to that world too, but I wish he wasn't such s superman...nobody could survive all the abuse he takes.

>160 SandyAMcPherson: Hi, Sandy! I haven't been here much this year, so no worries. 2020 has been a bear. My brother just died, this past Thursday. The bad news just keeps coming.

>161 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, the "superman" is starting to wear out. I hated the book set in Mexico -- he really was too unreal in that one -- but this one is golden.

Book #33

The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump: 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity, edited by Ronald J. Sider (10-13-2020)

Over the past 4 years, I've found myself marveling (not in a good way) over the unabashed support offered to Donald Trump by many Christian leaders, especially in the Evangelical wing of the faith. How have Evangelical leaders so thoroughly embraced this man who often seems to do the polar opposite of what I'd commonly think of as the answer to "WWJD" (What would Jesus do?)? Mind you, I don't believe in a "religion test" for public office, but many of these Evangelical leaders have, in the past, seemed to lean that way -- at least when the President was a Democrat. Shouldn't they be looking for a leader who shows some of the attributes that Christians (and most other decent people) usually find admirable?

This book reassured me that other Christians -- even some in the Evangelical camp -- are asking the same question. This book looks at basic moral/ethical qualities we usually demand from our leaders, and how Mr. Trump stacks up. It also explores the history of the Evangelical movement, and how it wound up in the place where it is now. It tackles theological questions about church & state, as well as church & church -- how Christians relate to one another when in disagreement about something (or someone).

In the end, it calls for honest conversation and active listening, and more civility in the discussions between Christians with different viewpoints.

Reviews I read for this book said it was thoughtful, and not just a "bash Trump" book. Well, some of the contributors did better at that than others. All the pieces were more thoughtful than the vitriol we commonly see in media of all kinds. While some took great pains to say, "I'm not going to tell you how to vote, but consider this . . ." some came out and pretty much said "How can you vote for this man?" The strongest sense was that he shouldn't be on the receiving end of uncritical praise by any Christian, however supportive of parts of his agenda, since we are called to speak truth to power.

Now I have to decide what to read next . . .

I turned my back on the salad, and Sig got into it. It looks like we had a greenery explosion! He also managed to get to a window he hasn't visited in a while, as well as on an isolated shelf.

So I tried uploading photos of my active kitty, and they loaded sideways into LT, even though they were rightside-up on my computer before I uploaded them. I guess it's because it's 2020, and the whole world is topsy-turvy. Just turn your head sideways -- or your screen -- and it will all be OK.

OK, I edited the photos into a square aspect ratio, and uploaded the edited photos. So why does that make them turn rightside-up?



Oh, and you know, that hairbrush in the second photo? Right after I took the photo, he knocked it to the floor, as I had fully expected. It's what cats do.

>164 tymfos:, >165 tymfos: I've had that happen. I find if I open the picture on my computer with Paint and resave it, it loads properly on LT. I have no idea WHY this is true, it's just what I've found works to fix the sideways ones.
ETA: OH...and it's really fine to see Sig...I've been missing him.

>163 tymfos: Interesting observations.
I'm always amazed that a segment of voters are so entrenched in 'one issue' that other equally or even more significantly critical aspects of a politician are ignored.

>135 tymfos: I am sorry to hear about your FIL's passing. I lost my MIL recently, too. So hard to deal with and this damn COVID just makes it harder.

>159 tymfos: Just started this one! I am a fan of both author (Craig Johnson) and narrator (George Guidall) and I love Walt Longmire. Glad you liked it.

>163 tymfos: Ugh. Rump. Glad the book is urging people not to vote for him.

>165 tymfos: LOL!! Picture rotations and hairbrushes both. Thanks, I need that.

>166 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, I used Paint to edit the photos, so what you said fits my experience, too. And Sig is feisty as ever, even as a 7-year-old!

>167 SandyAMcPherson: Agreed!

>168 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Enjoy the Longmire. And glad I could give you a laugh.

Lunchtime musings: The coronavirus seems to have done something to the way I perceive time. A year ago seems like a lifetime ago, and yet this year seems to be going by so quickly! Very strange.

Book #35

Dark Matter: A Ghost Story AUDIO by Michelle Paver (10-15-2020)

This is a dark, atmospheric tale about an Arctic expedition in the WWII era. A small group of men are planning to spend a year on a remote shore in the Arctic -- Norway, I seem to recall -- making weather observations. By a series of unfortunate events . . . one of the group, Jack the wireless operator, finds himself alone in the camp -- a camp which seems to be haunted.

The story is told in the first person via Jack's increasingly rambling journal entries. This is a tale of isolation and growing madness, with an unreliable narrator. It kept me listening, and pondering what was real. Did his growing instability in the dark isolation create much of his perception of unexplainable events? Or did the ghostly events lead to his instability?

>162 tymfos: - My condolences on your brother's passing, Terri.

>165 tymfos: - Love the two pictures of Sig!

>162 tymfos: Somehow I skimmed over the fact that you had lost your brother, Terri. I'm so sorry.

>171 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori!

>172 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you, Linda, don't worry about missing that; I didn't say much about it.

Book #36

The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen AUDIO (10-17-2020)

This is more Halloween reading. This was a weird one. The blurb says that it's the first book in a series called "The Messy Man Series." Peter returns to his Midwest hometown of Maple City with his wife Hannah to help settle his father in the local nursing home, and to escape the memory of a recent tragedy. They wind up living in an old house he never knew his father owned. While Hannah welcomes the challenge of a "fixer-upper," Peter thinks it looks like the setting of a horror story -- and it is. As Peter experiences increasingly frightening chaos, the question looms: what haunts the house? Is Peter losing his mind? It's a mind-bending, time-bending, spatial-bending nightmare, with a real surprise at the end.

Many people said this story frightened them. Frankly, to me, it was too far-out to scare me, or even for me to take it very seriously until I got to near the end. Then, there's more to it than previously seen. The very end indicates plans for a sequel, though I don't think I'll bother with it.

ETA to fix typos

Book #37

Dark Shadows by Marilyn Ross AUDIO (10-24-2020)

Familiar horror setup -- a young woman goes to serve as governess in spooky mansion. Within days, she's found mystery, danger, and romance.

This was a blast from the past. No one could ever call this great, or even good, literature. It is melodramatic, implausible, has plot holes you could drive a truck through -- just like the 1960's-era cult classic continuing horror daytime drama. Seriously, this was an exercise in nostalgia for me. I had a slew of the Marilyn Ross Dark Shadows paperbacks as a teen.

Dark Shadows was nearing the end of its original TV run when I discovered it. My family had just purchased our first color TV, and I was searching for a program in color (lots of old B&W reruns on in the afternoon in those days) and stumbled on the dramatic opening credits of Dark Shadows, which by that time was being filmed in color. I was soon hooked, and when the series moved into syndication, I caught up on some of what I'd missed earlier.

ETA to fix redundancy in a sentence

After a false start listening to Help for the Haunted, which I wasn't in the mood for, I've started listening to The Shadows by Alex North. As per some of the reviews I read, it started rather slow to get into, but right now all those memes about reading all night ring true again. I really wish I could stay up all night and keep listening, but I absolutely can't sleep late tomorrow. (sigh!) Off to bed now . . .

Hi Terri

How is school? Are you completing your grad school studies via online?

>176 Whisper1: Thanks for asking , Linda! I graduated in May with my MSLS. The coursework was online from the start, but I was doing internship in the spring semester, so the pandemic disrupted that and required an adjustment by the university.

Book #38

The Shadows: A Novel by Alex North AUDIO (10-31-2020)

The Shadows are the woods beyond the back yard. Stories are told about a man/ghost/creature "Red Hands" dwelling deep within them. This is a creepy and complex story of friendship abused, related to a bullying youth pushing others into his project involving "lucid dreaming." Can a group of people share a lucid dream together?

The story shifts between the viewpoints of the protagonist returning home as an adult for the first time in years, his experiences as a youth, and the POV of a detective who is investigating a murder similar to -- related to? -- a murder which occurred those many years ago.

This was sufficiently entertaining and creepy as I was reading. And it had a few nice twists toward the end that hit me with surprise. The conclusion, however, left me a little underwhelmed.

Book #39

The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria by Greg King and Penny Wilson AUDIO (11-05-2020)

I normally find disaster stories fascinating. This one, while informative, was less satisfying than many. Perhaps it would have been better to read in print. The narration by David Colacci was excellent, but it would have been easier to keep track of the many people whose stories were being told if I were able to page back to earlier references. Part of the difficulty was following too many people's experience of the wreck -- especially when a number of the details were similar. I also found certain assertions too repetitive. OK, evidence suggests that the Captain was unfairly blamed. I got that the first three or four times they said it!

Book #40

Choosing Civility by P.M. Forni

I've been distressed by the lack of civility in much of society today. I've been looking into resources on the topic for our library.

I found this on a reading list from the choosecivility.org, a project that started with the Howard County, Maryland, library system, and which has spread through that state and beyond. This is the book that inspired that movement; its 15 principles are drawn from the 25 principles outlined here.

Most of what was said here was useful and constructive. There were explanations about why civility is important, helpful, desirable. The Twenty-Five Principles made basic sense, and Forni made good use of examples to illustrate his meaning. The author was willing to acknowledge times when he failed to be civil. Some of the material seemed like mere common sense to me, but in today's world it seems more like uncommon sense.

There were a few points with which I disagreed. The "mind your body" section bothered me the most. For instance, it included some civility points about grooming that I found rather culturally biased and not terribly related to civility. It's certainly civil to keep clean enough to not be smelly, and to keep hands clean (especially in this COVID-19 age), but are well-manicured nails really an issue of civility? So those who do hard labor, so hard on the hands, are by definition not thoroughly civil? For that manner, I've encountered some homeless people who didn't have the resources to bathe regularly, but whose words and conduct showed more civility than many executives in business suits.

I listened to the audio book, which I found rather annoying. There was something about the narrator and how he read the text that just grated on my nerves. It felt like I was receiving a lecture. But I realize that's just me, Perhaps his voice subconsciously reminded me of some negative person or experience.

Well, I've equaled my total for 2019, so I'll do at least a little better this year, but nowhere near the number of books I read in the days when I worked part-time instead of full-time.

Book #41

Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen (11-10-2020)

This book was created by members of the Harvard Negotiation Project. While it was a business bestseller, the principles here are meant to help with any kind of difficult conversation -- whether it's between co-workers, family members, neighbors, club members, etc.

I think the principles outlined here are presented very well, with clear examples and with honest discussion of where things can go wrong in the conversation despite using them. I do think that making use of these principles requires a real effort to learn and internalize them. I'm sure I'd need to read the book again, and really study it, before I'd be ready to really put the learning to use. However, I guess that's true of almost any worthwhile endeavor.

ETA to add It's worth hunting for the 10th Anniversary edition (2010) because it has additional material -- ten most frequently asked questions about difficult conversations.

>181 tymfos: I like your review and will see if I can find a copy to borrow.

I'd like to make a shout out today to any veterans who may be visiting my thread. Thank you for your service!



We celebrate Veterans Day (originally Armistice Day) on November 11 because it marked the end of World War I. At the time, people called it the war to end all wars. How naive that notion was! Even as the peace was negotiated, the stage was being set for the next World War. So many have served in our Armed Forces since!

>182 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks, Sandy! I hope you find a copy. I read a library copy. The book really offers some useful skills for difficult discussions! Oh, and it's worth getting hold of the 10th anniversary edition if you can find it -- it has an added section of 10 most commonly asked questions about difficult conversations.

>184 tymfos: I saw online that I can borrow a physical copy from my local PL.
The listing had the same cover, but when I drop off books next week, I'll look for the 10th anniversary edition. Thanks for the heads up!

>185 SandyAMcPherson: I'm glad your library has a copy of Difficult Conversations!

Book #42

How to Think Like a Cat by Stephane Garnier

This book was in the "humor" section of our e-book platform, but it's really not a book of humor. It's a short, thoughtful collection of cat-themed quotations each accompanied by a brief essay on how some particular character trait of cats can be useful for humans to adopt.

I liked this much more than I initially thought I would when I started reading.

Currently Reading:

Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel AUDIO
I started this on Veterans Day -- that seemed appropriate.

Bad Days in History: a Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year by Michael Farquhar E-BOOK
Given how 2020 has gone, I figured I'd gain some perspective by reading about other bad days in history!

This Brit wishes to express his thanks for the warmth and friendship that has helped sustain him in this group, Terri.

>188 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Best wishes to you.

>186 tymfos: Oooh! I think I have to find that one for my sister. Thanks!

>190 Berly: You're welcome, Kim! Good to "see" you.

I am in such a long-term book funk. If not for audio books, I'd not have read hardly anything this year. The two books I started in >187 tymfos: never got past a quarter of the way read before the loans expired, nor did a mystery I started by a favorite author. Some librarian I am!

>191 tymfos: Hope you get your reading mojo back soon, Terri, I remember the days when 20 books a month was commonplace to you.

>192 PaulCranswick: Paul, I don't know about 20, but 10 or more was certainly normal. I miss those days! I probably won't see those numbers again until I retire, but I do hope I can get back in more of a reading groove. My ability to concentrate just seems to have temporarily abandoned me.

Thanks for the good wishes!

Wishing you and yours a lovely holiday season and a joyous 2021!

Hi Terri. Wishing you peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May 2021 bring you less need for masks, loads of peace and joy, good health and, of course, books!

Thank you, Lynda, Lori, and Kim!

I hope you get some of those at least, Terri, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

Thank you, Joanne and Paul

I've decided to add a number of children's books to my list of books read. I read through so many picture books at work, and never counted them, but now the more memorable ones I'm going to count. I'm not going to have time to review them all, especially since the year is ending and people will be moving on to the 2021 group. (I assume there's going to be a 2021 group, not that I've had time to check.) That brings my total up to 63 so far, which seems more respectable.