Anne (AMQS) Reads in 2021 - Chapter 2

Welcome to my second 2021 thread! I am very glad to have you.

My name is Anne. 51. I am an elementary school teacher librarian in a little Colorado mountain school. My husband Stelios and I have two grown daughters, two kitties and an aging retired greyhound. I am also the proud and still sore owner of a new hip and just returned to work after medical leave. As I get stronger and the weather gets nicer I am looking forward to walking in the Colorado mountains again. I read mostly literary fiction, a lot of children's literature, and love audiobooks.

This is my 12th year in this wonderful group, and your love and support truly sustained me last year. I say this every year, but I REALLY want to be here more! I am so thankful for my friends here and I will always welcome new friends.

I'm staying closer to home with my thread topper again. These photos were taken by Stelios while biking.
This first one is "The Front Range" - the beginning of the Rocky Mountains you can see from Denver. Driving west on I-70 this is the dramatic view you see when cresting a hill. It awed my parents when they decided to move here in 1976 and it awes me still.


Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater are in our backyard, and the park is a favorite place for Stelios to ride.

Now reading:


Audio:

2021 Reading (1):

January, 2021
1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
2. The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
3. Walking on Eggshells by Jane Isay
4. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
5. The Switch by Beth O'Leary
6. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson

February, 2021
7. The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
8. Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
9. It’s a long story but there was a book #9.
10. The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
11. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
12. The Librarian by Salley Vickers

March, 2021
13. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
14. The Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay
15. When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson
16. From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
17. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
18. Please, Mr. Postman: a Memoir by Alan Johnson
19. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
20. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
21. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

April, 2021
22. The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
23. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
24. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
25. Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West by David Wolman and Julian Smith
26. Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older

May, 2021
27. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart
28. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
29. Rick by Alex Gino
30. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
31. The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
32. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
33. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III
34. Consent for Kids by Rachel Brian
35. The Worry (Less) Book by Rachel Brian
36. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
37. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
38. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

June, 2020
39. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
40. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
41. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
42. Thornwood by Leah Cypess
43. Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce

2021 Reading (2):

July, 2021
44. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
45. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
46. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker
47. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart
48. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
49. A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
50. Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
51. Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander, James Patterson, and Muhammad Ali Enterprises

August, 2021
52. A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre
53. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
54. Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
55. A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

September, 2021
56. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
57. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
58. Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
59. Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke
60. Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
61. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
62. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

October, 2021
63. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron
64. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
65. The End of Vandalism by Tom Drury
66. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
67. Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices
68. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

November, 2021
69. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
70. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
71. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask
72. Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington’s Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away by Erica Armstrong Dunbar & Kathleen Van Cleve
73. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts
74. Weather by Jenny Offill

Happy new thread, Anne, and happy early birthday!

Happy new thread, Anne!

>5 AMQS: What a lovely and welcoming picture.

Happy new thread, Anne!!

Happy new thread and happy soon birthday!! And enjoy the new hip. : )

Happy new thread! Happy birthday (soon)! Love the photos up top :)

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread and happy almost birthday!

>6 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>7 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! That's a digital word art program I use sometimes with students, and I like making them for my thread welcomes:)

>8 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!

>9 Berly: Thanks, Kim! So far so good with the new hip, especially now that I'm a few weeks on.

>10 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! We're lucky to live where we do.

>11 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>12 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! My birthday falls on Easter this year, as it occasionally does. Then back to school for real the next day.

20. Ancillary Justice by Ann Lecke

It took me awhile to get into this one, and a good long while before I got the hang of its world enough to keep up with the story. Sci-fi is not usually my thing, or so I thought before I fell hard for Murderbot, and Stelios has been urging me to read these for some time.

Breq is on a mission of vengeance, but must spend 20 years figuring out how to begin. She is an ancillary - an AI construct who used to simultaneously inhabit many forms, including a warship. But a betrayal that hints at the dangerous conflict facing her world destroyed all but one of her forms. The ancillary idea is a gruesome one - humans ostensibly killed in the pursuit of colonial imperialism are "stored" for later and reanimated as needed as ancillary-soldiers. Some in the empire are questioning whether regular human soldiers mightn't be more ethical, and indeed they would, except for AI-controlled ancillaries are more reliable. Until Breq demonstrates that they may actually have free will of their own. As with the Murderbot books, this digs into what it means to be human, and what is the future of AI. The first half of this book was a bit slow and bewildering for me. The last half I raced through.

*tiptoes into starring territory, which I normally eschew because I don't trust my judgment when evaluating or especially comparing books*

3.5 stars.

Happy new thread, Anne.

>14 AMQS: You encourage me to read these; sci-fi isn't usually my thing either.

I love your photos.

Happy Birthday/Easter.

Good luck with the return to work.

Happy new thread, Anne. I am so pleased that your recuperation sees you almost ready for work. x

21. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

I am determined to REALLY read and re-home my own books (or assign to a shelf in My Library if they're a keeper. Being a librarian has changed my book hoarding in significant ways and I fully embrace weeding, so to speak, but can't weed my own books if I have not read them. Mostly.) This one called my name, and it seemed like a short palate-cleanser between Imperial Radch books.

This is a semi-autobiographical novel about a girl who is adopted into a grimly Pentecostal family obsessed with ferreting out and banishing demons, heathens, and sin of all kind. She revels in being one of God's chosen. Jeanette is homeschooled until her mother is threatened with jail, then sent off to complete bewilderment in school. Apparently her hellfire and damned descriptions in writing, sampler stitching (THE SUMMER IS ENDED AND WE ARE NOT YET SAVED), and playground conversation give the other children nightmares ("I have nightmares, too."). Her mother is pleased ("We are called to be apart."), but the apartness that puts Jeanette at odds with the wider world causes hopeless, unbridgeable apartness from everything she knows as she matures and falls in love with a girl. When her demons cannot be exorcised, she is shunned and then cast out to fend for herself and make sense of herself. The book is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and the narrative, told in chapters named for the first eight books of the Bible, is interspersed with biblical and Arthurian parables, which I thought detracted somewhat from a very compelling, quirky, and unconventional narrative.

>15 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! You'll probably get the hang of Ancillary Justice before I do - sometimes I wondered if maybe I'm not smart enough to follow it, but eventually I began to understand. Sometimes I wait a bit between books in a series, but I'll be reading Ancillary Sword next because I'm afraid it will all be lost if I don't follow up soon! We have the conclusion ready, too: Ancillary Mercy.

I'm a little nervous about returning to work - mostly about my stamina. Fortunately my school and its community are super supportive. If I need to slow down or sit down no one will bat an eye. I appreciate your good wishes!

>16 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! The first 10 days or so felt so impossibly slow and helpless, then I just steadily got better. PT is working me hard, but I want to go forward, not backward, and I want to preserve my other hip as long as I can.

22. The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis, audiobook narrated by Erin Bennett and Lisa Flanagan

This story takes place in 1913-1914 and 1993 at the New York Public Library. I have since learned that's author Fiona Davis's thing: novels centered around iconic New York buildings. In 1913, Laura Lyons lives with her family in the caretaker's apartment in the center of the library. A traditional wife and mother, she longs to have something that is her own. She is accepted to the graduate program at the Columbia University School of Journalism, and throws herself into her studies. This is initially supported by her husband and family, but they eventually come to resent her academic obligations. She is dismayed that female students are assigned insubstantial female subjects for reporting, but finds her passion in the Heterodoxy Club, a group of women who meet to discuss progressive feminist ideas. A series of thefts of rare books from the library threatens to destroy everything for Laura and her husband Jack.

80 years later, Laura's granddaughter Sadie is the head curator of the NYPL's Berg Collection. Socially awkward and bruised from a divorce, Sadie throws herself into an upcoming Berg Collection exhibit, until the theft of rare books from the collection, which threatens Sadie's job and reputation. She is struck by the similarities in circumstance between her and her grandparents, though she knows next to nothing about them, other than the fact that her grandmother is Laura Lyons, the famous essayist. Sadie is determined to get to the bottom of the thefts and discover the connection to her family.

Sound contrived? It kind of is. Nevertheless, it is an engaging read and an engrossing mystery. While I was definitely caught up in the story, I was aghast at professional ethical lapses of both Laura and Sadie, though they (mostly) paid for them. I am not necessarily a reader who needs everything wrapped up neatly at the end of a mystery, but some wrapping was too tidy and implausible, while other significant elements were left unexplained. Verdict: absorbing but imperfect.

On my last thread there was a discussion about alternating narratives. The Lions of Fifth Avenue mostly did a good job with those. It did get me thinking about two other story-related things. One is the amateur playing detective. There are some stories where the main character is the one most concerned, and the professionals give them the brush off. This book is more the case of the amateur sometimes overstepping the role and jeopardizing the hunt, so to speak. What do you think: do you like amateur detectives? Who are your favorites?

The other thing I've been thinking about are cell phones and social media. There are so many great stories that depend on misunderstandings or miscommunications - or even misdirected communications. I've been thinking how easily things can be cleared up with a text or a quick FaceTime, and also thinking about those stories that hinge on a lost letter or losing contact with someone. Obviously writers are overcoming that and telling modern stories in a different way. I thought the time periods of this book - 1913 and 1993 - were an interesting choice. 1993 is recent enough to feel contemporary (or maybe I'm just showing my age when I say that) but still too early to be able to use internet or cell phones. For the average person, that is. I thought maybe there would be a question here, but I can't think of one :) Please chime in though, about how modern connectivity has or will change storytelling.

Happy April, Anne! Happy New Thread! It looks like you are getting some reading in and I hope you are enjoying the Larson.

Didn't get to comment on the previous thread, but Before the Coffee Gets Cold is one we got at the library. It is a small book. I think I added it to my TBR list, but I don't remember.

>19 AMQS: I wondered how that one was. I wasn't super-thrilled with some of Davis' other books people raved about. I may or may not read it. Time will tell.

Hi Anne. I found you today, so it's time to do the birthday-wishes post, the >17 AMQS: Yay-you-liked-it post, the >19 AMQS:, >20 AMQS: I think part of the rage for historical fiction is explainable by that, and the happy-new-thread post.

Gawd I'm efficient!

>20 AMQS: I like some amateur detectives, although I don't think they work well in a series. After a while you start to wonder how Goldy Schulz, for example, keeps finding dead bodies while catering fancy parties out in your neck of the woods! The other thing I don't like is when the amateur detective finds out information that even a complete dope would know should be given to the police and they don't do that, putting themselves in unnecessary (to me) danger.

I wish I could remember where I read an article with a current mystery writer who said they write historical fiction because they can't figure out how to maintain suspense when the detective could just look everything up on Google and check cell phone and GPS records. Maybe it was Ian Rankin? I'll have to try to find it... ah, here it is! It's a transcript of a conversation between Rankin and John Grisham at the 2021 Virginia Book Festival. The whole thing's quite interesting, but this is the bit that's relevant to your observation:

I’ve got to be aware of that when I write the books now, that all this stuff is available. As you’ve said, the cell phone. If you’re being kidnapped now, just get on your cell phone and tell the police you’re being kidnapped, end of story. As writers, we’ve got to somehow take that out of the equation, “Oh, I can’t get a signal. Battery died. Oh no.” You see it in films all the time, don’t you?

>21 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I am enjoying the Larson very much.

>22 thornton37814: Hi Lori! Before the Coffee Gets Cold is indeed a small book, or I should say: a short audio. Unfortunately it was a miss for me (and for Richard) but otherwise seems to be popular. The Lions of Fifth Avenue was engaging. I'm rotten at starring but I'd say 3 to 3.5 stars and on the lighter side which we all need occasionally.

>23 richardderus: Richard, that is efficient - knockin' 'em out in one post! And thank you:)

>24 rosalita: Julia, thank you so much for that link - I really enjoyed reading that. That conversation also made me want to go to Lyon for that festival they mentioned a few times - I've never been.

>25 AMQS: I'm glad you enjoyed that interview as much as I did. You should definitely go to the Lyon festival and report back!

>20 AMQS: I enjoyed your comments about technology in old / modern novels. I remember reading an Anthony Trollope novel (c. 1850) filled with missed connections and communications delays, and thinking how much easier life would have been for them with the technology we have today. The book would have been 100 pages instead of 400 LOL.

>14 AMQS: I would be exactly the same. I feel like I *should* like sci fi, as I love that genre on film, but I cannot get into it in books. Glad you liked it, and that you survived it ;)

>20 AMQS: great points. I see the same in films, where mobile technology and social media is often conspicuously absent. It's only ever in if it's central to the plot.

>26 rosalita: Adding it to the list:)

>27 lauralkeet: I think it was an 1800s novel that first got me thinking about this. Communication is easier, but technology hasn't made everything easier. Being able to streamline and simplify tasks has only added more tasks. I hope you're enjoying your new home, Laura!

>28 witchyrichy: That's beautiful! Thank you, Karen.

>29 LovingLit: I am now reading the second book. I am definitely more comfortable in that world. Not sure if I like the second book as well, or if I will read the third. Breq is no Murderbot:) I think sometimes it takes a lot of brain bandwidth to understand the basic constructs of a sci-fi story or its world. In some cases. I hadn't thought about film and technology. I think its ubiquity makes us pretty boring so its use in film has to be less.

Happy weekend to my 75-er friends! My reading has been bogged down since going back to school, but I expect to finish up a couple here pretty soon. I had an unexpected snow day yesterday as we got about 10 inches of snow. No call from the school district, so I slogged my way up the hill early yesterday morning only to get a call as I was within a mile or so of school saying that widespread mountain power outages were forcing the closure of mountain schools. I'm guessing we'll have to make the day up and I'm not so crazy about that.

I saw this article in a local independent online news outlet and thought I'd share: Fifty Books of the West. I'm shocked that I've only read a handful of the books on this list, but among them are all-time favorites.

>31 AMQS: Happy weekend Anne! Sorry to hear about the snow and school closures. We are having an unseasonable warm spell in Seattle -- it might hit 80 degrees today!

Slightly embarrassed that I've only read one book off that list! (There There by Tommy Orange.)

>31 AMQS: Excellent book list, Anne! Of the books listed, these are the ones I either have read or at least own:

Have read:
Empire of the Summer Moon — currently reading, actually
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Plainsong
The Worst Hard Time
Grapes of Wrath
Paradise

On the shelves:
Killers of the Flower Moon
Lonesome Dove
There There

And there are so many others that sound wonderful. I'm saving the list so I can look for them at the library.

Thanks for sharing!

That is a great list, Anne! Lots of interesting titles.

I've read these (more than I thought there'd be):

How Much of These Hills is Gold
Killers of the Flower Moon
Bury My Heart
Death Comes
Grapes of Wrath
A Lady's Life
Full Body Burden
Milagro
Lonesome Dove
Centennial
Plainsong

And these are patiently waiting on the shelf:

Sabrina & Corina
The Worst Hard Time
Nothing Daunted
There There

Also, what the heck happened to spring???? :)

Wow, 10 inches of snow in mid-April!! Sorry you had already made it there before you heard the schools were closed. Hope you didn't hurt your hip in the process!

Since I was born and raised in the west (sort of, anyway -- not sure California really counts as "the west") I've never felt a big urge to "get to know it". I have read a few of the books on the list though:

1. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder (interesting
2. Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
3. Grapes of Wrath
4. Lonesome Dove (liked it way, way better than I thought I would)
5. Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West (loved this one)

>33 rosalita: That is a stunning list, Julia and I have also read the same ones. I adored Empire of the Summer Moon. I think that may been my favorite book of that year.

Happy Sunday, Anne. How you feeling. Pretty much recovered? 10 inches of snow? YIKES!

>36 msf59: I've only just started Empire, Mark, but I am already completely caught up in it and eager to read more. So glad to hear it was such a favorite for you.

Ten inches of snow! I hope it isn't coming our way, Anne.

>31 AMQS: Great list. I've read eleven: Paradise, Sabrina & Corina and There There are among my favorites. I've been meaning to reread Grapes of Wrath. I last read it in high school.

You are the one who commented on The Trouble with Goats and Sheep; I knew I had heard about it here, but I couldn't remember who had read it. I loved it; I thought the naive narrator worked pretty well. Anyway, Thanks!

So glad everyone is enjoying the Fifty Books of the West list published by the Colorado Sun! I've read eight of the titles on the list. These are the favorites:
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Plainsong
Lonesome Dove
The Grapes of Wrath
The Worst Hard Time

I've also read
Nothing Daunted
Prairie Fires
Full Body Burden

These are the books that are in the pile:
Killers of the Flower Moon
Sabrina and Corina

And so many more to look forward to!

>32 curioussquared: Hi Natalie! I don't mind the snow day but don't want to have to make it up. I guess I'll find out soon, but I expect we will. Snow days are like a gift! It looks like we'll get more snow tomorrow. That's one on the list that I haven't read!

>33 rosalita: I'm glad you liked the list, Julia! I'm glad I happened to see it. Your own list is impressive!

>34 Copperskye: Wow, you've read quite a few, Joanne! I'm impressed. I'm also using the list to add to my TBR. I love how diverse it is. And spring? Today is so beautiful - hard to believe we're supposed to get more snow tomorrow!

>35 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba, no problem for the hip. The local language uses "up the hill" and "down the hill" depending on your elevation change and relative location to Denver/suburbs. I slogged up the hill in my car the whole way:) I'd say California is west (The Grapes of Wrath is on the list). Wasn't Lonesome Dove just wonderful?

>36 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark! I am feeling better and better every day. I still have a large annoying section of my leg that is both numb and hypersensitive. Hoping that gets better. But my PT is going well and I am back at school.

>38 BLBera: Hope you don't get it either, Beth. We're getting more tomorrow. This is pretty normal for us in spring. I'm so glad you enjoyed The Trouble With Goats and Sheep as much as you did. I'm not exactly sure where it went wrong for me. Maybe because I both listened and read a print copy. The girl's voice was super young. Also it seemed more somber than I thought it would be.

I looked back on your comments, Anne, and I think part of it may have been timing. I thought Grace's naive narration balanced out the darker stuff. Also, I laughed out loud in some places.

Fingers crossed for minor snow for you. It's pretty nice here, but I think we are expecting colder temps and possibly some snow this week.

23. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson, audiobook narrated by John Lee

I thought this book was terrific - gripping history that is so familiar and yet brought to breathless new life. I understand that Churchill is a problematic historical figure, yet his leadership during this perilous time probably saved the United Kingdom. I'm not sure if I can add anything to the many reviews here already... terrific book and excellent on audio.

24. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

The second installment of the Imperial Radch trilogy. I really got bogged down in this one and probably should have set it aside. I didn't think it was as strong as the first book Ancillary Justice, and writing and story complaints about the first book were amplified here. I am undecided if I should read the third installment. If I do, it will be after a break, I think.

>41 BLBera: Beth, it definitely could have been. I remember laughing out loud in places also, but I think in general I was expecting something lighter and more humorous than it actually was, which is more of a me problem than a book problem. Did you ever read her other book Three Things About Elsie? I enjoyed that one also - but again, it felt like a darker book than expected.

>42 AMQS: Anne, I haven't read this one although I do love Larsen's books. If you liked reading about Churchill you might also enjoy Clementine: The Life of Mrs Winston Churchill. It was really interesting to learn more about her, their relationship, and the ways she helped and influenced him.

I join your club of admirers of this list, though I dislike Kent Haruf and Tommy Orange, and really did not care a whit for How Much of These Hills is Gold for its grimness.

Provenance might be a Leckie more to your taste. I enjoyed it, where the Ancillaries didn't strike me that favorably.

>42 AMQS: I loved this one, too!

This East Coast girl tends to love novels set in the West - both historical and contemporary. There are some favorites on that list. Others I've enjoyed are Laura Pritchett's books, especially Hell's Bottom, Colorado and Black River by S.M. Hulse.

>45 lauralkeet: Thanks for the recommendation, Laura! She was featured prominently in the Larson book, so I think I would like to read more about her.

>46 richardderus: Hi Richard! I love Haruf, but haven't read Tommy Orange. Haruf's books are so familiar. I didn't grow up on the eastern plains of CO but spent so much time there on tour with the Chorale over about 40 years, doing workshops in schools, concerts for the community, staying in homestays and welcomed by the residents for suppers. I just love his characters and feel like I know them. I look forward to making my way through the list.

I might give Provenance a try. When I click on the link it looks like another installment in the Ancillary series. Is it?

>47 rosalita: Julia, I started to worry as I got near the end - there was still so much war left and listening meant I wasn't looking at the cover all the time to be reminded that it focused on the Blitz. But I did like the way he tied up everything even if it ended before I was ready.

>48 katiekrug: Yay - a great list for you then, Katie! I have to confess I didn't like Hell's Bottom, Colorado as much as others here. Maybe because she was billed as the next Haruf and his books weren't nearly as bleak. I haven't read Black River.

Anne, Mr SandDune has to research a list of historical fiction for his classes (age 11-16). He doesn’t read a lot of historical fiction (and particularly not books that are aimed at young adults).

I wondered if you had any ideas for historical fiction for 11-16 year olds on any of the following topics?

French Revolution
English Civil War
Henry VIII & Elizabethan England
Suffragettes
British Empire & Slavery
Industrial revolution
American West

>50 SandDune: Hi Rhian! I love YA literature but it isn't necessarily my area of expertise (my students are 5-11). But this weekend I'll put together a list of titles.

>51 AMQS: Thank you. I knew you were elementary school but wasn’t 100% sure at what age elementary school finished. Don’t put yourself out but if there is anything that comes to mind I’d be grateful.

Happy weekend!

>42 AMQS: I have that one somewhere. Looks to be a great read.

>51 AMQS: I will interested to see that too, Anne. It has been rumoured that I occasionally like a list!

Have a lovely weekend.

>50 SandDune:, >52 SandDune: and >54 PaulCranswick:, Here's a list I can up with. I've read a few of these and my daughters have read a few more, but I found most of these from searching:) Hope that gets him started.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10yfx5hrkwPjdHwzPS7tGWCX7sncHYsPZ07o0odV6i88/...

>53 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! It has been a happy weekend! It snowed for a lot of this past week but today was sunny and beautiful and I was able to take a long walk.

>54 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I think many of us are list lovers:) Happy weekend to you as well. I suppose you're well into Monday by now.

25. Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West by David Wolman and Julian Smith, audiobook narrated by Kaleo Griffith

This was a short and interesting read - kind of a dual glimpse of cowboy history of both Hawaii and Wyoming. I do love reading about Hawaiian history, though much of it is depressing. My family has an interesting history there. Recommended for fans of frontier or rodeo stories.

>55 AMQS: Thank you so much Anne. It is so kind of you to go to so much trouble. And something for the Industrial Revolution as well! We were really struggling with that one. The only thing I could think of was North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell which isn’t exactly YA!

>57 SandDune: I thought of North and South also:) My girls loved it when they were teens - but they started with the miniseries and then moved to the book.

Good heavens, I thought I'd posted my Ann Leckie answer ages ago! Sorry: No, Provenance is not about the Imperial Radch but is set in the same fictional universe. No characters overlap.

Dear me, my attention span! I'm going to have to check my answers more thoroughly.

>39 AMQS: so many of them are familiar to me, and so many I have read because of LT recommendations! Including Empire of the Summer Moon, which I also loved. In fact, this book made me imagine an epic US trip to all the significant places mentioned.
Sadly, I have yet to read The Grapes of Wrath, in spite of counting Steinbeck as a favourite author of mine!

>59 richardderus: Good to know, Richard, thanks! As for attention span... as my students would say: wait, what?

>60 LovingLit: Megan, by all means, plan an epic US trip! It would be awesome to see you! As for The Grapes of Wrath... it will be there when you're ready.

26. Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older

This book was a BIG miss for me, but I did have to finish it, and what's more I had to come up with questions about it as it is a 2022 Battle of the Books selection for my district next year. I haven't struggled through a book like that for a long time, and particularly an action-packed Civil War-era middle grade adventure. Why didn't this work for me?
1. I am not the target audience. This doesn't usually matter but in some cases it really does.
2. I love Civil War history, stories, and literature. But I discovered something that detracts from those stories:
3. Dinosaurs.
4. WHYYY?
5. There was plenty of dinosaur wrestling, wrangling, riding, and whispering, which overshadowed (for me) the story of the burning of the Colored Orphan Asylum and the hunting of the orphans by the Kidnapping Club, run by Richard Riker, magistrate of the New York City courts. The Asylum, the Club, and Riker are all real historical places/organizations/people. But if you do add dinosaurs to the story you get to have
6. Steaming piles of dino poop. I think this is supposed to be a perk for the book's intended audience, which leads me back to
1. I am not the target audience.

I really wonder what my students will think of this book. Since it is a BOB book at least half of the 5th grade is going to read it.

27. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart, audiobook narrated by Christina Moore

When I saw that this was Joanne's (Copperskye) new favorite series I knew I would love it also. Joanne has never steered me wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its excellent narrator. Set in 1914 New Jersey, it follows the Kopp sisters through an eventful year, beginning when their horse-drawn buggy is smashed to bits after being broadsided by an automobile. Bystanders rush to help extricate the sisters and prevent the car from fleeing the scene. The car was driven by Henry Kaufman, owner of a silk dyeing factory, and while he is clearly at fault, when Constance Kopp tries to collect damages, Henry and his gang of thugs begin a months-long campaign to intimidate and terrorize the sisters, vandalizing their house, sending threatening notes, and planning to kidnap youngest sister Fleurette to sell into "white slavery." Constance enlists the help of the local sheriff, but his protection doesn't stop the threats, so Constance takes matters into her own hand. This is a fascinating look at the lives of women in the 1910s, and even better: Constance is a real character and events really happened.

>63 AMQS: The author is very down-to-earth too. She came to our book club Zoom when we discussed the 5th in the series. I managed to snag an ARC of the 6th and got to go to the "premiere party" for it. I'm going back to read the earlier ones. Hoping to get to the 1st this summer. I'm just behind on everything else.

>64 thornton37814: That's awesome! I've heard great things about the other books. There's a wait for them on audio but I've got time:)

>62 AMQS: I love this review a lot :)

>66 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan :) It was more fun to write than the book was to read.

28. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates, audiobook read by the author.

This book is lovely, heartbreaking, and eye-opening. Written as a letter to his 15 year-old son, Mr. Coates reflects on the constructs of race, the lasting effects of history and policy, and the brutalizing experience of both the streets of his native west Baltimore and the schools that demand compliance and offer learning that is completely irrelevant and bewildering to that population. He writes of his worries and fears, and those of every Black person and especially parent, writing throughout of the vulnerability of the Black body. The book answered some questions for me and raised a lot more. There is so much work to do, and people "who believe themselves to be White" would do well to read, listen, and reflect on the experience of others.

29. Rick by Alex Gino

Spring is in the air (when it's not snowing), and that means 5th graders are learning about Growing and Changing (previously known as "The Study of the Reproductive System" and commonly called "Sex Ed"). Because of safety/pandemic protocols, a section of 5th graders are learning this in my classroom. Yesterday there was a discussion of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum of identity and sexuality, along with a discussion of friendship boundaries - friends who may be possessive or who make others uncomfortable with their behavior. A teacher asked me about Rick, billed as a book about a 6th grade boy who thinks he may be asexual/aromantic, and is increasingly uncomfortable with the cruel and bullying behavior of his best friend. I had brought that book home to read over the summer but want it to be available to students if they want to know more. So I read it. In one sitting, and enjoyed it very much. Others have criticized the book for being a bit thin on plot, which I get, but looking at it through the lens of providing information and representation to students who might be wondering about these issues in general or themselves in particular, I thought it was excellent. The book addresses, among other things, the use of the pronoun "they" to mean a singular person despite grammatical convention that it denotes plural, the meanings of those letters (I do like the term QUILTBAG which seems easier to say but leaves off Pansexual), and most important, the idea that kids actually know themselves, and are not too young to know what they are really feeling (but allows for questioning and wondering and change as well). Here is a lovely exchange between Rick and his grandfather:

"So you believe me," asked Rick?
"Of course I believe you. You are the person who knows yourself better than anyone else. There are lots of different ways of being. Lots of different kinds of relationships."
"Maybe," said Rick, and the room grew silent, like there was still more important conversation to have. "But what if it changes and I like girls at some point? Or boys?"
"Then it changes and you like girls at some point. Or boys. Or both. Or other people too."
"Dad says I'm a late bloomer."
"Maybe. Or maybe you're blooming now, and you're just not the kind of flower he was expecting."

This is a companion book to Gino's groundbreaking George, though it can stand alone as well. And while yes, it may be a tad thin on plot, it is an engaging and touching way for kids 4th grade and up to explore and learn about the range of human gender and sexuality experience that is far more relevant and interesting than expository nonfiction. And more importantly, it empowers kids to trust what they are feeling and understand that what they feel is normal. Recommended.

>69 AMQS: Oh, thanks for reminding me of this one! I loved George and have been meaning to get round to Rick, too. So important, these kinds of books for kids.

Great comments on your recent reading, Anne. I loved George and will look for Rick as well. I also enjoyed Girl Waits with Gun. I think I'll pass on the Civil War with Dinosaurs. :)

>69 AMQS: reminds me of how our 5th-grade equivalent came home from school recently talking about how they are learning about generals. The conversation went like this:
Me: Oh, you mean like, history and wars and stuff?
Him: No. You know, your generals. Boys have them, girls have them.
Me: oooh, you mean genitals.
Health lessons have started here too then :)

>69 AMQS: I am having a tough time imagining such a book in 1968 Texas...thank goodness it's real and here *now*!

>72 LovingLit: LOL

>63 AMQS: Hi Anne! I’m happy you liked this one! I’ve read them all but I think they’d be great on audio, particularly with the right narrator.

>69 AMQS: I’m so glad that there are books like this on library shelves!

>72 LovingLit: Lol

>72 LovingLit: *snork!!* Omg, that's adorable.

Happy Sunday, Anne. Have a special day, my friend. I am glad you jumped on the Kopp Sisters bandwagon. Fun series.

>70 scaifea:, >75 scaifea: They are so important! I really enjoyed George also.

>71 BLBera: Hi Beth! Have you read any of the other Kopp Sisters books? I have the second one on my audio wishlist but I think I'm some weeks away.

>72 LovingLit: LOL, Megan. Those memories are precious:) This is the first time it's been taught in my room, so I get to hear the content, hear the discussions, and watch the kids and their horrified expressions at the way things really work.

>73 richardderus: Richard, my daughter is 19 so it was only 9-10 years ago that she would be the target audience for a book like Rick, but neither of us can imagine a title like this 10 years ago in her school either. So glad they're here now! George hasn't checked out too often since I've had it, but this year there are quite a few kids checking out both.

>74 Copperskye: Hi Joanne, the first book was terrific on audio - really outstanding narration. I think I'll have a bit of a wait for the second one, but I'm looking forward to it. Re: Rick: me, too! And that kids are reading them!

>76 msf59: Mark, thank you. It was a wonderful Mother's Day because Marina came home the night before and we could just hang out together. Joanne never steers us wrong! I look forward to more Kopp sisters.

I only read the first one, Anne.

I was thinking of you yesterday as I listened to The War That Save My Life. The audio is great. I was thinking that Scout might enjoy having this one read to her. If we can tear her away from Humphrey Hamster!

Hi Beth! I'll bet it is a good audio! I had a long chat with a 3rd grade teacher about the book. She was looking for a read aloud and I wondered if some of the abuse might be a little much for a whole group of 8 year-olds. Experiencing it in an intimate setting with a trusted adult would be the way to go. How old is Scout (I feel like I ask you this frequently, but it seems that Scout is GROWING despite what I assume are your efforts to get her to slow down)? I haven't read the sequel yet, but I have The War I Finally Won in my library and kids who read the first one seem to enjoy it.

30. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This is a reread - my husband reread it last summer and I really wanted to after recently reading The Splendid and the Vile and its look at the RAF. There is something magical about discovering a book for the first time. I really enjoyed the reread, but missed the magic of first discovering it. I scrolled back through reviews to find mine from 2013. It seems like readers are either hot or cold about this book. It was the perfect book for me in 2013 and I thoroughly enjoyed it again in 2021.

Here is my original 2013 review (warning: gushing).
Wow, wow, wow. I was just completely swept up in this book, and I am now experiencing that moment where I am so filled with the vivid, heartfelt world created by Ms. Wein that I don't think I want to pick up another book again ever. The good/bad thing is that I don't think I can really even describe it beyond what you can read on the back cover. I will say that I love, love, love WWII literature, and this book serves up a smashing story about two girls who are shot down over France in 1943. The story of their friendship, of how they came to be an integral part of the British war effort, and how they came to be flying into occupied France unfolds slowly throughout the narrative, and is a heart-stopping, twisty adventure. I swear I read the last 100 pages without breathing -- when I was actually reading, that is. I was given so completely over to the taut suspense that I read the end of the book with that thrilling, sick dread that made me put the book down frequently because I did not want it to end. The very beginning of the book is a bit hard to fully buy into -- it is written in a girly, almost flip voice that seems incongruous with the deadly serious, even grisly setting, but stick with it. There's a reason it's written that way, and discovering it is an important part of the reader's (and characters') experience.

While the author does admit that she has taken a few historical liberties, the book is a fascinating portrayal of the often-overlooked role played by women in the fighting and resistance of WWII, and an exhilarating look at WWII flying, with a loving book-long kiss blown to Peter Pan, and well developed characters I have come to care about very much.

>80 AMQS: I enjoyed this one when I read it, too. Have you read the companion, Rose Under Fire? I thought that one was worthwhile as well.

>79 AMQS: I was wondering about that, Anne. Scout will be 8 in August. She is usually good about asking to stop if something is upsetting for her, but I think if we warn her ahead of time about a mean mom she would like it -- although then she'll probably want a pony!

And yes, I would like her to slow down. She is growing up way too fast.

>80 AMQS: I remember really enjoying that one as well, Anne, and the sequel that Natalie mentioned. I'm glad it mostly held up to a re-read.

>81 curioussquared: Hi Natalie! I tried Rose Under Fire and I wasn't able to finish it - I think a combination of it being not the right book at the right time, it not being Verity, and it being due back at the library :) I need to give it another go.

>82 BLBera:, 83, That's a good strategy, Beth. And who doesn't want a pony!

>84 rosalita: Hi Julia! It definitely held up! The only downside was missing the magic of reading it for the first time. I need to give Rose Under Fire another try.

************************************
Thank you so much for your visits. I am so long overdue to return them, but I have exactly two more weeks of school and then I won't be so crazed. Other news: Marina is home and Callia has her commencement from Willamette University this weekend. We will be cheering her on online (no in person ceremony) and hope to travel to the OR coast this summer to celebrate in person.

I can't believe Callia is graduating already!

Good luck with your last two weeks. I finished my grading yesterday.

Best of luck on your final two weeks of school, and congrats to Callia!

>86 BLBera: I know - crazy. Actually she finished up in December, but since the college is so small they didn't have a commencement ceremony in December. You must feel so good to have your grading all done! I have my grades in as well. The last two weeks in elementary are more about keeping students occupied and less about learning. With school year wrap up and packing the library for construction, it's all about survival for the last two weeks! I normally have three extra days after teachers are done - and I need them! This year it is a bit crazy knowing I won't have the three extra days, but I get an extra (paid) three days off!

>87 bell7: Hi Mary, and thank you! It is bittersweet for sure. She's working and done with school since December, but she is really sad to be saying goodbye to Willamette and the college life. I hope you're having a good week!

31. The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali, audiobook narrated by Mozhan Marnò.

Roya and Bahman are 17 year-old students who fall in love inside Mr. Fakhri's stationery shop in 1953 Tehran. Their romance and courtship is framed by a fascinating look at private and political life of 1950s Iran. Following political unrest and strong objections to the marriage by Bahman's mother, Roya and Bahman arrange to meet in a city square and elope. Only Bahman never shows and Roya is left heartbroken and bereft. Roya's father is concerned about his girls' future amid the political unrest, and convinces Roya to apply for a scholarship to study (one of the first ever Iranian women to do such a thing) in California with her sister. 60 years later and married to an American New Englander, Roya unexpectedly has an opportunity to meet Bahman again.

So much to like about this book - I particularly enjoyed learning about Persian life, culture, history, and especially food! But... it felt very clunky. Dialog in particular. And I grew impatient with Roya, as did her sister, the spunky Zari, that a brief teenage romance could essentially rob her of personality and emotion for the rest of her life. As you all know, I struggle with starring my reads - but I can give this one a solid 3 stars.

32. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

My 3rd/4th grade team at school has "discovered" Pam Muñoz Ryan, which I love! I've been aware of her award-winning books for ages but... um... had never read any myself. Yikes! I took a step in rectifying this by reading this outstanding middle-grade story. Esperanza is a wealthy and beloved only child who lives on her father's large and prosperous ranch in Aguascalientes in central Mexico in 1930. In a moment, Esperanza and her mother lose everything when her father is killed by bandits and and they are forced from their home by Esperanza's greedy and powerful uncles. They must rely on the generosity of their former servants as they all steal out of Mexico, cross the border, and join the servants' families harvesting and picking fruits and vegetables in California. Esperanza bristles at their new circumstances and squalid shelter, but when her mother is taken dangerously ill, she finds a determination and fortitude in herself to persevere and pay her bills.

I loved this portrait of hardworking Mexican laborers who show such generosity toward their community in the face of terrible squalor, backbreaking conditions, and stinging discrimination. Some were disgruntled about the conditions and the pay, many were just wanting to keep their heads down and keep their jobs. The strikers were punished severely, and all of the workers were essentially disposable. In these desperate times there was a ready supply of more desperate people willing to work for less from the Philippines, Japan, Oklahoma. This is a moving story of resilience in a very difficult time, and well worth a read.

>90 AMQS: I loved this one as well as Riding Freedom when I was at that age :)

Esperanza Rising definitely goes on my Scout list, Anne. Great comments.

>85 AMQS: Callia. Graduating.

Oh my, one does sense the Grim Reaper's rattly tread ever louder from behind.

But good news about school lasting so little more time!

Congratulations to Callia and her graduation. Such a muddled time with Covid...I forewent my ceremony which had been postponed twice. I kind of lost enthusiasm, having completed my studies over two years ago now! Of course, when I saw the ceremony online I had regrets, and wished I was taking part.
(I bought a book to console myself, OK, it was actually two.)

>91 curioussquared: Well now I definitely want to read more by her, Natalie! Have you read Paint the Wind? That's another one that people really love.

>92 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! This one's definitely Scout-worthy!

>93 richardderus: OMG Richard, I keep thinking somewhere somehow I counted wrong. But alas. And school. One. More. Week. I think I can make it, but I will never be so glad to have a school year behind me (I said that last year also because our shift to remote was so brutal and pretty much 100% my responsibility but this year was no bed of roses for sure). Thanks for keeping my thread warm.

>94 LovingLit: Megan, it is such a muddled time. And congratulations if I didn't say it before. I almost skipped my graduation when got my masters degree, but then decided to attend - mostly to model for the girls how important education is. Plus I won "Outstanding Library Student," out of all two of us...

And two (or more) books are excellent consolations for all sorts of occasions:)

Wishing you smooth sailing for the last week of class, Anne! How many days after school ends will you be working?

>96 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Our students finish Wednesday. We got permission from the district to end school a day early because our building will be closed for construction this summer and we have to pack. Teachers' last day is Friday (May 28). Normally I work 3 extra days (last day June 2) but since I have to be out of my building it will be a bit earlier for me. I can do some work in the catalog and will have a remote librarian meeting to attend, but essentially my last day is Friday!

End-of-year reading flurry... mostly so I can return these books to school and shelve there.



33. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III

Young Jimmy is teased on his reservation because of his light hair and eyes. His beloved grandfather takes him on a road trip that summer through Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana, effectively retracing the life of Crazy Horse, born Tȟašúŋke Witkó and known in his early years as Light Hair. Learning more about Crazy Horse and his heroism, bravery, and sacrifice helps Jimmy understand his heritage and himself. Much of their travels go through historical sites with interpretive centers, now also recognizing the native perspective, but the familiar stories are all told from the perspective of the "Long Knives," or white soldiers. Jimmy returns to school in the fall with quiet pride which disarms his taunters.

The book is a mixture of fiction and narrative historical nonfiction, and is a terribly important perspective- author Joseph Marshall III is a member of the Lakota/Rosebud Sioux. The plot surrounding the historical narrative - Jimmy and his grandfather - is thin, but Crazy Horse's story is inspiring. And heartbreaking.

34. Consent (For Kids!): Boundaries, Respect, and Being in Charge of YOU by Rachel Brian

This book is empowering and funny (written like a graphic novel and very appealing) and clearly gives kids the message that they can
*set their own boundaries
*choose not to hug someone
*change their mind
*advocate for themselves
*recognize power dynamics in relationships (no romantic relationships discussed - it really is written for elementary).
*trust their gut
*get help from a trusted adult
*practice saying no firmly and kindly

I ordered this book for the library this year and thought it would be very valuable. There is zero sexual content or even mention of private parts. Good for supporting discussions with elementary aged students. I actually read this book in January and forgot to count it, though it falls into that gray range of "should I count it or not" (I read so many picture books but don't count them - this is not a picture book but it is a very quick read). I only remembered that I had read it because I just received a book order containing:



35. The Worry (Less) Book: Feel Strong, Find Calm, and Tame Your Anxiety! by Rachel Brain

Another valuable, appealing, and humorous way (GN) to tackle a tricky subject. I didn't think this one was as strong as Consent but it does a great job of teaching how anxiety and worry are useful signals from your brain and body, but can grow overwhelming, and can be helped by a toolbox of strategies such as breathing, grounding, journaling, visualization, and more. If you have a young kiddo with anxiety this would be a great one to check out from the library to let them know what they're feeling is normal, and there are ways to help.

36. Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

This is a moving and absorbing story of a 12 year old girl in a Pakistani village. She is at the top of her class and dreams of going to university to become a teacher. Her studies are derailed when her mother experiences a difficult birth - of a 5th girl - followed by severe depression. Amal must leave school to manage the household while her mother cannot. Amal's dreams of returning to school are dashed forever when she accidentally insults the son of the cruel village (essentially feudal) overlord, and her family must repay the debt with Amal's indentured servitude in his household. Amal's father vows to pay the debt and retrieve Amal, but the servants also must pay for their room and board, and the debt only accumulates. The story is one of wretchedness, but also of hope and of change, and of the power of education and collective action.

Stories like >100 AMQS: tend to grind me down after a while. Funny, isn't it, the old man with seven decades of experience is the one who can't bear to read about injustice and wrong-doing, where kids not even midway through their *second* decade are lappin' it up....

Anyway, happy new week ahead's reads.

Callia! GRADUATING!! *sob*

>101 richardderus: Richard, I get it. There has been a huge push to get more diverse voices into children's literature in recent years, and while there's still more work to be done, I've read some terrific books and think they are so valuable for students, particularly at a not-so-ethnically/racially diverse school like mine. Many of my kids have no idea what kind of diverse experiences there are just in our school district - much less in the wider world. But adults who read and who pay attention definitely know, and yes, these books can grind us down (though children's books tend up be ultimately uplifting). At the end of this book the author discusses Malala Yousafzai and how she is a worldwide icon representing bravery, perseverance, and justice, but she was shot in 2012, which is already becoming ancient history for my students.

I'm still sobbing about Callia. Graduating, her lost experiences, what she's put us through... glad to have your company:)

Wow, Anne, what a lot of great reads here. Scout tends to be anxious, so I'll tell her mom about the worry book.
Amal Unbound sounds great as well.

You've got some great reads going on here, as usual, Anne. And congrats on your last week of the school year!!

Dropping by to say hello! Been checking in via Instagram, too.

I was surprised at the number of the western books I had read for someone mired on the east coast. Thanks for sharing the list.

And great books as always. I'll be back to do some saving but I have neglected threads so am working through the list.

Yay to Callia for graduating!

>103 BLBera: Hi Beth! Amal Unbound was a good read. I hope that many students will check this one out - if only to learn about life in other places. There are so many kids who have anxiety. I am thankful that my district and my school have prioritized mental health in the past couple of years. The worry book is a good one to check out from the library, and if it is really helpful, then perhaps to consider purchasing. You must be on summer break now? I have three more days. I have a meeting tomorrow on Google Meet and then I have to go to a high school - a colleague has an extra scanner she is giving me because mine is on its last legs. Then I have two more days but our building is closed for construction so... I can certainly clean up my Google Drive, but I did a lot of catalog work last week, so I'm still on the clock but basically done!

>104 scaifea: Thank you - we made it! Oh boy, it was a rough year, which I know you know. What are your plans for next year? Will Charlie be back in person? We have a couple of kids who have opted for remote next year, and a little over 700 in the district overall, but they will be attending a remote school and we will not be responsible for teaching in both environments next year, which is a huge relief.

>105 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I think I am The Biggest Neglector on LT at the moment. I am really looking forward to catching up. I did just finish one of your top reads - see below.

37. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, audiobook narrated by Juanita McMahon

Thank you to Karen (witchyritchy) for recommending this book, which I enjoyed, though I don't think quite as much as she did. The novel follows newly widowed Cora Seaborne, young, awkward, and inquisitive, as she makes a life for herself. First she escapes stuffy London with her son Francis (read as autistic, though I don't know that the label/diagnosis existed in Victorian times) and her devoted friend Martha (ostensibly Francis's nursemaid who never got round to leaving) to muddy Essex, where Cora searches for fossils and considers making a name for herself as a naturalist. Then through mutual acquaintances she meets the Ransome family of Auldwinter and becomes entangled in the mystery of the Essex Serpent - a terrifying beast come to punish unbelievers, or local myth. The book intermingles dashed romantic hopes, socialist utopian ideals, the clash of science and religion, and local superstition. The characters are appealing, if at times tragic, and the book does a nice job of examining the grey areas of life, for things can never be black and white, though we may wish for that simplicity. The narrator is astounding.

38. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

This is the winner of the 2021 Newbery Medal. Lily and her sister Sam abruptly move with their mom from sunny California to wet Washington to live with their grandmother Halmoni. Sam is resentful of the sudden move, while Lily looks forward to being seen by Halmoni. But near Halmoni's house the road is blocked by a giant tiger - which only Lily sees. At home with Halmoni they are steeped in Korean traditions and folklore, and the tiger is revealed to be a folkloric foe not to be trusted, yet offering a tempting bargain: stories for Halmoni's wellbeing. This book is deeply sad, yet uplifting as the family is again steeped in traditional Korean ways, comforted by traditional family stories, and becoming part of the fabric of their new community.

>106 AMQS: We haven't 100% made up our minds about next year, but we're leaning heavily toward Charlie going back to the brick-and-mortar school. He loved the online school and he says that he really enjoyed being home with us, which is both weird for a 12yo boy and super-sweet, but we think he needs socialization. He's a little *too* happy as a hermit and we worry that if we don't push him a little to get out there, he'll nurture his social anxieties too much. He gets his second shot next week, so he'll be well and fully vaccinated by fall, so my anxiety about him going back is pretty minimal.

Yay for not having to do both in person and remote next year! That must be such a relief!

>108 AMQS: I've got that on requested from the library. I've never been this late in reading the new winners, but I was behind on the honor books from last year and wanted to get caught up there first.

>99 AMQS: I wish I knew this when W was little. He's never liked enforced hugs, and certain family members always used to make him but, while I felt uncomfortable, I never really knew it was OK for me to tell them to stop. Glad times have changes, even it that was only a decade ago.

>110 LovingLit: Belle has always been quite averse to physical contact - hugging especially - and comes across as awkward/gawky in most situations. The rest of us are much more kinetic which does rather exaggerate her reserve. As she has gotten older I have learned to respect her need for space more.

*sheepishly looks around... clears cobwebs and tumbleweeds*

Hi friends! I can't believe it's been so long since I visited. Whatever happened to "the kids are grown and I have all this time?" For a summer where I'm not doing much I've been oddly busy with projects around the house plus all of those appointments teachers try to take care of on school breaks. Not all work though - Marina and I had a lovely week in a colleague's cabin in Salida, CO and we spent a week on the beach in Oregon. Literally on the beach - it was lovely! Now that we're back we are completely redoing our back yard and much of the front too. We neglected it for so long, plus the sun took its toll on out wooden deck and the dog on the grass and it's been completely scraped by a hardworking crew and ready to start fresh. It's very scary looking now but I am really looking forward to enjoying our outdoor space again.

Hip news: still rehabbing it and doing mostly well, but I had a setback with bursitis and I am back in PT. One of my therapists thinks that I had been in pain and limping for so long before the surgery that it is taking longer to get back to "normal." But I really can't complain - I've done a lot of hiking and walking which is what I wanted!

I've missed everyone and look forward to visiting your threads.

>109 scaifea: Hi Amber! By now I'm guessing you've read When You Trap a Tiger? I will head over and see what you thought of it. Yes, I am very relieved not to be teaching both remote and online at the same time - that was a rough year. For everyone, I know.

>110 LovingLit: Megan, me too. Some of it is cultural - our relatives in Cyprus are very kissy and touchy and it's something the girls endured. I do like that the book said it is OK to have different boundaries for different people, because my girls were very snuggly, but with certain people and under certain conditions. Yes, times are changing, and in this case for the better.

>111 PaulCranswick: Paul, Belle's twin Marina is the same. It has been a learning curve to respect her space for sure. She can be very affectionate and cuddly - but on her own terms.

The books:



39. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, audiobook narrated by Leslie Manville

This was a fun book with an outstanding narration about a group of senior citizens at a posh retirement community who like to look into unsolved murder cases. The murder cases get closer to home, however, and the bodies start to pile up and the club has its work cut out for them.

40. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

This is a fun, feel-good read about a meticulous and scrupulous civil servant who inspects orphanages that house magical youth. His world and his strictly guarded professional boundaries are upended when he is sent on special assignment to a remote island orphanage housing most unusual children. Here he learns to relax a bit, loosen his tie and let love do its thing. I had bought the book for Marina to read over spring break as her school was still under COVID restrictions and she couldn't travel or do much. She loved it and recommended it to me. It is fun and funny and touching, if a tiny bit didactic.

Nice to see you posting, Anne! Sorry to hear about the bursitis and hoping that PT helps with it.

With your landscaping, are you putting new grass in or doing something different?

41. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

Another WWII home front story by the author of The Chilbury Ladies Choir. Things are grim with rationing, air raids, and evacuations. The BBC sponsors a cooking contest for the best and most economical uses of rations, and the winner will get a regular job hosting The Kitchen Front radio show. This is a desperate, must-win opportunity for four women: a young widow who can barely afford to keep a roof over her family's heads; her haughty sister who married into nobility but whose marriage is miserable and abusive; for a professional chef who is stymied by limited opportunities for women and by an unplanned pregnancy; and for the meek, overworked manor cook who is looking for a way out of poverty and servitude. If you're looking for light and feel-good, this is your book. It is an interesting glimpse of wartime hardships in England, but as with her previous book, some characters stray near the border of caricature and have remarkable personality transformations in order for the story to be wrapped up with a neat little bow. A good beach read, or surgery recovery read (my mom sent it to me after my surgery but I didn't have a chance to get to it until now).

>112 AMQS: How nice to see you back, Anne! I'm glad you had some away-time this summer and that your hip is doing better. Hope the latest round of PT helps it improve even more!

>116 MickyFine: Hi Micky! There will be some new grass. We're trying to keep it to a minimum and looking at hardier varieties suited to our mountain climate that don't need so much water. We're replacing the deck with a concrete patio and adding trees and shrubs. We lost some trees last year as they were old rotting cottonwoods that were becoming dangerous and now we need shade!

>118 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! I think it is helping. What's hard is that I don't have the structure and discipline that I have during school so now that I have more time it is harder to make myself do the exercises! But strength and health are the goal and I'm getting there! How is your summer? Our neighbors in our Oregon condo were from Vancouver, WA, and I thought of you:)

>120 AMQS: How nice you thought of us Anne!! Keep up the good work with PT. With the move and then the summer heat I'd turn into a real slug but I'm finally getting back to the treadmill (almost daily) and started pickle ball lessons yesterday. Gotta keep moving.

>119 AMQS: Sounds like a big but fun project. Hopefully you can share some pictures when the work is done so we can ooh and aah.

Mr. Fine has all sorts of plots for our backyard that we'll probably do over many years. We will definitely have to replace our deck next year though. Some of the boards are getting dodgy and the stairs are wobbly as well. Thankfully the support posts (it's a raised deck) are in good shape so we don't have to replace everything.

42. Thornwood: Sisters Ever After by Leah Cypess

I think this might be my first book published in 2021! A middle grade story recounting the untold story of Sleeping Beauty and narrated by the younger sister. Apparently this is the first of a 3-book series of fairy tales told by the unknown little sisters. Briony is aware that no one even knows she exists, and is anxious to set the record straight, as well as save her family. The story we think we know has lots of dark twists. I think students will enjoy this one. It is very well-reviewed (SLJ starred review, etc), but while I liked it I didn't love it.

>122 MickyFine: It is a big project, and while we've done lots of smaller things to the yard over the years, including taking out a hot tub, extending the deck, and the endless deck maintenance, this is a job for professionals! I will definitely post pictures. I probably have some of "before" as well. It was bad. The landscape architect we consulted used the word napalm...

Welcome back Anne! Napalm made me laugh :)

43. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce, audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson.

This was a delightful read and a stellar narration. Margery Benson is a 50-ish woman with a sad life, having lost her brothers in WWI, lost her parents, raised by unaffectionate, pious aunts, and employed in a joyless job teaching home economics in a grim girls school. One day after a particularly sharp bit of student cruelty, Margery leaves her job and decides to leave the country in pursuit of the Golden Beetle of New Caledonia, a childhood fascination shared with her father, and nurtured through unpaid work and research at the Natural History Museum. She books her passage and hires an assistant - an improbable woman named Enid who appears completely unsuited for the task. Margery can't stand Enid and her endless prattle, but over the course of their journey, she realizes that Enid is a capable and loyal person with many virtues - and many dark secrets. Enid and Margery become dear friends, and their friendship transforms them both.

>125 curioussquared: Hi Natalie! Thanks for dropping by. Well if you had seen the "before" you might use that word also. Can't wait for the finished project - this demo phase is scary. Hope you're having a good summer!

44. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

A young oyster girl falls in love with a woman who performs as a male impersonator. Soon she leaves home with the talented Kitty Butler and even joins her act, performing around London to great acclaim. Kitty breaks her heart and her spirit, and she spends the next few years making her living performing sexual favors, and then as the sex-plaything of a wealthy society woman, before finding happiness and love and a burgeoning social conscience. I'm not sure yet what I think of this one. I don't read a lot of erotic fiction, and I have a hard time with sexual brutality. Still, I want Nancy to find peace and love, and I can't help cheering for her. An interesting look at the Victorian underbelly at the end of the nineteenth century.

Oh good, you're back! And freshly hipped, to boot. The walking gait is always the hardest thing to adjust after being repaired. It's so...automatic...and bad habits stick like SuperGlue.

In any case...I'm glad Nancy worked her wiles on you, despite the genre's general lack of appeal to you. She really didn't lead an easy life. I keep thinking about that book at odd times, twenty years after reading it.

Splendid renewal news all around. Enjoy your days of rebuilding!

45. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

I've had this one on my shelf for years - recommended by Joanne, I think? This is a gorgeously written story of family and love and hardship and tragedy. It tells snatches of a family's story from Calum MacDonald's escape from Scotland in the 1700s, pursued by his dog who would not be left behind, to the difficult crossing with his wife and 12 children, at the end of which he is a widower and a grandfather, to settling in Cape Breton Island. Narrated by a descendent of Calum MacDonald, he reflects on the family's more recent stories as he cares for one of his older brothers. Gaelic language, traditions, and family bonds are interspersed with reflection and tragedy. The story is beautiful and bleak and epic. Recommended.

>129 richardderus: Hi Richard! I've been thinking a lot about the book, too. When I travel I like to take books I think I can leave behind me, and that books is very unlike the other books in the condo - it should give the next renters some much needed variety:) If the book took place now, Nancy could bring her sweet Florence home to meet her family... or not. That was not remotely an option for her in her time. Nancy definitely had a hard life. I remember feeling so hopeful and excited about the work and enthusiasm for the socialist cause, then feeling bleaker than ever that there is still so much work to be done 100+ years later.

I have another PT session today - chipping away at the superglue!

>131 AMQS: It's a never-ending struggle, with huge piles of cash on The Other Side allowing Them to squat on their dragon-hoards and outwait us. Still, we keep going.

Have a good therapy session!

>130 AMQS: Ooo, I have that around here somewhere, must locate and re-pile it. You fiend.

Hi Anne! I've missed you. I'm glad your hip is getting better and that you have been gone for good reasons. I've also had No Great Mischief on my shelf for years. Maybe you will inspire me to pick it up.

Welcome back, Anne! It's nice to hear what you've been up to and what you've been reading.

>121 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I missed your reply in my unusual thread activity flurry! My husband was the one who made friends with our Vancouver neighbors and was really confused about the Canada vs Washington Vancouver:) I've heard great things about pickleball but I have no idea how to play. I only know that it is fun and low-impact and good for those of us trying to take care of new parts and perhaps preserve old parts:) Did you (do you) have terrible heat? It was awful - I know Callia suffered in Corvallis, while we had cool and rainy weather in CO after a big heat wave. It was 30-40 degrees cooler on the coast. We stayed in Lincoln City and had perfect weather - low 60s with sun. We had a very short spring and for awhile I was doing really well with walking, hiking, and exercising. But it has since become very hot. I found some workout programs on Amazon Prime and really enjoyed some Essentrics workouts I checked out from the library but have stopped those also because of Whistler (long story involving his confinement in a smaller area and the location of our one TV.). Hope you can stay cool!

>132 richardderus: Richard, ain't that the truth. Ugh. The more things change... So in my PT today they did dry-needling on my glute. It was definitely not my favorite experience, but it is amazing how years of misuse can affect every other muscle around the pain area! I am lucky that I am on summer break and can schedule PT at my leisure, and lucky that the hip replacement maxed out my out of pocket for the year so I don't even have to pay copays for the PT. Silver linings and all that.

I fiendishly accept your label as the book is so, so worth it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoy is an odd word to use because parts of the book are really so bleak and tragic but it is still just a beautifully written read. We've been wanting to visit Nova Scotia and Cape Breton - this interest arose after I had acquired the book, so that's just a bonus.

>133 BLBera: Hi Beth, I've missed you, too! How is your summer going? You will not regret picking up No Great Mischief It is just beautifully written.

>134 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I am glad to be back and regretting being away so long. How are you?

Another one chiming in at how great it is to see you back posting, Anne.

Hi Anne, Sounds like you’re enjoying your summer! Well, except for the yard work, but that’ll be so worth it when it’s done.

>130 AMQS: I’m so glad you loved No Great Mischief! It’s such a great story and so well-told. And thank you for the recap. It brought back happy reading memories.

>135 AMQS: I had dry needling done a few years ago while getting PT for my hip. At the time I had a terrible stiff neck that was getting worse so they suggested that and traction. The traction didn’t do much to relieve it but the dry needling was like a miracle treatment.

>112 AMQS: Welcome back! As a fellow "hipster," I will say it did take the full year they predicted until I felt normal. But, like you, I limped around for several years so couldn't really remember what that meant. My doctor was not a fan of ongoing PT: get up and move was his advice. With COVID, I have only spoken to him on the phone but need to get a follow up xray this summer.

And, I'm glad you're back and I've caught you with your new posts. I have also been away as June was a little busy: conferences and meetings as folks tried to cram everything in before July. I am hoping most educators get some down time this month, including you!

>37 rosalita: >126 AMQS: BTW, I LOVED Miss Benson's Beetle. It was gift from a friend and one of those read in a day or two kinds of books. And I'm glad you liked The Essex Serpent even if it wasn't your favorite. I wonder how audio changes a text. The prose had sort of a dreamy quality to it. I haven't been listening to audio books as I haven't been driving so am out of the habit.

>135 AMQS: I think I'm going to enjoy pickle ball if I ever get good enough to play :)

Yes, we did have terrible heat for a few days. It was 116 at our house one day. The poor trees are really showing the damage with dry crispy leaves on the deciduous ones and brown areas on the tops of branches on the evergreens. I hope they recover. Good news was the power stayed on and our A/C worked beautifully so we just stayed inside. I would be quite happy if it never happened again but I fear it may be the new normal. :(

I hope your new workout program works out :) and that your hip continues to get stronger.

Yay for time at the beach and lots of walking! I'm cheering you on with your PT, too. You can do it!

I haven't read When You Trap a Tiger yet, but it's coming up next - I have it out from the library already and everything.

I've just started listening to The House in the Cerulean Sea and I'm enjoying it so far - folks seem to love it and I'm looking forward to it.

We are planning on back yard work this summer, too, although I'm wondering exactly *when* Tomm is going to call for estimates at this point. We want to tear out our deck altogether and put in a tiled patio instead.

Hi, Anne. Glad to see you posting. I hope you and the family are doing well. I hope you also survived that horrible heat. I have had Tipping the Velvet & No Great Mischief on the list for years.

>136 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I've missed my friends here. Thanks for dropping by.

>137 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! Well, we're not actually doing the yard work - we don't have the tools or the know-how, but we have a hardworking team and it is turning out to be a HUGE project. The concrete was poured and stamped today and now it's starting to look good! I really enjoyed No Great Mischief and have never been led stray by you, so thank you! As for dry needling, I think I would need more to see a bigger difference. I only have one more PT session left and we're trying to get me to a place where I am strong and stable. The truth is that I feel really good, we're just fine-tuning. I have weird muscle complaints because it's been a really long time since I used all of those muscles normally so I have specific ones I'm targeting, but I feel good enough to do pretty much what I want to do, so that's good.

>138 witchyrichy:, >139 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Miss Benson's Beetle was a good read. I enjoyed The Essex Serpent also but not as much as you did - it could have been the audio format, for sure. I'm glad to hear that your body took the full year to really recover. I had an intense PT session yesterday and my hip was quite swollen after. My biggest complaint is that I have a huge patch on my leg that is both numb and hyper-sensitive. I'm hoping that resolves, but it's been 5 months. Are you getting some down time now that it's July? I finished school at the end of May, so I've had a lot of down time already, but I go back to school August 5. I'm dreading the back to school email from my principal.

>140 RebaRelishesReading: Yikes, Reba, your poor trees! We saw lots of stressed trees on our visit to the OR coast, and of course huge burn scars from last year's fires. Our Colorado trees are stressed also and we're suffering a drought.

>141 scaifea: Hi Amber! Hope you're still enjoying Cerulean Sea. Yes, it took some years for us to even make the call about landscaping. We had a friend come out last year to get us started - he's a landscape architect and we were grateful to have him and a crew he works with to help, but it was a slow process, and since it was really Stelios's contact, I couldn't do much to speed it along. But as a friend of mine posted recently:


>142 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I don't want to jinx anything, but we haven't had horrible heat just yet. We did have a heat wave a couple of weeks ago that made us uncomfortable, but nothing like what they suffered in the NW and all over the west, I think. Hope your summer is a good one.

The news: yesterday we had to say goodbye to our good boy Whistler. We knew he was getting close and since he started having seizures nearly a year ago he's been in decline. Stelios, Marina, and I were able to spend the day loving on him and feeding him peanut butter right out of the jar. He was the best dog. I know Natalie will agree with me that greyhounds are really special. He was gentle, sweet, quiet, and just a good, good dog. We miss him.

A couple more of Whistler:


When we were on this walk we met some kids who asked, "Is that a kangaroo?"



No better place to lie than a clean pile of laundry.

>144 AMQS: Oh, I'm so sorry, Anne :( Greyhounds are definitely special and I know Whistler was a great friend and companion to you and your family. I'm glad you got to have a final day loving on him. I'll hug my boys tight in his honor!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Anne. Having to say goodbye to a pet is always so hard. *hugs*

I'm so sorry, Anne. It's never easy; I've been through it before and we're currently trying to figure out when we'll need to say good-bye to our lab, Woody.

Sending you a big virtual hug.

>144 AMQS: I'm so sorry to hear about Whistler, Anne. I know he was blessed to have a home with all of you for so long. I've been honorary auntie to two greyhounds who own friends of mine, and they are just the sweetest dogs ever. Thank you for sharing your photos and memories with us.

>144 AMQS: Safe journey home, Whistler. Good boy!

>128 AMQS: I have only read on Sarah Waters book (Fingersmith) and , given that I don't usually read historical fiction, I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed it. I have always meant to read more of her work.

I was sorry to see on FB that your a grieving the loss of your lovely Whistler. How sweet that someone thought he was a kangaroo!

>146 curioussquared: Thank you, Natalie. I headed over to your thread just to get a glimpse of your boys. Give them an extra hug for me.

>147 MickyFine: Thank you, Micky. It is hard. They give us so much love. It's been hard watching his decline. When he was in his prime he was majestic. A majestic goof.

>148 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. I don't envy you. We've been wondering about Whistler for some time and worrying about when we would know. In the end it was pretty obvious, but we also had some guidance from our vet. We called her and said, "Okay, this is what's happening" and she agreed it was time. Give your sweet Woody a big scritch from me.

>149 rosalita: They are sweet dogs, Julia. I'm glad you know some:) We've felt lucky to have him for as long as we did. He was 13, which is pretty old for a greyhound.

>150 richardderus: He was a good boy! I hope he finds lots of soft grass and all the cookies.

>151 LovingLit: Hi Megan, yes, we always remembered that encounter:) Some days he looked very much like a dinosaur, too, but he was really like having a deer in the house.

I'm so sorry about Whistler, Anne. Thank you for giving him such a good home for so many years. Hugs.

Hugs to you, Anne, I know your heart is broken.

Sorry you lost Whistler, Anne. Hugs.

>154 Copperskye: True.

>152 AMQS: Thanks for that perspective, Anne. Woody had an episode Monday night, and on Tuesday we received a diagnosis that is not good, but his condition has stabilized. So we're keeping him comfortable for as long as we can.

Sorry to hear about Whistler, Anne. A nice looking dog. Lovely photos too.

So sorry to hear about Whistler. He was clearly very much loved.

So sorry about Whistler.

Sorry you lost Whistler, Anne, vale sweet boy.

Oh, sweet Whistler. I'm so sorry you're going through this now - I know how awful it is - but I'm also so happy for Whistler because I know he had the best life with you and your family.

>144 AMQS: So sad, Anne, but at least you got to give him a good loving send off. One of the hard things about pets (especially really good ones) is that they don't live as long as humans so we have to say sad "goodbye's" too many times. Hugs to you all.

Hugs! It's so hard to lose our fur family members.

I’m so sorry to hear about Whistler, Anne.

*Hugs* to you all -- it's hard to say goodbye to a faithful friend like Whistler.

>144 AMQS: I'm so sorry about Whistler. Sending hugs your way

Thank you so much to Katie, Joanne, Beth, Laura, Mark, Charlotte, Jim, Anita, Amber, Reba, Lori, Rhian, foggi and Anita for your good wishes and love for Whistler and for me. Whistler was a Good Dog and we miss him very much. It's been a couple of weeks now and I still feel my heart squeeze when I think about him or look for him. This has been such a supportive community for me for so many years. Truly, I am so grateful for your support and good wishes!

It's been an odd summer, and super busy when I did not expect it to be. And just like that, it's over. I will go back to school tomorrow (Monday) though my official first day is not until Thursday. I have a new teacher and she needs a computer before her district onboarding process. I actually have to sneak in - our school is still a construction zone. I don't think I will have access to the library, which is OK since all technology is in the music room and that's where I need to be. Marina is coming with me so we can charge and update as many staff laptops and 300 student chromebooks as we can. I'll see how things go tomorrow - not sure how I will proceed with work if I am not permitted in the building. From what I hear, the library furniture has not arrived yet. The building won't open until after teachers are back next week. Teachers do like to have their rooms completely ready before welcoming students but this year we will have to let that go... along with our hopes that this year would look more like normal. Our district announced a mask mandate for all elementary students and masks are strongly encouraged for staff. There is a remote option next year, but it is centrally-based. If a lot of families choose remote it could devastate our community and our budget. Our teachers elected to teach both simultaneously last year to avoid the budget and community hit but it was the hardest year we've ever had and teachers just can't do that again. But... what about the inevitable quarantines? Ugh, I think remote learning will be a part of our lives again.

In other news, our landscaping is finally done and we are thrilled with it! We also had our siding repaired and the house painted, so it feels (on the outside) like a whole new house! I had about 4 days to enjoy my coffee on my new patio before I have to go back to school tomorrow. Pics to follow.

Before: these are pics of the old decrepit deck being demolished and our sad yard being scraped away. The crew saved our trees and raspberries and replanted them in the front.




(you can see Whistler in this one. He stopped getting up a couple of days later):


Cement being poured. We have a new patio, driveway, front walk, and there's a walkway around the side of the house.

After: house from the front (missing exterior lights and house numbers). Parts of the siding were literally melting from this view before!


The back (with the lovely Marina). We have a stamped concrete patio, a flagstone space where we will eventually add a fire pit, and veggie trugs in addition to new grass and plantings that should grow and fill in all of the spaces. The posts are for a sun sail, which we are ordering.

Oooh, I love the garden renovation Anne. Very inspiring. Thanks for all the photos.

I hope all goes well for you at work this week.

Oh, wow, your place looks amazing!!

Ooof to the back-to-school stress. Here's hoping things go more smoothly than you could expect. We're sending Charlie back this year and feeling okay about it since he's vaccinated, but there's no mask mandate here and if he were too young for the vaccine, I suspect we'd have him home again for another year. Gah.

Good luck with all the laptop charging!

Love your backyard. I need to find a crew to do some work in our yard. The guy who does the lawn said he would remove some bushes for me (for a price) and promised to do it in "2 or 3 weeks" -- 4 or 5 weeks ago. We've been gone so much that it hasn't really been an issue yet but here it is August and fall will be here before we know it so it's time to get going if we're to have the work done while it's still planting time. Sigh.

Your landscaping after photos look amazing, Anne. Sorry to hear you didn't get to enjoy it more before you head back to school but hopefully you'll get some time on it during the evenings and weekends before the weather turns.

>169 AMQS: How wonderful to have it mostly done before you have to go back to the uncertainties of school reopening...at least we hope it'll be a reopening...

Here's to hoping the whole process will feel organic and organized this year.

The yard looks great, Anne!

>170 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I've loved seeing what people do with their houses (and bookcases!). This is years overdue for us.

>171 scaifea: Thank you! If you had seen how bad it was before... the house was long overdue for some love and care and investment. Im worried that many families who decided to come back in person this year will go remote. It will decimate our budget and hurt our community, but I might have made that choice myself if I had elementary-aged students. I hope Charlie has a great year.

>172 RebaRelishesReading: Good luck, Reba! Our landscaping project started early by surprise. A good surprise! I hope you find someone you really like, and who can come in a timely manner. Are you home for awhile? You had SO much travel this summer.

>173 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Yes, evenings will be very pleasant for awhile, and there's a natural gas connection for a fire pit eventually, so hopefully at some point we can enjoy it year-round.

>174 richardderus: Thank you, Richard! Still chipping away at it. While I was at school yesterday Stelios and a family friend hung new outdoor light fixtures and house numbers. We got such an optimistic email from our principal about opening in person and seeing one another without masks right before the county health department recommended masks for everyone and required them for elementary students. Last year's start was really chaotic and this year's could be as well. On top of that, my school has construction. It started last year but there was a lot of demolition and new build this summer and it doesn't look anything close to ready. Apparently the new addition classrooms are close but the office and new entryway is still a total construction zone and the library has new carpet but nothing else. No sign of my new furniture and my old furniture is GONE. Gulp. Well, I may have to start teaching on the floor but at least the floor is new! I spent all day yesterday working with tech, which is crammed in the music room. So no hope, I think, for organized, but already we have to let go of the idea that things need to be beautiful and perfect, and that's a good thing.

>175 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie! We're very excited about it.

Soooo... really hoping the library will be ready for the start of school! Here is where my circ desk and new cabinetry is supposed to go:


Here is all of the library "stuff" still crammed in the cafeteria with the rest of the school "stuff." (Sideways but I'm too lazy to fix.)

But I have been reading some books!



46. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay

This is a Battle of the Books selection for this upcoming year. It is scary! Eerie also, but much of what makes it scary are the normal life-or-death experiences of being a fox in the wild. I think kids are going to love this.

47. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart, audiobook narrated by Christina Moore

This is the second of the Kopp Sisters books, and it was as terrific as the first. Christina Moore is an amazing narrator. I highly recommend this series which is based on true events in 1915-1916 New Jersey and features Constance Kopp, the first female sheriff deputy in New Jersey. Thank you to Joanne for the recommendation!

48. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

My Murderbot hold finally came in!! If you haven't read The Murderbot Diaries yet, what are you waiting for? They're terrific, and have inspired the most interesting discussions about the nature of being human and the possibilities of AI. Love this series.

49. A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

This is another BoB selection, and a really good one! It is a Thai-inspired fantasy with echoes of Les Miserables. Pong is born in prison and though orphaned, has to stay there until he is 12 or 13. He escapes early, still bearing the tattoo that marks him as an unreleased prisoner. The prison warden's family has fallen on hard times, and the warden's daughter is determined to catch Pong to improve her family's fortunes. This is a terrific and heartwarming story.

50. Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

Another BoB selection and another OUTSTANDING middle grade book. This one is a novel in verse set in 1999 and in the voice of ZJ, who has a pretty good life. A tight-knit group of friends, a lovely home, doting parents and family, and father who is an NFL superstar tight end. But his father, who throws everything he has into the game, is starting to behave erratically. He forgets things and snaps when told he's said something already. He suffers from debilitating headaches and his hands begin shaking. He is forced to step away from football in his prime and endure tests and experimental medication and treatments, and ZJ's world turns upside down. Mostly he misses the way his father used to be and is scared and traumatized by their new life. Set before awareness of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the medical professionals don't really make the connection to his repeated concussions and hard hits to the head. The 2021 reader knows that he won't get better, but the book is still hopeful and positive even in the midst of trauma and grief and fear. Jacqueline Woodson is absolutely one of my favorite authors. If you haven't read her, you really should, as she writes like an angel. Her words are just beautiful. And she is the rare writer who writes picture books, adult books, and everything in between with poignancy and beauty.

51. Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander, James Patterson, and Muhammad Ali Enterprises

I feel that we are living in something of a golden age of children's literature, and this is another outstanding example. This is told in alternating sections: Cassius Clay tells his own story in verse (much of the verse is actually his own) and the story is advanced in straight prose by his best friend Lucius, aka "Lucky." I think every kid should read this compelling story of Ali's humble origins in segregated Louisville, Kentucky, his struggles with dyslexia, his big dreams, his outsized confidence, and his super sharp sense of social justice, or as he was more likely to experience, social injustice. This book is fabulous.

A lot going on in your household! The renovations of the outdoor area will set you up well for weekends, anyway :)

Your BoB selections are some great books!

I love your renovations, Anne. Your deck looks like a perfect spot for reading! I've been doing some home improvement as well. I painted my dining room and the spare bedroom, Scout's room, and put a new floor there. She picked the color, pink.

In reading notes, she and her mom are reading The War that Saved my Life and she loves it. She was at my house one day last week and asked me, "Does Ada get a new mom?" I told her she had to keep reading and find out, and she said, "You can tell me. I won't tell Mom."

Because Scout doesn't have a vaccination yet, we have been wearing masks to stores, and I will definitely wear them at school. By the time classes start -- less than three weeks! -- I imagine we might have another mask mandate in place.

Where did the summer go?

Good luck with your new school year, Anne. I hope you get some furniture for your library soon and that enough students come back to keep the district afloat.

Yes, we have been traveling A LOT lately, and not really by choice. We hope/plan to be home until New Year's when we have a trip booked with Road Scholars to the Rose Parade in Pasadena. We also have a trip to Hawaii booked with friends for next February. I'm looking forward to both although right now I wish they were a bit further off :)

Meanwhile, I'm talking myself into not worrying about the yard until fall.

>178 AMQS: You got me with Scary Stories for Young Foxes. Went to my library, and saw there is a brand-new book, Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City, also!

Thanks for the heads-up!

Karen O.

Hope that the school year will start well and that parents, teachers and students all stay healthy.

>168 AMQS: Nice pictures. Quite a lot of work was done!

Hoping all's well in the new school year....

Hope school goes well, Anne. We are back as well. In masks but in person. At least so far.

Your new yard looks great, Anne! Enjoy!

And I hope your library is all back in order by now. And that the school year is going well.

>179 AMQS: So glad you’re enjoying these! A new one comes out next week and it’ll be the last.

Normally I am a person who Knows My Own Mind. Startling, I realize, for you to hear this...as I've always been such a soft-spoken crowd-goer-alonger.

Stop laughing.

Anyway. I need help. The wisdom of the crowd is sought to help be decide between two equally strong contenders for Read of the Month. I am simply incapable to unparalyzing myself from the FOMO I get thinking about this problem.

Please vote on the poll or you will be directly responsible for my re-admission to the Goofy Garage this birthmonth.

>143 AMQS: Sorry for the delay on replying: I also have the numb patch that seems to flare up now and then. It has gotten smaller and better over time. Evidently, there is a nerve that gets cut/nicked and it may never completely resolve. My father had hand surgery some years ago and has a similar numb sensation.

Been enjoying all the Instagram pics of school getting started!

Almost two months since my favourite teacher graced these halls!

Hope all is well, Anne and that you'll update us soon.

Dear, dear, dear friends, thank you so much for thinking of me and for keeping my thread warm. All is well, other than I am sure I am doing empty nesting wrong. I pictured all of this time I would have and that is really not what is happening! I need to figure this out because I miss LT and all of you so much. And I do not watch TV (or anything, really). I have found an exercise program that I really love and that I have become really good at doing every day, so that's one thing. Also, I am getting to bed at a good time every day, which is something I've struggled with for my entire adult life. But I miss you!

We are now in week 7 of school and other than construction delays and headaches, it's going fairly well. I now have furniture in the library so I have been able to unpack boxes at long last. I *mostly* like everything. My furniture is nice but it is extremely crowded in my little library. I hate my new picture book bins because they are smaller and way more crowded, and the space I have to put them in is tiny, so it is hard for my youngest readers to find books. Working on that. Students are permitted to browse the shelves this year and that is everything. I am hitting coding heavily in 1st-3rd grades and will be coding for the next few months as we work our way through the Code.org curriculum. I am in the middle of a film project with my 4th and 5th graders, and in our next two cycles we will research and write our own digital Who Would Win books. I am lucky enough to be in a district with a mask mandate and a state that supports it so we don't have to put up with the nonsense that some schools do. We've had a couple of student cases but no larger outbreaks.

Marina is happy at Dickinson College in central PA. I had such a great time flying out with her and getting her moved in that I am going back next week to visit her and taking my mom. I can't wait! She loves her classes (major: sociology; minors: Italian & women, gender, and sexuality studies), has an amazing job at The Clarke Forum, and auditioned and was accepted to the belly dancing troupe. I'm so glad this year feels like a normal experience, as she and her cohorts all over the world lost so much.

Stelios and I are loving our back yard and the weather has been warm enough that we've been able to enjoy it most evenings. We've been able to take advantage of our beautiful Colorado mountains and go on a hike most weekends. This past weekend I talked a friend into taking an outdoor dance class with me to the music of Mamma Mia. All of us were my age or older, all of us non-dancers, and the class was in full view of Speer Blvd (a large street that runs along the western edge of downtown Denver) and it was SO MUCH FUN!

Some recent hiking pictures, including from leaf peeping this past Sunday.


I am taking a lunch break now but will be back to reply to your messages, to review some books, and to pay all of you visits!
xoxoxo

>184 LovingLit: yes, a lot, Megan! Things are calmer now, but apparently not enough to come to LT as often as I would like. How are you doing?

>185 foggidawn: Hi foggi, yes they are really good! Typically I love them all. This year there's been one I didn't much care for (Dactyl Hill Squad), and some others that are intense and heavy. I just finished the last of them and wrote the questions, so more will be forthcoming. Nick of time - we kick off the program tomorrow:)

>186 BLBera:, >192 BLBera: Hi Beth! Doesn't it feel good to get those house projects done? I'll bet Scout loved picking out the colors for her room. Do you have a mask mandate in place? Is she going to read The War I Finally Won (and did you)? I haven't yet, but kids tell me it's good.

>187 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba! Did you get someone to come and address your yard? This is such a lovely time to enjoy it, and I hope that you can. Our enrollment is down this year. My principal is very conservative with our budget and this year she's spending carry-forward funds to staff us with the people we need - a reading interventionist, a second SPED teacher, and it's a treat to have that support in our building. Not sure if we'll be able to afford them after this year. Having said that, there is a severe substitute shortage so when teachers are out it's all hands on deck and that has a ripple effect throughout our school.

>188 klobrien2: Hi Karen! I hadn't seen that there is a second one yet. I thought the first one was very scary! If my students love it (will know soon enough as we kick off Battle of the Books) I'll buy the second. Hope you enjoy them!

>189 PaulCranswick:, >196 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I so appreciate you thinking of me. I saw the news about your dear mother on FB and I am so terribly sorry for your loss. There will be a mum-shaped hole in your hearts for awhile and my family and I send you love.

>190 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! Yes, it was a smaller project that turned into a larger project, but we're thrilled with the results!

>191 richardderus:, >194 richardderus: Thank you, Richard! So far so good. Teachers like to start the school year with everything organized and beautiful and we had to let go of that this year. So I started with kids on the floor and all of my stuff in boxes. Not the way I would like it, but it was fine. And I did vote! I promise I did, but I wasn't able to come back and see which was the winner and what you thought of it?

>193 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne! Things are finally settling at school, though we're still technically a construction zone and have unfinished projects, including in the library. I love your new FB photo with sweet Skye! I haven't progressed any farther with the Kopp Sisters, but my mom is devouring them. She has run into major issues with the IRS relating to filing both here and in Germany, and she says the Kopp Sisters distract her from the unpleasantness.

>195 witchyrichy: Thanks, Karen! I have prickly sensation from time to time, which makes me think I'm making progress. I'm definitely more used to it, but it is still a numb and sensitive patch. My biggest complaint is that the leg is still swollen - enough that I still can't wear my regular underwear. One of those things that no one tell you...

>197 AMQS: So good to see you posting, friend!

I am also very pleased that while life is very full, it's treating you pretty well, Anne.

It sounds like all is well with you, Anne! Have fun with Marina.

We do have a mask mandate at school. All teachers and school employees must be vaccinated or test weekly. We had a scare with Scout being sick last week, but she tested negative for COVID. I can't wait until the vaccine for her age group is ready. She will be first in line. She (and I) did read The War I Finally Won. She and her mom both loved Ada. Now they are reading Harry Potter! Believe it or not, it's my daughter's first time reading them. She was never interested in them when they first came out. They both like Hermione.

Hi Anne!! Nice to catch up with you and hear all is well with you. I miss you too.

In answer to your question about our yard. Yesterday I finally found someone who will help with the heavy yard work. We had to remove three sick trees last spring and the replacement won't be planted until the arborist is sure the "wet season" has set in. Once that is done the young man doing the rest of the "muscle" work will come. Whew!! Nice to have found him finally.

Anne, I can't believe how far behind I was on your thread. My deepest sympathy for the loss of Whistler; I remember he was not doing well. And I love your outdoor renovations and congrats on finally getting furniture in your library.

>199 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi! Hope everything is well with you.

>200 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. It's nice to see you - hope you are well also.

>201 BLBera: What a relief, right, Beth? And I'm so glad Scout tested negative for COVID. It's a constant worry. I'm envious of your daughter reading Harry Potter for the first time. I hope it's a wonderful shared experience for them both.

>202 RebaRelishesReading: That's a relief, Reba! I hope you are able to enjoy a beautiful space.

>203 ronincats: Roni, I'm glad you're here. We still miss Whistler, of course, but it was time. So hard to say goodbye. We're enjoying our outdoor space a lot, and I am getting used to the furniture. It's a square peg round hole kind of thing, but the library does look great!

52. A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben McIntyre, audiobook narrated by John Lee

Terrific book bringing to light a period of history with players I had heard of but that's about it. This is a look at Kim Philby's career at MI6 and his strong friendships with fellow intelligence officers Nicholas Elliot and James Angleton. Hearing the results of his betrayal - he was a double agent spying for the Soviet Union - was devastating. Recommended.

53. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, audiobook narrated by Amber Ruffin

I read and listened to this book. And they are crazy stories - yikes! Amber Ruffin is a writer and comedian with her own show living in New York. She is no one's first Black friend, and works in an environment where people at least say the right things related to race and diversity. Her sister Lacey has lived and worked all her life in Omaha, Nebraska and wow, does she have some crazy stories. She calls Amber to share them and to let off steam and eventually they decided to write a book. I had recommended the excellent So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo to my book club and someone else recommended this one and we decided to choose them both for the month of October. People can choose to read one or the other or both, but in any case, it should be eye-opening and provide a great discussion for a bunch of white ladies who want to do the right thing but don't have any clue about the daily lived experience of people of color.

54. Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, audiobook narrated by various narrators

This is a terrific and deeply melancholy collection of stories featuring Latina and Native women in Colorado, and their experiences living their lives in the shadow of racism and poverty and their attendant issues. The stories are beautifully told, and many are hopeful and resilient in the face of oppressive difficulties. I particularly enjoyed them for their telling of Denver and Colorado stories. I don't share the experiences of the characters, but I do know exactly where they take place. I only detected one wrong Colorado note- a mention of a piece of jewelry bought after a Central City gambling windfall long before gambling was legal there. Before gambling, Central City was known for opera in its historic opera house (along with the rich history of the place) and as I spent many years working the operas there, I know firsthand that gambling changed everything. Tiny detail in a stunning collection by an important voice.

55. A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

I finally got to the sweeping, epic, tragicomic novel of Mr. Biswas, a man who only wants a measure of independence but lives most of his life beholden to his in-laws. This was a fascinating look at the Indian diaspora in Trinidad in the early 20th century, and while I laughed at the absurd, it was hard to root for Mr. Biswas, who wasn't a particularly sympathetic character. I hoped to love this book more than I did. Maybe my perceptions were clouded by what I know of the author? Cautiously recommended, particularly if you want to read Nobel-winning literature, or a glimpse of the immigrant experience in a different time and place.

56. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, audiobook narrated by Robert Petkoff

This book is an original and very funny account of a zombie apocalypse as told by S.T., short for Shit-Turd, a domesticated crow, who first senses something's amiss when his human Big Jim's eyeball falls out. It turns into something of a buddy road trip adventure as S.T. and Dennis the bloodhound seek safety, food, and information. I liked it but didn't love it, as many here have. The narration was outstanding, the plot clever, but I felt like the writing was trying to be too clever, and the colorful similes and name-calling detracted from rather than added to the story. Another beloved book that wasn't a complete hit for me. Am I coming down with something?

57. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

This is a puzzle-mystery classic that I missed somehow. Published in 1978, it was around when I was the target age but I never got to it. I was motivated to read it after reading and LOVING The Parker Inheritance, which pays homage to TWG while offering a cracking good puzzle mystery of its own set against the backdrop of Jim Crow, Civil Rights, and BLM. I enjoyed TWG but confess I love The Parker Inheritance more. It's circulating now!

58. Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

This is a 2022 Battle of the Book Selection. A beautifully written novel in verse about a family who fled cartel violence in Mexico and settled in Los Angeles. The father and daughter, Betita, share stories and drawings of cranes, representing themselves as the Aztec symbols of their people returning to their homeland. Modern borders are not congruent with the traditional stories and myths, and Papi is detained at work and deported. While driving to visit him at Friendship Park, where people on either side of the border can visit through a fence, Betita and her mother get confused on the highway and miss their exit, arriving unwillingly in Mexico. As they attempt to re-enter they are detained and sent to a detention camp, where they endure cruel and unhygienic conditions and wait endless days for relief or representation. This is not an easy book to read, but it is so timely and important.

59. Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke, audiobook narrated by Andi Arndt

I was sort of expecting something light and palate-cleansing, but this book had surprising heft. It definitely has the glamor and flair of the legendary stewardesses, as they once were called, but it is a serious social history about women and their place and opportunities in the workplace, as well as an illuminating history of many world destinations. Once hired, stewardesses underwent rigorous training in everything from lipstick color to how to cook and carve a lamb roast to how to make fluffy eggs at sky-high altitudes. Then the women enjoyed a measure of autonomy and independence rare for women at the time. While stewardesses were enjoying Hong Kong nightlife or visiting Beirut marketplaces, women were not permitted to eat in certain restaurants or patronize some bars without a man accompanying her. Flight attendance had to fight tooth and polished nail in courts to be permitted to continue working after the age of 32 or after marriage, and to have advancement and leadership opportunities. Some of what I heard seemed incredible - incredible that we're only talking about changes in women's' rights made in the 1970s and 1980s, which just doesn't seem that long ago. My only complaint is that the chronology shifts around a lot. I loved hearing about real flight attendants and their favorite cities (Pan Am only flew to international destinations), I was fascinated by the role of Pan Am in the Vietnam war, about the danger and derring-do these women experienced in far-flung places (along with plenty of Coffee, Tea, or Me nonsense), and about how hijackings were fairly common occurrences. I really enjoyed this book.

60. Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

Another Battle of the Books 2022 book. Alan Gratz is known for writing you-are-there books with heart-pounding action, and also for writing parallel stories about different kids in different places and times and then having the stories converge. This is a very successful example of his style. But wow, what a tough read. Young Brandon was suspended from school and goes to work with his father in Windows to the World. 19 years later, Reshmina lives in a remote Afghan caught between Taliban insurgents and the US military forces fighting them. All she has ever known is war and she knows nothing about 9/11 and just wants to live a normal, safe life. I don't know what kids will think of it - 9/11 is ancient history to them, but to adults, we know that a 9/11/Afghanistan story cannot end well. Lots of feelings.

61. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

The last Battle of the Books book I needed to read. This was a good one about two brothers born to a Black mother and a white father. Trey looks white, while Donte is Black. They are very close, but when the family relocates and the boys attend a fancy Massachusetts private school, Donte is effectively the only Black kid at school and his experience is wildly different from Trey's. Donte is presumed to be the instigator of all trouble or mischief, his frustration is seen as dangerous aggression, and at the beginning of the book he is led away from school in handcuffs. He is the target of a wealthy and popular bully who is the captain of the school fencing team, and Donte sees fencing as a way to challenge the bully and beat him at his own game.

62. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, audiobook narrated by Pippa Bennett-Warner.

I don't know that I could add to the lovely reviews offered here among the 75ers. This book was good! The story of Esme, a motherless girl whose father is a lexicographer helping the famous Dr. Murray write and publish the Oxford English Dictionary. Words are sent in by volunteers with meanings and quotations to exemplify the meanings, but while learned, important words are approved for inclusion, words used by women or the working class are not deemed important enough. Esme comes to dedicate her time to finding, collecting, and championing these lost words. I loved that many characters are real people.

>209 AMQS: Those who've read that one at our library say it's not a complete hit for them either. It's not just you.

I loved Sabrina & Corina, Anne. I don't remember reading The Westing Game to my kids, either. I'll have to ask my daughter. I'll tell her about The Parker Inheritance. She's currently reading Clementine to her third graders. The librarian told her that there was a run on Clementine books from the library, so it has been a great success!

They seem to be enjoying Harry Potter; they are on the second one now.

Nice to see you around again.

>216 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori - glad it's not just me! There are all kinds of books for all kinds of readers:)

>217 BLBera: Ooh, I love Clementine! The Parker Inheritance is definitely better for 5th and up, but a good read for adults as well.

Glad HP is a success!

Abandoning:


Unless someone can convince me otherwise.

>215 AMQS: Yay! You liked it!

>209 AMQS: Oh dear, not a success...well, don't read the second one, I'm sure it wouldn't do much more for you.

>198 AMQS: Under Color of Law won the draw; I'm about 2/3 done with it, and it's...just fine. Perfectly good.

I ain't wowed, in other words.

>207 AMQS: Another fan of this one: not a perspective I'd read about before.

Love the photos: what a beautiful place to be.

Hi Richard! I hadn't realized that there would be another Hollow Kingdom book - very cool for fans! You're right, though, I don't know that I'll read it. Or maybe I'll try it in print instead of audio. I did really enjoy The Dictionary!

Sorry your current read is only fine. Hope your next one is amazing.

>221 charl08: Hi Charlotte! There has been so much love for Sabrina & Corina here, and deservedly so. It is an under-represented perspective, and for me had the added bonus of being set where I live. And it is a pretty place - we're very lucky.

63. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

This was given to me by a parent at my school, who wondered if it would be a good fit for the library. It's not -- too mature (YA). But she encouraged me to read it and then pass it on. My plan was to finish it on the plane this week and then to leave it with Marina, but I could not put it down and read it as fast as I could. It's been awhile since I could not put a book down! This story is harrowing and heartbreaking, and mostly true - based on a real girl who hid Jews in her Polish town during the Nazi occupation. Stefania Podgórska was a Catholic girl from a large family who farmed near the town of Przemyśl. At eleven, she convinced her mother to allow her to live in Przemyśl with her older sisters, who found work for her in a Jewish family's shop. She loved the Diamant family, and when the Nazis came she risked everything to bring them food in the ghetto. As the war progressed, she also assumed the care of her 7 year-old sister, and made the dangerous decision to hide Jews in her home. By the end of the war she was hiding 13 people, caring for her sister, was the sole earner of the group, and was forced to billet Nazis in her home. How she pulled it all off is an incredible and true story. Stefania and her sister Helena both were later honored as the Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. The author's note at the end of the book tells how she came to know the story, and how she was able to use Stefania's unpublished memoirs as the backbone of the book. Stefania's son Ed was a contributor - even traveling with her to Przemyśl to see first-hand the important story landmarks. Absolutely extraordinary.

>223 AMQS: Good gracious! I am in *awe* of the Righteous Among Nations's actions. She richly deserved the honor.

>222 AMQS: It's perfectly fine. I'm not sorry I'm reading it but I doubt I'll remember much about it after I write my review. You know those books...they fill time pleasantly.

Enjoy visiting Marina! (Bet she loves the book, too.)

Glad to see you back on LT. And I LOVE seeing the work you are doing with the kids with coding and videos!

Many good books here and I will return to add them to my TBR list. For now, just stopping by to say hello. Maybe we can figure out a meetup at Dickenson some time. It's less than an hour on the turnpike west of my parents in Cornwall.

The Light in Hidden Places sounds wonderful, Anne. I will look for it. Enjoy your time with Marina.

>223 AMQS: that sounds pretty good to me! I just bought 3 (second hand) books today, so along with the approximately 250 books I own that I have yet to read, I am set at present ;)

Hope all is well, Anne.

Not trying to catch up, Anne, just stopping by to say "Hello." Hopefully I will keep better track of you from here on out.

>224 richardderus: Yes, Richard. It's hard to think of a modern day equivalent. At least here. We are extremely comfortable in general. I did enjoy visiting Marina! We had a lovely time, even though she was busy. It was nice to travel with my mom, and she is glad to have seen Marina at school.

>225 witchyrichy: Thanks, Karen! It would be fun to meet up, although it is hard for me to get to PA with my school schedule. Marina is aiming to spend the entire next school year (2022-2023) in Bologna, Italy, so there are even fewer PA visits in my future if all works out, though I would love to meet up with you!

>226 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! It was nice to see her. She will not be able to come home for Thanksgiving, so we savored our time together.

>227 LovingLit: Megan, I think we're all in the same boat. I haven't broken down my 2021 reads into categories yet, but I feel like I have read more of my own books this year, and that's the goal!

>228 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. Thanks for checking in on me.

>229 alcottacre: Stasia, I am just now catching up with my own thread, so I get it! I'm glad to see you.

OK so I really think I am doing empty nesting wrong, as I don't have the time I expected I would. But... I am getting more sleep than I have in many years and that is something. Not much to report around here. I am finally on a school break as we are lucky enough to have the whole week off for Thanksgiving. And in the nick of time. This year is nothing near as challenging as last year, but it is still a rough go, and everyone was ready for a break. It will be a quiet Thanksgiving as neither of the girls will be coming home. It will be weird:( My mom will come, and a cycling friend of Stelios who does not have family. This latter guest nudged my proposed Thanksgiving menu from turkey breast to full turkey, albeit a small one. I am having some crowns done Monday, and in general am looking forward to a quiet week.

My mom and I really enjoyed our visit to see Marina in Carlisle, PA. Carlisle is a cute little town with lots to do. On a day that Marina wanted to spend studying for exams and finishing papers my mom and I spent at Gettysburg, which was a great experience. Marina is doing well. She auditioned for and earned a spot on the belly dancing troupe and is really enjoying herself. Her classes are good, as is her job at the Clarke Forum. She is planning to spend next year studying in Bologna, Italy, and is currently applying for summer internships.

I have had a good school year and I am really enjoying my classes. But it is really a hard school year and I am relieved to be on break. So mostly keeping my head down and plugging away at school. We have the second highest COVID caseload in the mountain area schools, and the school ahead of us just had to go remote into the second week of December due to overwhelming COVID cases. Ugh. I have been triple vaxxed, but aside from school, I'm not really going anywhere.

Hope everyone is well! Miss you all.

I did terribly at empty nesting, Anne, and it took me a solid year to get used to it. I hope you enjoy your break from school.

Happy weekend!

64. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

So this one ended up being the one I brought on the trip to PA to leave with Marina. I enjoyed it - as many reviewers have said, it is a book that seems really light but has definite heft.

65. The End of Vandalism by Tom Drury

I have had this book on my TBR forever, ever since Mark read and loved it and sent it to me via BookMooch. WHYYYY did I wait so long? This is a beautifully written novel with little plot but excellent portraits of many characters of a small, midwestern town as they live their lives. The book is both wistful, sad, and very funny, and Tom Drury's writing is lovely and generous.

>234 AMQS: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Anne!

66. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Audiobook narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda

This book had been on my list for awhile, but was nudged to the top during the course of a district librarian meeting. Our focus this year is on equity, diversity, and inclusion, and it is terrific, difficult, and exciting work. We are focusing on really knowing our collections, weeding strategically to target books with outdated racist stereotypes, and adding books that provide readers with windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. In one meeting we reflected on a time we felt seen when reading a book. A colleague said if he had been able to read Aristotle and Dante as a teen he might have figured out his sexuality a lot sooner. That was enough for me to move it up to the top immediately. And I loved it. Many people have said that the dialog feels stilted, but to me it feels achingly authentic in the voice of a conflicted teen boy. This was a great read and a great narration.

>235 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I hope you love it. Don't wait as long as I did!

67. Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

This is a lovely collection of stories for middle grade readers, and a great window for American students to glimpse the ordinary lives of Muslim kids and their excitement or trepidation when preparing to celebrate Eid.

68. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, audiobook narrated by Frankie Corzo

This is definitely a gothic - creepy and scary and unnatural. If you're in the mood for this kind of book - and I was - you would probably enjoy it. However, I highly recommend you read it in print, as the narration was actually terrible. Like a robot being trained to voice a call system. Like "Get the f*** away from me, she screamed at her attacker" read with exactly as much expression and emotion as "she arose and got dressed." (none).

>236 AMQS: Hi Anne! I really enjoyed Aristotle and Dante when I read it a few years ago. I think there is a brand new sequel that just came out, but I haven't tried to seek it out yet.

>239 AMQS: This one is on my list -- I snagged it as a Kindle deal a while ago. Now just have to find the time to read it!

69. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

This is said to be the definitive novel of Gettysburg. Published in 1974 and the winner of the 1975 Pulitzer Prize, it is indeed a moving and stirring account of those fateful days, told from the perspective of several key actors, including Robert E. Lee, General Longstreet, General Chamberlain, and more. I was motivated to pick this up after a full day visit to Gettysburg in October, and could picture the setting after having toured it. This was taken from extensive research and the letters of the participating soldiers, and effectively conveys the luck - good and bad - that helped influence the battle, the unimaginable losses, and the prescient combat tactics of Longstreet, a man ahead of his time, and whose advice, had it been heeded, could have changed the outcome of Gettysburg and the Civil War.

Carlisle, where Dickinson College is located, is rich with both Revolutionary War and Civil War history. Two famous graduates were partly responsible for the Civil War by way of the Dred Scott decision –President James Buchanan (Class of 1809) and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney (Class of 1795). There is a moving plaque that profiles students who went on to fight - many against each other - and what they wrote to each other as they went off to fight each other. The book movingly conveys the particular conflict and sadness of fighting against men who are your friends and former - and still beloved and respected - comrades. Waging battle against someone you know intimately and love is a horrible and horribly sad endeavor. Though I knew the history, the story still captivated me. And saddened me. And angered me - thinking of those who are slavering for another Civil War. They have no idea.

>240 curioussquared: Hi Natalie!! Are you a married person now? (Oh my I am so far behind!) I'm so glad you stopped by. I did hear that there is an Aristotle and Dante sequel, but I am hesitant to read it because I thought the first book was so good. I love where the characters are in my mind right now. As for Mexican Gothic, it was a good October read. Normally horror is not my thing, but I was in the mood and had read good things. But definitely steer clear of the audio!

70. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick, audiobook narrated by Imogen Church.

After a heavy book and a horror book, this cozy read with an outstanding narration was just the thing. 50 something Martha is something of a doormat, finding her worth in being of service to others. She receives the shock of her life when someone gives her a book with a handwritten dedication to her from her grandmother - written three years after her grandmother had died. She investigates the mystery and reevaluates her life to emotional and satisfying effect. Recommended if you need a cozy read.

Ooh just discovered >232 alcottacre:. I have mixed feelings about empty nesting, as I'm sure most of us do. Marina lost the last part of her senior year, including prom and graduation, and spent the first semester of college studying remotely. We got an extra 6 months with her, which we all would have traded for "normal" in a heartbeat. But we miss her. And things are better but still a bit strained with Callia. So lots of emotions, but the surprise for me is that I don't have the gobs of time I was expecting. Maybe it's just getting older and not being able to do everything that I used to:) I appreciate your perspective, Stasia, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend also!

71. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask

I had this book on my list after Mary (bell7) recommended it, and then I happened to see it at the library. This is a terrific and well-researched book about addresses - their history (and house numbers also), what it means not to have one, political and economic reasons to establish them, the consequences of not having them, and more. The author takes the reader from New York City in the first attention-grabbing sentence to the slums of Mumbai, Hapsburg Vienna, Apartheid South Africa, rural West Virginia, colonial Philadelphia, and more. I thought this book was terrific and compulsively readable. Fascinating!

>231 AMQS: Sounds like things are going well for you and your family. I hope you have a lovely, if quiet, Thanksgiving :)

Looks like you've been reading an interesting assortment of books.

I enjoyed reading your life update, Anne, and your trip to visit Marina sounds wonderful!

I loved Aristotle and Dante - I listened to the audio narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which was doubly excellent!

Wishing you a relaxing Thanksgiving break, Anne, with more excellent reads.

Hi Anne - Great to see you posting.

>238 AMQS:, >236 AMQS: both sound like good ones, as does The Address Book - what a cool idea.

Minnesota COVID cases are high, but so far my college's cases are not. Still, we've been asked to plan for going online if necessary. :( Very discouraging. My daughter's school is overrun with COVID; she got it. She works in a very conservative school, and what the parents are saying is that they don't test, so the numbers don't seem as high as they really are. So frustrating.

I recently helped the librarian cull some fiction books from the shelves. No one had done it for a while, and we had some really old books. We've been trying to add more diverse authors to our collections to better reflect our student population. We recently had a speaker, one of the authors from our Common Book. She wrote "Fear of a Black Mother," and the students were so pleased to hear from someone like her! We need to do better to be sensitive to our students' needs to see themselves in the curriculum, sometimes challenging for an all-white faculty.

Oh, Scout is on the fifth Harry Potter book. Her mom said she thought they were getting scary, but Scout seems OK with them.

Lovely to see you posting, Anne.

>241 AMQS: Really enjoyed your review and I must get to that one soon.

I'm just here to pile on more love for Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and LMM's audiobook narration. So good!

>244 AMQS: I totally understand what you are saying. I am an empty nester, too. Going from 7 to 2 in the space of three months as my kids and my sister and her son moved out. And I still don't have enough time!! Even though there's less cleanup and dishes. LOL Hopefully, we'll figure it out. Happy Thanksgiving!

>246 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! Thank you for stopping by. Yes, things are well. I have been thinking about my reading - lots of good variety but very few stand outs. Hope your reading is awesome! How's life in WA?

>247 scaifea: Hi Amber! Yes, the trip to PA was wonderful! Marina will not be home for Thanksgiving, but she has a nice long break for Christmas and I am so excited to see her. She's applying for some summer internships - one in NYC and one in Phoenix... very competitive so nothing is decided, obviously, but when I think about her spending the summer interning somewhere that is Not Colorado and then spending the next year in Italy I need to sit down.

I saw the next Aristotle and Dante book tonight whilst book browsing. Looks good - reviewed well, but I may have to talk myself into it. Lin-Manuel Miranda could definitely help sway me.

>248 MickyFine: Thank you, Micky! Reads good so far. Relaxing is hard to do with the holidays approaching, and school gets out ridiculously late this year. I did have two crowns done yesterday, and felt yucky afterwards so I took a looooooong nap, which felt great. Hope you are doing well.

>249 BLBera: Hi Beth! Hope your daughter is recovered and no one else is sick. I'm sure your daughter (and you and every teacher) is ready for WINTER break! Last year was awful. This year is still really difficult.

It sounds like your library is doing some important work. It is so important to be able to see yourself in books. We reflected on that in a librarian meeting, and I realized that I always have. I remember giving Marina a book for her birthday that I had seen recommended here - Quiet Girl in a Noisy World and she read it in one sitting and cried at having felt seen. There should be some professional resources out there to help. I subscribe to School Library Journal, which focuses on PreK-12th grades, but I think there's Library Journal, and also BookList, etc. It is hard as a white lady with a mostly white population to know what to look for and I really rely on professional sources, who are really focusing on diverse titles from diverse authors.

>250 BLBera: I read the first two Harry Potter books to the girls, but by then Callia could read well, and of course could read to herself faster than I could read aloud. She tore through books 3 and 4 and then stopped at the beginning of 5. Couldn't hold her interest. That was a sign to me that she stopped where she needed to. A couple of years later she was at it again:) I'm so glad Scout is enjoying them so much!

>251 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! It feels good to be here. When you get to The Killer Angels you have a great read ready for you. Stelios knew very little about the American Civil War and loved it. He spent a lot of time researching also.

>252 foggidawn: Isn't it good, foggi? Have you read the second book? I came across it at a bookstore tonight, but I think I may want to do an audio again, especially if LMM narrates!

>253 Berly: Happy Thanksgiving, Kim! I'm glad I'm not the only one. I have always found that I fill however much time I have, but honestly I did imagine much more free time. Have you been deluged with the rain up there in the PNW?

>241 AMQS: That is the first book I remember reading and saying to myself, "I wish I could write like that."

Numerous books being added to the BlackHole, Anne! You are dangerous for my wallet.

72. Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington’s Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away by Erica Armstrong Dunbar & Kathleen Van Cleve

This is a remarkable story I had never known until now. The book tells Ona's story, clearly indicating what is historical fact from what is speculation - we can assume that this based on this - as record keeping was close to nonexistent for enslaved people, and Ona's escape and Washington's attempts to recover her were kept hush-hush, given growing abolitionist sentiment in the new country and Washington's desire to disregard laws he had signed into being.

I hadn't realized until starting the book that there was an adult (and National Book Award finalist) version also. I am interesting in reading this version even though I just finished the young reader edition. My library's version spends a lot of time addressing readers directly, which I love, and explains the realities of slavery in a direct but age appropriate way (none of the "guest worker" nonsense I hear appears in some southern textbooks). The authors also do a great job discussing the paternalistic attitudes some of the "better" slave owners had - treating slaves like family, etc. On the surface of it, Ona's life, though hard, was probably easier as Martha Washington's personal attendant that it was as a free but fugitive slave, but Ona and probably every slave knew that this could change with the wind. The catalyst for Ona's escape was learning that Martha Washington intended to give her as a wedding present to her granddaughter, who by all accounts was a spoiled brat. (One quibble: the words "spoiled brat" were used a lot in reference to Eliza Parke Custis. Enough that it made me want to do some research to see if historical record back this up, Did I? No. I'm on break! But this is the kind of language I ask my students to avoid when doing expository writing based on research. I recently had a 4th graders try to use the word mischievous or something like it when writing facts about an animal based on its facial expression in a photo).

If you're looking for engaging nonfiction or biography for grades 4 and up, this one fits the bill. Great read.

>255 alcottacre: the writing was extraordinary, wasn't it Stasia? Glad I could get you a few times - libraries need support!

73. The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts, audiobook narrated by Tavia Gilbert.

This is an extraordinary true story of a 62 year old woman from rural Maine, who, when facing the loss of her family farm and a prognosis of 2-4 years to live, decides to fulfill her long gone mother's lifelong dream of seeing the Pacific Ocean in California. She does this by setting out from Maine in November, 1954 on horseback accompanied by her little dog Depeche-Toi. What follows is an adventure like no other. Annie Wilkins, traveling in a rapidly changing time, belonged to a different era. She had never seen television, never had electricity... how would she know that her idea that if you could just get south of New England the weather (in winter) would be warmer was not true? That cars and trucks dominated the roads? That a Boise detour was not actually on the way to southern California? It's hard to imagine from this 2021 vantage point. But Annie's spirit, the amazing bonds between her and her animals, and the people all over the country who took her in or sought her out to offer a stable, a warm bed, a hot meal, an invitation to stay the winter - they combined to represent the Best of Us. And I love those stories. Toward the end of the book the author said Annie believed that America was just one big neighborhood, and I wish that still felt true.

The book is definitely overwritten. The material - and it is thoroughly and meticulously researched - would have made for a fascinating long feature article, and so some of the prose definitely felt like can-I-make-this-into-a-book padding. Some passages are nail-biting and some are heartbreaking. Most are heart-warming and triumphant.

>256 AMQS: This one sounds great. Onto the Scout list it goes! "Guest workers"? Really?

>258 AMQS: Oh, that book...the one that should've been in three issues of The New Yorker not a book. That book always makes me sad.

But you're really close to 75 now!

*smooch*

A Thanksgiving to Friends (Lighting the Way)

In difficult times
a friend is there to light the way
to lighten the load,
to show the path,
to smooth the road

At the darkest hour
a friend, with a word of truth
points to light
and the encroaching dawn
is in the plainest sight.

Anne, to a friend in books and more this Thanksgiving

Anne, I wish you (and yours) happiness and health on this day of Thanksgiving. And cookies. : )

We like the rain here because our business cleans up industrial and storm water. I just wish it would rain at night instead of during the day! LOL

>256 AMQS: Adding that one to the BlackHole. My local library has a copy so hopefully I can get to it soon. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Anne.

I hope you and yours had a terrific Thanksgiving. Happy Friday!

>259 BLBera: Yep. https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/10/23/450826208/why-calling-slaves-workers-... Also I read something equally terrible just today involving a 4th grade worksheet, and this is from NY state: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/nyregion/pittsford-racism.html (note: the NYT article appeared today Apparently the worksheet controversy happened in April but I missed it. Sigh. We still have so far to go).

>260 richardderus: *SMOOCH* !

>261 PaulCranswick: Paul, thank you. When this awful pandemic is over and I win the lottery and can come to Malaysia any time I want, I hope we can meet.

>262 Berly: Thank you, Kim! Those are beautiful! I suppose weather events and more always depend on your point of view. I hope your business is booming and that you have clear skies during the day! We have now shattered the record for latest snow in Denver and while the warm and dry weather is nice (and my commute to school in the mountains is easier), we are now really worried about water. Feast or famine.

>263 alcottacre: Stasia, I hope you enjoy it! Did you request the adult version? I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving also.

Hello friends - starting a new thread. I seem to remember back in the day the threads that got over 250 posts long were hard to load sometimes? Is that still a thing? Starting new just in case - please join me!

>264 AMQS: I requested whichever version my local library has. I really did not pay attention, lol. I was just happy they had it!