Katiekrug Reads and Reads and Reads Some More - Part 12

CURRENTLY READING
(Kindle) (Audio)

Hi All!

For anyone new to my thread, I'm Katie: reader, wine drinker, food appreciator, shenanigan-ator, and non-sufferer of fools. I live outside New York City with my husband, "The" Wayne, our cat, Leonard, and our dog Nuala/Noodles. I work as a senior governance manager for a non-profit engineering association, which used to be fun because I got to travel and now is just a big pile of meh.

Here's to a great, or at least an improved, new year!

Books Completed

Books Off My Shelf: 22
Books Off My Kindle: 25
Books from Audible: 6
Library Loans: 19

August
72. You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik (4.25 stars)

July
Favorite:
71. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa (4.5 stars)
70. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys (4 stars)
69. Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins (4 stars)
68. The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White (3 stars)
67. Becoming by Michelle Obama (audio) (4 stars)
66. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (audio) (3.5 stars)
65. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (3.5 stars)
64. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths (3.5 stars)
63. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (4.5 stars)
62. The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn (4 stars)
61. Born in Death by J.D. Robb (3.5 stars)

YTD Did Not Finish
1. Waterland by Graham Swift
2. Adequate Yearly Progress by Roxanne Elden
3. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
4. Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith
5. Dear Girls by Ali Wong
6. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard

June
Favorite:
60. The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (3.5 stars)
59. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (3.5 stars)
58. The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman (4 stars)
57. In the Morning I'll Be Gone by Adrian McKinty (4 stars)
56. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
55. Summerwater by Sarah Moss (4 stars)
54. Outlawed by Anna North (3.5 stars)
53. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (audio) (3.5 stars)
52. Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan (4 stars)

May
Favorite:
51. Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger (4.5 stars)
50. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (4 stars)
49. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (3.5 stars)
48. Normal People by Sally Rooney (audio) (4 stars)
47. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught (3 stars)
46. The New Yorkers by Cathleen Schine (4.25 stars)
45. How to Break a Dragon's Heart by Cressida Cowell (audio) (3.5 stars)
44. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (3 stars)
43. Darkside by Belinda Bauer (4 stars)
42. Another Kind of Life by Catherine Dunne (3 stars)
41. Eat Cake. Be Brave. by Melissa Radke (audio) (3 stars)
40. Lord the One You Love is Sick by Kasey Thornton (4.5 stars)

April
Favorite:
39. Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson (3.5 stars)
38. Stories from Suffragette City by Various Authors (3.5 stars)
37. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (4 stars)
36. Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin (4.5 stars)
35. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie (3.5 stars)
34. The Crucible by Arthur Miller (audio) (4.5 stars)
33. The Vanishing Point by Mary Sharratt (4 stars)
32. Pride and Promiscuity by Arielle Eckstut and Dennis Ashton (2 stars)
31. Island of the Lost by Joan Druett (4 stars)
30. It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (4 stars)
29. The Secret River by Kate Grenville (4 stars)

March
Favorite:
28. Dodgers by Bill Beverly (4.5 stars)
27. The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe (3.5 stars)
26. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (3 stars)
25. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (4 stars)
24. Shit, Actually by Lindy West (3.5 stars)
23. Difficult Women by Roxane Gay (4 stars)
22. Anywhere for You by Abbie Greaves (3.5 stars)
21. Fat Chance by Nick Spalding (3.5 stars)
20. Memory in Death by J.D. Robb (3.5 stars)
19. Passing by Nella Larsen (3.5 stars)
18. Love by Toni Morrison (4 stars)

February
Favorite:
17. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (4.5 stars)
16. The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson (4 stars)
15. The Weirdies by Michael Buckley (audio) (4.5 stars)
14. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley (4.25 stars)
13. Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke (4 stars)
12. Paradise by Toni Morrison (4.25 stars)
11. Emperor of the Air by Ethan Canin (3.5 stars)
10. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele (4 stars)
9. Blessings by Anna Quindlen (4.5 stars)

January
Favorite:
8. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2.75 stars)
7. Triangle by David Von Drehle (4 stars)
6. New Boy by Tracy Chevalier (3.5 stars)
5. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad (audio) (4 stars)
4. Siracusa by Delia Ephron (4.5 stars)
3. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls (4 stars)
2. One By One by Ruth Ware (3.5 stars)
1. Jazz by Toni Morrison (3.75 stars)

My Ratings (revised, once again, as I continue the fruitless search for the perfect scale...)

2 stars = Whyyyyyy?
3 stars = Eh, ok.
4 stars = Definitely worth the time.
5 stars = Perfect *for me*

(Anything below 2 stars is unlikely to be finished)



Welcome!

Why thank you, Katie. It's going to be a swell thread. You'll see it that.

Have some wine, why don't you.

Happy new thread. As a thread warming gift, I present an assortment of bonbons.



Don't eat them all at once...

Bonbons are strictly after-five eating. Tollhouse cookies are breakfast-to-end-of-soaps.

Abstain for the two hours between.

>7 richardderus: Ah, yes. Intermittent fasting.

Happy new one!

Comments on two items from your previous thread:

* Possible career change: very exciting! I agree with the comment that this should be driven by your heart, not your head i.e.; what do you really want to do? I can also endorse the lady of leisure lifestyle. I just had two bon bons as a lunch dessert.

* Check engine light: it came on in my car a couple of days before a trip earlier this year, and I had a mild freak out. Our regular car repair place said his schedule was full but if I stopped by he could at least put his special measuring device on the car and tell me more about the problem (I don't know what this device is, I don't understand cars). So, he does his thing and then gets out of the car, opens the little door to the fuel tank, and screws the gas cap down tight. Problem solved.

He asked if I had recently filled the tank. Well, yes, a day or so before. Was it in New Jersey? Why, yes it was. As a resident, you will know that in NJ they always pump your gas. The mechanic then shared his thoughts about slack-assed gas attendants.

Your problem seems more intermittent ... unless of course you've had the tank filled multiple times and been subject to the whims of the gas attendants.

>5 weird_O: - Hi Bill!

>6 Helenliz: - Oooh, pretty!

>7 richardderus: - That actually works well for me, as I prefer cookies to bonbons :D

>8 drneutron: - SNORK! Thanks, Jim!

>9 lauralkeet: - Laura, I don't think it's the gas cap thing. I'm not even sure there is actually a gas cap on this car. My rental in Dallas didn't have one and I was totally thrown off for a minute... Despite slacker gas station attendants, I love not having to pump my own gas :) The Wayne not so much.

>10 katiekrug: No gas cap? How....I mean....how? And, btw, I've had that engine light thing happen because of a non-tightened-up gas cap too.

>9 lauralkeet: The "special measuring device" is actually a code-reader, I think. The car's computer system registers the why of the engine light as a code that the mechanic's device translates into "here's what's wrong".

>11 laytonwoman3rd: - The gas tank had a rubber-y type flap thing (how technical am I?!?!) over it, that you just inserted the pump into. It was nice and easy.

Oregon is the only other state that doesn't allow you to fill your own tank (I believe) -- we try to buy all of our gasoline in Washington.

Wow! I am learning all kinds of things about gas tanks! Your thread is so informative, Katie. Happy new one, by the way. :)

>10 katiekrug: I didn’t think that was your car’s problem Katie, because you’re too smart to let that happen. It was the Jersey connection that made me mention it, because if you don’t pump your own gas then how would you even know whether the cap was on right?

>11 laytonwoman3rd: a code reader — that’s it!! Thanks Linda.

Yep, my Honda's fuel tank is capless, too, and I love it. Looks like this:



Happy new thread, Katie!

>13 RebaRelishesReading: - Heh. I love not pumping my own gas. No dirty hands or gas smell! Plus, I'm lazy.

>14 BLBera: - Talk about a random conversation, Beth! I love it.

>15 lauralkeet: - I do like being the representative of NJ in your head, Laura!

>16 scaifea: - Yep, that's what the CRV I rented looked like.

Happy Wednesday, Katie! Happy New Thread! Sorry, Klara didn't work for you. I really liked that one.

Hi Katie and Happy New Thread. I was just browsing through your prior thread and then suddenly there was a link to the new one. Good timing on my part. ;-)

I love that you are posting your favorite read each month. Based on your warbling, I have The Plot up next in my library reads but I see that you gave The Last Days of Summer that additional half star. I'll investigate.
And I was looking at a copy of The Other Black Girl at the bookstore the other day and I see that it landed atop your list for June.
I lOVED Dodgers when I read it a couple years ago.

I also drive a CRV and, while I do not love everything about it, the capless gas tank is awesome.

My Ford doesn't have a petrol cap either. You just push the nozzle into the tank neck and it pushes through the flappity thing.

>12 katiekrug:, >16 scaifea: Well, whaddya know?

I don't mind pumping my own gas anymore. But I resisted it for years while it was still possible to find stations where they would do it for you. And that's me, who learned how to operate a gas pump at the age of 15 or so, before they were designed for self-service. My uncle owned a general store/service/gas station, and most of the men in the village pumped their own gas---he had to turn on the pump from inside the store, but he could see cars pull up through the big front windows, and he recognized most of them, so he'd just flip the switch. Like with most things auto-related, my dad thought it wise that I learn how to operate the pump.

Katie my dear. Since I am fully cognizant of your desperate dearth of reading material, I felt a moral incumbency to be placed upon me to alleviate your depressed sufferings.

True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling is 99¢ until the 30th. "It's a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good job, four bossy sisters and a needy cat must also have want of her one true love. Or is it?"

May it salve the raw rash of reading-dearth.

Oh geez, I totally missed the possible career change bit. I will pay closer attention because that is exciting stuff!

Yay for transitioning to a life of leisure!

Happy new thread, Katie. So romance writing - sounds interesting, historical or contemporary?

Hi Katie, and happy new thread.

Happy that you’re in Discussions. And for real, you’re thinking about writing a romance?

>9 lauralkeet: Gas attendants? Wow. Live and learn. I haven’t had anybody pump my gas since the 1980s. And my 2012 Ford Escape doesn’t have a gas cap either.

Morning, Katie!

I'm *so* glad we can pump our own gas here in Ohio; I get so uncomfortable when someone else does that kind of thing for me. I have guilt. The Piggly Wiggly where we lived in WI didn't let you take your grocery cart out to the parking lot with you - you had to go get your car and then drive up to a loading area and an attendant would load your groceries for you. I hated it and would always get out and help them. And this last year I was so uncomfortable letting someone else load my groceries, but suffered through.

>18 msf59: - It seems like everyone liked it but me, Mark :)

>19 EBT1002: - Hi Ellen and thanks! I liked The Other Black Girl but it was not my favorite of the month. That was The Garden of Small Beginnings :)

>20 Helenliz: - It makes so much more sense not to have to fuss with a cap. I'm surprised it took so long to develop an alternative.

>21 laytonwoman3rd: - When I first started driving, I stressed over getting gas. I don't know why. I think I was always afraid of doing it wrong somehow...

>22 richardderus: - You are so kind to think of me and my reading desert! I have that one on my Kindle already, and if memory serves, it's thanks to you!

>23 EBT1002: - Less a "career change" than a "not wanting a career" :)

>24 ELiz_M: - We'll see how it goes, Liz!

>25 Familyhistorian: - Hi Meg! I've worked off an on for a couple of years on a contemporary romance. I'm not sure I have the discipline to see it through, but who knows?

>26 karenmarie: - Hi Karen. They are interesting Discussions. The Wayne is trying to convince me to do it and I am trying to talk myself out of it. I think often it's the other way around!

See my comment to Meg just above. It's a sort of in-progress thing.

>27 scaifea: - I get that. There are certain things I'm not comfortable having people do for me since I'm perfectly capable. That grocery thing would annoy me, for instance. But not having to get out of my car in all sorts of weather and get my hands dirty and smelly is just fine by me. #prettyprincess

I think they periodically try to change the law in NJ, but it's never succeeded. IT would certainly be a lot of lost jobs, for one thing...

The gym was good last night. I had managed to do some workouts while I was away, which helped. We went out for dinner (chicken caesar salad for me), during which The Wayne managed to spill the jus for his French dip into my lap. So that was fun. And a bit uncomfortable :-P Nuala was super excited to see me when I got home - I must have smelled like a nice juicy steak!

Today is trying to get things organized for work so I can be gone Friday and Monday. We got the car back yesterday afternoon - it was an easy fix involving a flap or something. And they washed and vacuumed out the car, which was a nice surprise. So we'll head down to Virginia tomorrow morning, after dropping Leonard at the vet where he boards (and gets spoiled rotten). I also have to get some laundry done today which means I should probably unpack my suitcase? Heh.

Still reading People We Meet on Vacation. I'm just over halfway through and it is dragging a bit. Not too bad, but the pacing could be better, I think. No audio time with Mrs. Obama :(

We had homemade chicken caesar salad for supper last night! #dinnertwins

Sorry to hear about the au jus spill but your description of Nuala's reaction when you came home made me laugh.

Are you boarding Nuala too or is she going with you to Virginia?

>31 MickyFine: - The jus mishap was funny, once the heat dissipated :)

Nuala is coming to Virginia. TW's family would never forgive us if we didn't bring her. They wanted us to bring Leonard, too, but I can't see the two of them surviving peaceably in the back seat together. If we still had the SUV with more room, we'd probably bring him...

In the Something to Look Forward To Department, I have purchased our tickets for two days at the US Open in September. Day 1 is The Wayne, my best friend, and me and Day 2 is just the bff and me. Always a good time, and I really missed it last year.

Very cool that you're working on a romance novel! Me, too, although I suspect that mine's complete crap. I'm just enjoying writing it, even if it's just for me. I highly recommend He Said, She Said: Writing Effective Dialogue if, like me, the mechanics of getting dialogue to run smoothly gives you trouble. It's super good and very helpful, plus the author is the coolest.

Aww, so lovely that the Wayne's fam is such a big fan of Nuala.

And yay for things to look forward to! I hope the matches are excellent - I know the company will be top notch. I just looked at my vacation approximator from work and discovered I'll have a bit more time than I thought and so I'm taking the week around Remembrance Day off. It'll likely be just a staycation but I'm excited all the same, especially since it means I can celebrate my birthday for a whole week. ;)

>34 scaifea: - #twinning!

I was curious about your references to writing recently but didn't want to be too nosy :) Thanks for the book rec - and how cool is that author! I'll definitely pick it up.

Also, I don't suspect mine is crap, I am quite certain of it! But I'm enjoying the effort (mostly).

>35 MickyFine: - They are big animal fans in general and haven't met Nuala yet, but I'm sure they will love her. She is such a Good Girl.

The tennis will be great. We just get the cheap tickets that give you access to the field courts and smaller stadiums, but we like it because you can be super close to the action, and in that first week, there are so many matches, that you can usually see some "names" since they can't get everybody into Ashe or Armstrong Stadium. Plus, it's cool to see up-and-comers. We saw Naomi Osaka play the first year we went - she was on a small court way in the back, but had a pretty good-size crowd because the NY Times had done a story on her the week or so before as someone to keep an eye on.

Now we just have to pray to the weather gods for no rain, and not too much heat.

ETA: Yay for unexpected time off! I am also a firm believer in extended birthday celebrations. Mine is at the end of April, and I usually start using it as an excuse to go out or to buy myself stuff at the start of the month :)

Mr. Fine's birthday is less than a week before mine so there's a lot of celebrating to do in November. :)

>33 katiekrug: Joy!

>30 katiekrug: Heh, poor Nuala, it's just Mom despite the tempting aroma of roast beast.

>29 katiekrug: Would a virtual workshop work for you? Sometimes the accountability of paying someone for their expert advice in executing a task is an excellent motivator to finish it.

>28 katiekrug: Clearly I need to make a place on my worksheet for "items tempted Katie with"

Have great fun at the tennis. Ground passes can be great value.

>29 katiekrug: 'Less a "career change" than a "not wanting a career"' Cracked me up. Were we in the same room, I would raise my glass.

Oh, and I did see that The Other Black Girl wasn't your favorite for the month, but it had caught my eye. The Garden of Small Beginnings was not on my radar but looks fun. It's like a new LT challenge: read every one of Katie's favorite-of-the-month reads if you haven't already done so. :-D

Sorry about the jus on the lap. I bet Nuala was indeed disappointed to learn it was smells without actual treat!

>29 katiekrug: Yeah, writing a whole book can be daunting but I found some supports to get me through. I'm working on the last chapter of my first draft now (well not really because I'm on LT and avoiding writing at the moment). Will send you some info on the supports.

>39 Helenliz: - We really like the grounds passes, as we have little interest in sitting in a giant stadium watching ants play tennis ;-)

>40 EBT1002: - *raises virtual glass in Ellen's direction*

I like the sound of that new challenge. No pressure or anything!

Thank goodness Nuala gets plenty of treats or the disappointment might have been too much for her to bear...

>41 Familyhistorian: - That's exciting, Meg! And thanks for the PM.

>38 richardderus: *sniff*chinwobble*

>43 richardderus: - UGH. How did I manage to do that?!?! I missed you AND Micky!

>37 MickyFine: - Ha! TW and I are about a month apart. I like having the month to myself ;-)

>38 richardderus: - I have a lot to think about wrt how I want to try to approach getting serious about writing. Outside accountability is always a good motivator for me, though!

I love when you tempt me with Kindle deals, so keep 'em coming.

I think Nuala has forgotten her disappointment of last night. She had a long day at day care and is wiped out.

>44 katiekrug: I assumed the idea of a commitment would make a positive difference. Now it's down to conceptually assessing what kind....

If my Spidey-senses aren't misled, there's a great-for-you one upcoming. Watch this space!

>34 scaifea: Her Aged P appreciates the plug. I'm countin' on those royalties to support me in my dotage!

>46 laytonwoman3rd: It's a well-deserved plug - I'm about halfway through and it's great, of course. She's so talented, that one.

Morning, Katie!

>45 richardderus: - Hmmm, intriguing!

>46 laytonwoman3rd: - Ha! Happy to help!

>47 scaifea: - Morning, Amber!

We're off today to drive to Virginia (waves at Laura and Nora!) to my in-laws. I'll probably just lurk here on LT for most of the time we're away (back Monday afternoon), if that. I expect the 4-year old Charlie will demand a lot of attention :)

Happy weekend, all!

>49 katiekrug: Sounds lovely Katie. Hope you have a good trip.

>49 katiekrug: *waves back*
Have a great trip!

Safe travels and have a great time!

I can attest that 4yo Charlies are pretty cool creatures. Have fun!

>44 katiekrug: November filled up with birthdays when I married Mr. Fine. My second oldest niece was the only one I had to share it with initially but now there's Mr. Fine, his daughter, and my father-in-law all in November. Also a couple friends have kids whose birthdays are in November as well. It's what comes of being 9 months after February, I guess. ;)

Hope you have an excellent visit with your in-laws and that Nuala and Charlie tucker each other out.

Safe travel, happy visit, ecstatic homecoming!

Safe travels, Katie!

Have a great trip, Katie.

Have a fun trip and enjoy being Charlie'd.

Happy Saturday, Katie. Enjoy your weekend with the in-laws!

Have a wonderful trip and a great visit, Katie.

This is a Sunday you're glad you're not here! Foggy, dank, gross. Hope you're having a good visit.

Thanks for all the good wishes! We had a really nice visit, despite a horror show of a drive down on Friday. It took 7+ hours. I've made this drive a lot, since my early post-college days in DC, and never had it so bad. Blerg. But we survived, Nuala was a Very Good Girl, had two nice days of just hanging out and chilling, and then a much better drive back.

I finished some books, too!

7+ hours? Yikes. Well done to all, especially Nuala.

Hi Katie!

Glad the visit went well even though the drive down was hellish.

That is a hellish drive. Is it NJ Tpke and I-95 nearly all the way? So many possibilities for urban traffic snafus. One of the best parts about driving from Philly to our new place (which we did several times before the move), is that you head west just before Baltimore, missing all the godawful traffic further south.

But … the important thing is that you had a great visit!

>62 charl08: - And she was so good with Charlie, which I was a bit worried about because she isn't used to small humans :)

>63 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen!

>64 lauralkeet: - Hi Laura - yep, the Turnpike and 95, Harbor Tunnel, B-W Parkway, etc. The worst of the traffic was north of Baltimore...

Ugh on the downward drive...maybe use the western route next time and drive east inside VA?

No matter, you're safe, you read stuff, it's all good.

Sorry to hear the drive there was terrible but I'm happy to hear that everything else about the visit was excellent. Hope the return to work isn't too painful for either of you.

>66 richardderus: - Yeah, we've done the Western route but when we left, there were no issues indicated. And once you get past a certain point, it's not easy to re-route unless you want to add even more hours.

But all's well that ended well!

>67 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky. Work is turning out to be pretty sucky today, so I may just ditch it and take a nap. Heh.

Oh yoicks, I hate I-95. I'm glad you're back home and safe, and that you had a great trip!

Glad you had a nice time once you got there. >:-)

>69 scaifea: - It's definitely not my favorite highway! Glad we are taking the train when we go to Boston next month.

But the rest of the trip was worth it :)

>70 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen!

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

This one started strong but fizzled a bit in the middle before (somewhat) recovering. It's the story of best friends, Poppy and Alex, who take an annual trip together. Until they don't. And then Poppy tries to resurrect the tradition. Various chapters tell of previous trips until the One That Went Wrong. It was a fun device until it got a bit repetitive. Not a bad sophomore effort from the author of Beach Read, which I really enjoyed last year.

3.5 stars

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

I'm not much of a sci-fi reader, but this was an enjoyable listen while trapped in traffic on I-95. The Wayne really enjoyed it. I won't be rushing out to seek the next in the series, but I have a feeling we'll listen to it on our next road trip.

3.5 stars

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I have precisely nothing to add to the gazillion reviews of this memoir. It was very good, especially the parts about her childhood and early professional years. And she reads it very well.

4 stars

>71 katiekrug: I drove from Yale to DC on Friday evening in the pouring rain and just, well, NEVER AGAIN.

>73 katiekrug: ...so you don't care to know about the 75% off sale on Fugitive Telemetry that Author Wells is touting?
https://www.audiobooks.com/promotions/promotedBook/465523/fugitive-telemetry?ref...

>73 katiekrug: I'm glad Murderbot made a decent impression on you even if sci-fi isn't your jam. Yay Murderbot!

>75 scaifea: - Yikes. That sounds rough. I did a lot of DC to NY driving when I lived in the former. And one memorable DC to Cape Cod marathon drive on my own, which I was not eager to repeat - except I had to go back eventually ;-)

>76 richardderus: - I think not. That's what the library is for!

>77 MickyFine: - They will be a good listen for car trips because The Wayne can be picky.

>78 katiekrug: Mr. Fine and I have already been negotiating over potential audiobooks for our road trip vacation in September. We've decided on Norse Mythology for sure as I liked it in print and we both agree that Gaiman can read anything and we'll like it. Still some debate on the second book choice though. Even if we mix it up with music we'll have over 20 hours of driving during the trip so odds are good of finishing two audiobooks.

Okay...so no-go on the 75% off deal for Murderbot ::side-eye::...sharpening my aim:

The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams by Emily Blaine is 99¢ until Friday. Meet-cute, bookshop, Sunshine vs the Grump. 4 stars.

>70 Helenliz: I know where you are coming from with that. I'd listen to Mr Gaiman read the telephone book - he has a fabulous reading voice.

>73 katiekrug: Same. I checked it out for Morgan, who enjoyed it, and then I read it. But he's reading the novellas all in a row and I'm following along behind, a little more slowly. They're okay.

>79 MickyFine: - So far, our best road trip audios have been Mary Roach's books - Stiff, Grunt, etc. They're super interesting and very funny and entertaining.

>80 richardderus: - Unless it's an audio sale, nope, not interested.

Now, that Emily Blaine book, OTOH, sounds right up my alley and has been duly added to my Kindle collection. Nice shot, sir!

>81 Helenliz: - Totally agree!

>82 ursula: - I enjoyed the snark in them (shocking, I know) :)

I am feeling SO much better today. I had a great sleep (finally) and am ready to tackle things - which is good because I have a miles-long To Do list.

We ended up going out for dinner last night because neither of us felt like cooking. We really need to be more disciplined on that front....

No gym tonight because of scheduling issues and then Friday and Monday we have to work with a STRANGER because Joel the Devil will be out of town. I wanted to cancel altogether, but JtD guilt-tripped me out of that. *sigh*

I should finish my current read tonight, and I'm not sure what's next. I did just start a new audio - The Strawberry HEarts Diner because I wanted something undemanding.

I'm really pleased that we agree on The Plot's plot being rather plodding.

>83 katiekrug: ::nail-buff::

I still got it.

Happy Hazeday! I mean Humpday! May it be terrifically productive.

>85 richardderus: - *Smooch*

Ummmmmmmmmmmm
The River Between Us by Liz Fenwick
Cornwall/Devon *literal* border
mid-fifties gladly divorced MC, rid of unloved, unloving husband
restoring cottage, discovers WWI doomed-love letters, both timelines End Up...Good...
99¢ until NEXT Friday the 30th

Happy newish thread, Katie! I'll also be at the US Open this year, my parents and I got tickets for September 1 and I'm very much looking forward to returning.

Back up to the discussions of "gas caps" and pump practices - generally in Malaysia you fill your own fuel (after paying for it either by cash or card) although many stations have helpers - usually from Bangladesh - who are desperate to help in the process or clean your windscreen - I have a regular place I go and do get the chap to help me check the tyre pressures occasionally (because I am hopeless with it) but usually I fill up myself but tip the guy anyway for keeping me company!

>87 richardderus: - I will have a look-see. Thanks!

>88 bell7: - Which tickets did you get, Mary? Maybe I'll see you in the crowd! I'm so excited to go back.

>89 PaulCranswick: - Thanks for chiming in, Paul.

Virtual HH tonight, so takeout for dinner. I'm leaning towards sushi, but we'll see...

We had a quiet evening last night, as TW had a late work meeting, so I made dinner (curry-spiced chickpea bowls with garlic rice and cucumber raita). It was pretty good, though it got a little dry because we delayed eating so TW could go buy me some wine :)

Then I read and did crossword puzzles before going to bed. I slept not great, which is getting very annoying. I think it's the lack of gym time.

I'm reading Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins which is fine. I actually prefer her romance novels - the books of hers I've read since she moved into writing more popular fiction have not been as good. Oh well...

Work is work. I had a little rant during my regular call with my boss yesterday afternoon. He is trying to figure out how to "make life easier" for Board members who feel over-worked, and my point, heatedly stated, was that they could start by actually listening to me, reading my emails, and not getting bogged down in the operational weeds of the organization. My whole job is to make their lives easier - at least as it relates to their Board work - but half the time they disregard and/or ignore my communications. So f*ck 'em.

And how was everyone else's day? :)

So f*ck 'em.

Damn straight. I'm agin coddling when the first round of help is ignored. College students are notorious at ignoring help, too.

>91 katiekrug: I so feel that rant about people not listening or reading emails and then complaining that they don't know something. It's only 2 of the 12 people I work with but it's SO irritating. And then they get annoyed because I'm "nagging" them when if they would just do it right the first time I would happily leave them alone!

Grrrr. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest and onto your thread. :-)

Hi Katie!

>91 katiekrug: Poor Board members. NOT. So f*ck ‘em. indeed.

>92 scaifea: - You'd think a bunch of accomplished professionals would acquit themselves better... but no.

>93 rosalita: - Happy to have a co-venter, Julia!

>94 karenmarie: - Thanks, Karen :)

>95 katiekrug: re: >92 scaifea: Why on EARTH would one think that? Most of them are where they are to get them out of the way of people who need to accomplish things! That's what the boardroom is for: Set the course, O Grizzled Heads, that we may plot the voyage so it works.

>96 richardderus: - In their "real" jobs, they are all competent and respected. Well, most of them...

>97 katiekrug: ...ask their subordinates...maybe not quite so much.

The old Roman adage about "a man is a hero to all except his wife and his servants" is, dated though it is, true.

When I was working part of my responsibility was to mail notice to property owners near proposed development. People would receive the notice and then come to the city council and rant about not knowing what was going on. My BFF, the City Clerk, and I used to (semi)joke about one of us hand delivering the notices while the other filmed.

My oh my, how I do love retirement!

>91 katiekrug: I had a job similar to that once, working as chief lackey for a senior executive. His leadership team was hopeless at reading and acting on things I sent (often on behalf of the exec). Annoying and yeah, So f*ck ‘em.

>98 richardderus: - Too true.

>99 RebaRelishesReading: - I am looking forward to retirement myself.

>100 lauralkeet: - It's certainly liberating to actually think I could just say "f*ck 'em" and move on with my life....

>98 richardderus: he's on to something there...

I had quite a good day. It was office day, so lots of meetings with various people. I did 2 training sessions on a new process that's been issued. Had agreement on the definition of incoming inspection. May have agreed a drawing issue process (assuming I can now generate a flow chart that doesn't look like a plate of spaghetti). And avoided a meeting on post Brexit tax and shipping, which sounded like a right bundle of laughs (NOT!)

As a small company, we've not yet got the I'm too important to read your mail syndrome. It's one of the liberating things about being in a small company.

>102 Helenliz: Ain't he.

And avoided a meeting on post Brexit tax and shipping, which sounded like a right bundle of laughs (NOT!)

That is black-belt level meeting fu! Teach classes, you'll be wealthy overnight.

>90 katiekrug: we ended up getting Ashe tickets, one in the upper section but near the bottom and two in the next to highest section. But that's really on case of rain (well, and if Federer ends is with a day match, I'll probably watch a set), I'm planning on mostly being on the outer courts. I'll keep an eye out to wave to you!

Sorry work has been so frustrating 🙁

>102 Helenliz: - I'm glad you had a good day, Helen!

>103 richardderus: - Heh.

>104 bell7: - We got tickets for Ashe the first year we went but didn't spend much time watching matches there because we were so far away. It is nice to have the option if it rains, though.

Virtual HH was okay - we spend so much time bitching about work that given the head-space I'm in, it just gets depressing. I signed off after a couple of hours.

Nothing else really to report. I'm looking forward to the weekend, since I've been away from home the last two. Tons of laundry and tidying up to do...

>106 katiekrug: I'm sorry about the head-space preventing your usual happytime being less happy than time. In case you can't visit today, my big light-bulb moment about the HUGE increase in blog traffic hit:

I'm ecstatic. Jimmy Fallon, all unknowing, has driven over 1,100 people a day to my blog by choosing The Plot! In fact, to keep myself on the top of the Googlecharts, I'm postponing my usual Friday post until Sunday. Greedy thing, ain't I.

>91 katiekrug: One of my bosses once said (in a meeting, with other people) "Oh, you are sweet to think I read your emails." I got up and left the room. WFH has taken so much away from us...

I hope your Friday is better than your pre-Friday, Katie!

>108 susanj67: Wow. I am SO glad I retired before this situation descended on us. I had some bad moments in the office, but WFH might have killed me.

Happy Friday, Katie. Just catching up. I worked in a law firm partnership - essentially a group of co-owners - and so of course at meetings each person felt their opinion was vitally important, and getting consensus usually was like pulling teeth. Not being at those has enhanced my appreciation of retirement.

>107 richardderus: - Saw that over on your thread. Very cool!

>108 susanj67: - Good for you for leaving, Susan! The mind boggles at what comes out of people's mouths sometimes...

>109 laytonwoman3rd: - I actually love WFH, Linda, but I know lots of people who are struggling with it.

>110 jnwelch: - Hi Joe - nice to see you! My retirement comes ever closer.

Deleted a cranky message; must not let annoying things get the better of me.

>108 susanj67: Well done. I once walked out of a meeting after being told that it's a man's world and I may as well get used to it. The worst thing being that they couldn't get why that might have upset me at all.

>30 katiekrug: Out of curiosity, how much is it per night to board Leonard? I need to find a boarding option for my cat (not that I'd take him to Jersey) because Rover just isn't working for me. I get through the process of finding a sitter, an initial conversation, and when I go to confirm the booking the price has doubled. As if I am not going to notice! Or care that instead of paying $225 for a week they are charging $475!

Sorry, needed to vent apparently. And I hear (>93 rosalita:, >95 katiekrug:) this is as good a place as any.

>113 Helenliz: - *jaw drop*

>114 ELiz_M: - Hi Liz! The vet charges about $30/day for boarding. I'm sorry about the trouble with Rover - that sounds really frustrating.

Okay, so I think I'm more myself today. At least, I'm not in a bad mood (yet - ha!).

The gym was okay last night - I obviously hadn't been in a while. And Joel the Devil is on vacation so we had a different trainer who talked too much. But it felt good to be back.

I had a decent night's sleep and am now gearing up to tackle some house chores and laundry. Exciting life I lead, eh?

Happy Saturday, Katie. I hope you have a relaxing weekend, which involves plenty of book time. Sounds like you could use it.

>117 msf59: - Ha! Thanks, Mark. There will definitely be some reading on the agenda!

Hope that the chores aren't too chore-y.
The gym and the good night's sleep are all good. Joel might be the devil, but at least he's not a talkative devil. 3:-)

"Chore" is rather how my current read feels. I keep mentally editing lines...tweaking PoV changes...generally doing the work I'd hope someone would've already seen was needed.

*sigh*

>119 Helenliz: - The chores are getting done without too much chore-ness about them :) JtD talks but since I know him, I don't feel like I have to respond to everything he says...

>120 richardderus: - Ew. Put it down. Reading should not be a chore!

>121 katiekrug: Can't. Homework reading...got a DRC. And worst of all: I actually like the story.

So. Goddamned. FRUSTRATING.

>122 richardderus: - Well, poop.

Happy Sunday! It's grey and rainy here, which is fine, as I still have a few things to do around the house and maybe a nap later :)

I did manage to get a bunch done yesterday, while also fitting in some reading and other fun stuff. We went out to dinner again. Bad us. Lockdown was so much better for my waistline... *sigh*

Today I'll be finishing up the laundry, changing the bed linens, vacuuming, and I think that's it.

I finished Pack Up the Moon yesterday and have started The Frozen Thames.

I think dinner will be some sort of pasta, as The Wayne harvested a bunch of cherry tomatoes from his garden. He does a nice "sauce" with roasted tomatoes, basil, and garlic. And now I want it NOW.

>124 katiekrug: Oh, that delicious fresh-cherry-tomato salsa cruda. Or does he roast them first, until they pop, then put the oil/garlic/basil on the hot roasties? Any old way ya do it, the fresher the better.

Merry Sunday!

Glad Sunday's treating you well. I've made an attempt at catching up on the ironing. The last few weeks of good weather have been excellent for drying washing, less good for getting it ironed...
Next task is topping & tailing blackcurrants from the garden, we're having meringue, raspberries (also home grown), blackcurrants, ice cream & raspberry coulis for pudding. It's healthy, it's got fruit in it.

>126 Helenliz: It's healthy, it's got fruit in it.

Who cares! It sounds divine!

When i see someone talking about ironing I feel that have accidentally fallen into a John Updike novel

>125 richardderus: - He does it a few different ways but usually oil in the pan, then the garlic, then the tomatoes, let them kind of burst, stir it all up with some fresh basil. I don't think there is any way to screw up those ingredients however you put them together, unless you burn the garlic, of course.

>126 Helenliz: and >128 magicians_nephew: - I confess I have not ironed a single thing in at least 5 years...

>126 Helenliz: and >127 richardderus: - It all sounds fantastic. Very jealous right now!

The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White

I must have read this book at least a half dozen times as a tween. And I can date much of my interest in politics and the behind-the-scenes of life in Washington to that time and to this book. It follows the 16 year old daughter of the first female President as she adjusts, first to her mother running for President and then to life in The White House. It was first published in 1984 and then updated in 2008 (no doubt in connection with Hillary Clinton's first Presidential run). The updates seem to have been mostly to include cell phones and the internet and to smooth out some of the more dated cultural references. It wasn't as good as I remembered, but it's been, um, a lot of years since I was 11 and 12 :)

3 stars

Mmm the tomatoes sound great, Katie. If there are more to be harvested, here's a tasty recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appétit. I really liked it, but Chris wasn't a fan of roasted-until-they-pop tomatoes. What is wrong with him? So I feel compelled to share it with someone who might appreciate it.

Sheet Pan Gnocchi

>131 lauralkeet: - Thanks for that, Laura! I don't normally love gnocchi, but I'd like to try it using that method. And yes, we'll have LOTS more tomatoes coming...

>131 lauralkeet:, >132 katiekrug: That sounds excellent! I've sent the link to my YGC. (What *is* wrong with Chris?!)

>130 katiekrug: I am renewed in my vow not to seek out and re-read books from my past.

>129 katiekrug: That's the method I'm accustomed to. Sometimes I'll put tarragon and thyme in place of the basil, or add some rosemary to it, but thass the one I luuuv.

Okay Katie and RD, please let me know when it’s on the menu and I’ll be right over!

>133 richardderus: - It turned out not to be his best version. The tomatoes - I forget the particular variety but they are orange-y yellow - were much sweeter than regular old red ones. We agreed next time it needed some onion and/or pepper and that some nice hot Italian chicken sausage would be a good addition. I'm going to try the leftovers as a cold pasta salad for lunch and see if I can salvage it.

>134 lauralkeet: - Will do, Laura!

>135 katiekrug: Ahhh, well that's good information to store for the future. Permaybehaps some pepper flakes for your pasta salad?

In any case, enjoy the pretty day outside!

I am not completely caught up, but I'm dropping a post anyway. I mean, Monday, so yeah...

I envy you the fresh tomatoes - Craig used to grow the best tomatoes in Indiana, but he has not been successful with them down here and has finally given up trying.

>136 richardderus: - I did add some red pepper flakes, and it was much better as a cold pasta salad. It probably helped that the flavors had time to mush.

>137 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie! Thanks for stopping by. TW planted way too many tomato plants of various varieties. Right now, we are awash in small ones (like, we have over 100 sitting in the kitchen...) I am looking forward to the big ones ripening so I can have BLTs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner :)

I've been procrastinating work by researching restaurants in Boston for our little getaway next month. I want to go to All The Places...

>139 katiekrug: I totally relate.

>140 richardderus: - If it were just me, it'd be super easy - all seafood, all the time. But TW is not a big seafood fan. *sigh*

>141 katiekrug: Mine's allergic to seafood (amongst other things). It's also something that I'm a bit scared of cooking, so I take the opportunity to have when I'm out.

I am also allergic to some seafood, so I no longer try any new things in that food genre - I am afraid. But Craig LOVES seafood, so he feels your pain. He went to visit his mom last weekend and chowed down on the seafood, so he was very happy about that.

>142 Helenliz: - Same here, Helen (about the scared of cooking it).

>143 Crazymamie: - I was looking up seafood restaurants and checking menus for ones that had Other Things Too, but then I realized I should just look up good restaurants because they are all bound to have seafood of some sort and it's bound to be good :)

I think this $1.99 Kindlebook sounds like something you will enjoy: The Girl in the Painting by Tea Cooper

A young prodigy in need of family.

A painting that shatters a woman’s peace.

And a decades-old mystery demanding to be solved.

Australia, 1906

Orphan Jane Piper is nine years old when philanthropist siblings Michael and Elizabeth Quinn take her into their home to further her schooling. The Quinns are no strangers to hardship. Having arrived in Australia as penniless immigrants, they now care for others as lost as they once were.

Despite Jane’s mysterious past, her remarkable aptitude for mathematics takes her far over the next seven years, and her relationship with Elizabeth and Michael flourishes as she plays an increasingly prominent part in their business.

But when Elizabeth reacts in terror to an exhibition at the local gallery, Jane realizes no one knows Elizabeth after all—not even Elizabeth herself. As the past and present converge and Elizabeth’s grasp on reality loosens, Jane sets out to unravel her story before it’s too late.

From the gritty reality of the Australian goldfields to the grand institutions of Sydney, this compelling novel presents a mystery that spans continents and decades as both women finally discover a place to call home.
***
I think you'll like it...my free sample made me want the book.

Hubby won't eat seafood either so I, too, eat it in restaurants a lot :(

>145 richardderus: - Thanks for the tip!

>!46 - What is it with these guys? :)

Blerg. I was wide awake at 5:30 this morning, so today should be interesting. I've got lots to do for work and I need to finish tidying before the cleaners come this afternoon.

I don't htink I mentioned it before, but I've started Against the Loveless World and it is good so far. Very intense.

Morning, Katie. Good luck today. Ooh, Against the Loveless World does sound good. I had not heard of it.

Hi Katie!

Cherry tomatoes are great just popping them into your mouth, IF you like ‘raw’ tomatoes. I found that orange and yellow tomatoes just weren’t as flavorful when I was gardening, so I eventually just planted Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes.

>141 katiekrug: Too bad TW doesn’t like seafood.

>144 katiekrug: Good idea. But even our local seafood restaurant in Siler City – one we went to last Saturday – has chicken, pasta, and beef offerings for those who don’t like seafood. I had Shrimp Sensation – fried popcorn shrimp, fried jumbo shrimp, and cold boiled shrimp.

>148 katiekrug: Sorry you were up so early. I hope the day goes well and the cleaners do a great job.

>149 msf59: - Hiya, Mark! Thanks for the good wishes. I found AtLW on Instagram - one of the reading challenges I am doing has a prompt to read a book found via #bookstagram. It was a shot in the dark but is working out well so far.

>150 karenmarie: - Hi Karen! Whatever variety these orange ones are have a nice sweet flavor. I do plan to have some raw, but I am also trying to give some away because there are so many - both already picked and ripening on the plants.

A lot of the restaurants I was looking at had very limited non-seafood options. The more casual places had more options and since TW gets mad when I make him dress nicely for more than one dinner on vacation, we should be okay :) I did make a reservation for a nice Italian place in the North End and will probably make one at Row 34 which has come highly recommended (I've already planned my order *grin*). I went to college outside Boston and have a bunch of friends in the area, so the recommendations I asked for have been overwhelming!

Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins

Josh Park has been widowed at age 30. His wife, Lauren, suffered from a pulmonary disease that took her after only three years of marriage. But Lauren left Josh letters for each month of his first year without her - reminding him of her love for him, encouraging him, and giving him tasks to do to keep him connected to other people and to the world. It's a cheesy premise, sure, and some of it made me roll my eyes because the sap level got a bit high at times. That said, Higgins is a favorite author for a reason (though I prefer her contemporary romance novels to her more recent popular fiction stuff) - she has a sense of humor similar to mine, she always manages to include love for the New York Yankees, and she writes wonderful secondary characters that often are more interesting than the main ones. This novel probably could have been at least 50 pages shorter, and I did get a little antsy every time I was hit over the head with how perfect Lauren was, but the ending made me ugly cry, so I bumped the rating up from 3.5 stars.*

4 stars

* I'm tempted to bump it further because I just learned that Higgins and I went to the same college. Go 'Saders!

Unofficial state flag of my adopted home.



#NationalNewJerseyDay

>153 katiekrug: Ha! Maybe it's being from the East Coast originally, but I do appreciate states that are upfront about their disdain for others, instead of being all "nicey-nice" in public and vicious in private.

>154 rosalita: - We wouldn't be so defensive if we didn't have NY constantly being mean...

Just wait until congestion pricing is approved...New Jerseyans are going to go nuts.

Morning Katie (well afternoon in your time zone, I suppose)! Ran across this article from Bustle on asexual romance novels in one of my librarian newsletters and thought you'd find it interesting too. :)

>156 vivians: - As will a lot of non-NYC NYers! All the people I know here who work in the city use public transit. I am decidedly pro-congestion pricing myself :)

>157 MickyFine: - That was interesting, Micky, thanks for sharing it. I wish the genre got more credit for its inclusiveness from more mainstream outlets.

>153 katiekrug: *chuckle*

>152 katiekrug: she always manages to include love for the New York Yankees
*deletes all Higgins Kindlebooks*

*smooch*

>159 richardderus: - Do you even *have* and Higgins on your Kindle?

And it's usually subtle love - like in this one, it's just mentioned that a character watched the Red Sox lose to the Yankees.

>160 katiekrug: *virtuous chestpuff* Certainly not! The very idea.

...but my Kindle runneth over with this series...Killer in the Carriage House is the second book in the Victorian Village Mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly: Welcome back to Asheboro, Maryland, where real estate can be a matter of life and death, and only costs $2.99.

Much fun. Good characters. About three hours' worth of steady reading.

>161 richardderus:, >162 richardderus: - Harumph (to the lack of Higgins and to ANOTHER book rec).

But it's a loving HARUMPH.

We had a quiet evening last night - dinner was a yummy HelloFresh meal of stir-fried turkey and green beans over ginger-flavored quinoa. Then we watched some random TV, and I went to bed. Nothing much going on here, really. Joel the Devil is back so we will have our regular gym session tonight. Not sure what's for dinner but definitely something easy.

I'm still reading The Frozen Thames and Against the Loveless World, both of which are keeping my attention nicely.

Quiet evenings are so great though - but that might be my introverted, homebody self talking. :P

Hi, Katie. Just checkin' in on your doin's. So now I see. Back in the Chris Christie days, it was New Jersey that did that mean thing to New York. When CC blew up the well-advanced project to ream another tunnel under the Hudson. Okay, it wasn't mean only to New York; it was mean to everyone entangled with the Northeast Corridor, especially including New Jerseyans.

>165 MickyFine: - I love a quiet evening! It just makes my posts boring :)

>166 weird_O: - Yep, I'm very familiar with the Gateway Project.

*chuckle*

I feel so Disapproved Of. *sniff*

>168 richardderus: - There, there. *pat pat*

It was a return to routine last night, with finishing up work, tidying the kitchen, going to the gym, and coming home to make dinner. I am glad to have Joel the Devil back at the gym. I don't work as hard when he's not there...

For dinner, we grilled some chicken jalapeno sausage and had it with sauteed peppers and tomatoes. After dinner, I read and futzed around on the internet until bed.

In fun news, we'll be meeting up with Marianne (michigantrumpet) and her husband for brunch while we are in Boston! I hope I remember to get a picture... Caroline (cameling) was hoping to come, too, but she'll be out of town that weekend :(

I've got lots of stuff to do at work, so I should be nice and busy today. And productive, as Nuala will be at day care. Tonight, we are going to a local place for pub trivia - always fun.

Still reading Against the Loveless World. I did finished The Frozen Thames yesterday, so now my attention won't be split and I should finish AtLW by tomorrow, I think.

Sounds like a great plan for the day. Do you do dinner at the pub or just bevvies?

>171 MickyFine: - OH, no, we'll eat there, too. Any excuse not to cook *grin*

>172 katiekrug: I feel that.

>170 katiekrug: A pub quiz instead of VHH! Excellent idea. Too bad about Caroline being away, but great fun to (meet?) see Marianne while a-Bostoning.

I hope the rest of the day whips past at warp speed.

>173 MickyFine: - Also, potato skins. 'Nuff said.

>174 richardderus: - I've met Marianne once before, when she was visiting NYC. It will be lovely to see her again. We've picked Buttermilk and Bourbon for brunch - go check out the menu. *drool*

>175 katiekrug: Crawfish hand pies with Duke's mayo...sticky toffee pudding with bourbon sauce...holy mother Pomona these folk know how to do it!

>176 richardderus: - Right? I want All The Things.

Crawfish hand pies with Duke's mayo

OMG. Must have.

It's a good thing I've had dinner, Beignets. mmmmmmmm.

>178 drneutron: - The Wayne has already decided he's getting the chicken and waffles. I am leaning towards the pulled pork benedict.... :)

>179 Helenliz: - Dessert!

Well, 'tis done. I told my boss today I was leaving. I'm staying until mid-October, which he was embarrassingly grateful for.

Can't believe I finally did it!

>181 katiekrug: Woo hoo!!
Well done you.
>:-D

>180 katiekrug: Of course, always read a menu from dessert forwards. Need to make sure there's room for pudding.

>181 katiekrug: Congrats!!! I'm so happy for you!

>182 Helenliz: - Thanks, Helen! And I love your menu strategy!

>183 MickyFine: - Talk about a weight off one's shoulders...

Road trip to Georgia in my newly free time?!?!

>181 katiekrug: CONGRATS!!! Great news! Just think of all that time for books! Travel!

>181 katiekrug: what >185 Crazymamie: said

Well done you!

Congrats!

>181 katiekrug: OMG I knew you were thinking about it, but didn't realize you were actually ready to take the plunge. Way to go, Katie!

Congrats on making the plunge to leave your job, Katie. What's next? Have fun with your Boston meet up.

Congrats Katie. Hope the last few months are fairly relaxed.

WOOT!! I believe you will make an excellent Lady of Leisure.

Happy Friday, Katie! Congrats on making the right decision. I hope this brings you much more peace of mind.

Thanks, everybody! It's quite a load off my mind. I told my happy hour comrades yesterday, and my boss will be letting the Board and senior staff know. It doesn't feel quite real, but that's probably because I have a lot to do in the next few months.

WE had quite a lot of excitement here last night. We got a terrible storm, with tornado warnings and ridiculously heavy rain. The back of our property abuts a river, and I happened to look out and all of the back yard was covered in water. It kept rising and in places was almost 2 feet deep. The Wayne's garden might be a total loss - time will tell. And we got a few inches of water in the basement, despite having a sump pump and extra pump. So TW needs to deal with that. I won't mention that I had warned him not to leave a lot of stuff on the basement floor... He's from Florida where basements aren't a thing, but I grew up with a basement and know what can happen. ANYWAY, we knew when we bought the house that it was in a flood zone. Our mortgage actually requires us to carry flood insurance. The surprise was that it happened so quickly. Maybe two hours of rain and BOOM!

The saddest part was trivia was cancelled and I didn't get my potato skins :(

This wasn't even at the worst of it...



Amazingly, it's all gone now and the back yard is just a little damp.

Katie, I was watching your FB posts with horror last night. I'm so sorry you guys had to deal with this. I'm glad to hear it's all gone now. But STILL. So stressful. I hope you don't have too much indoor damage.

So sorry about your flooded basement - water is the worst. Good luck to The Wayne.

>198 lauralkeet: - Thanks, Laura. It could have been worse but it was definitely Not Fun!

>199 BLBera: - Thank you, Beth. He's gotten most of the standing water out - it was only a few inches by this morning, and never was more than 6, I don't think so. Now to dehumidify....

Happy Friday, Katie. Saw your posts on Instagram and am glad to hear you didn't float away.

>197 katiekrug: Yow, Katie. Really sorry about Wayne's garden. Days of work, swoosh and gone in minutes. Makes me very glad to be on high ground.

>196 katiekrug: Oh Noes! Hope the garden recovers and the basement dries without too much damage.

I grew up in a harbour village and it regularly flooded, probably 2 out of 5 years. Spring tide, over in a couple of hours, if that. You could tell the incommers to the old village; they removed the storm sills. And then put them back again.

Ever since I've had a say in my own house, I've lived on a hill.

Yoicks! I'm glad the damage seems minimal.

>201 MickyFine: - Thanks, Micky! I'm glad too.

>202 weird_O: - Thanks, Bill. He's really bummed about it.

>203 Helenliz: - I mean, we sort of knew what we were in for but we thought we'd have more warning, like if a hurricane was coming or something. It was just crazy how fast it happened.

>204 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber!

Congratulations on taking the big step to freedom! But so sorry to hear about your flood. What a pain!!

That storm was somethin' else! But the post-storm clean-up is always worse, so my sympathies to y'all. I saw "a month's worth of rain in a day" being bandied about. It sure felt like it.

Recover well.

>206 RebaRelishesReading: - Thank you on both counts, Reba!

>207 richardderus: - I wouldn't be surprised if it was a month's worth. I don't think I've ever seen rain like that...

The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys

I've read two novels by Helen Humphreys (Afterimage and Coventry) and really liked them both. This book is not a novel but a series of vignettes, each set during a different year when the Thames froze over. They are very short and spare but beautifully written. All deal with themes of loss or transition, and the period artwork that is included is a wonderful addition to a book that is lovely as an object itself.

4 stars

>209 katiekrug: I read that book several thousand years ago. Not a bad effort at all IIRC. It was a very unusual structure to choose but a good overarching story.

Great comments on The Frozen Thames, Katie. I really liked that one as well.

See what happens when you free yourself from the tyranny of wage slavery? The heavens open! Not even enough time to build an ark.

Seriously, congratulations on your career change. Lady of leisure/romance novelist sounds just like you. And I hope the basement dries out soon.

Congratulations on getting out of a job you were no longer enamored with Katie. On to the next big thing.

And condolences on the flooding. Water is supposed to be the one element on earth that can does worse damage than anything else which makes perfect sense. Our first house was located on a flood plain but after eight years in the house we never had a problem with water at all. We've had more rain here in July than ever in recorded history and it's come in torrents, just one huge downpour after another. Thank God there's no such thing as global warming.

Yikes, what a picture (the flood).
The Frozen Thames is a beautiful book. One of those ones I didn't want to return to the library.

I do hope everything is drying out now Katie!

>181 katiekrug: Wooohoo! >197 katiekrug: Boohoo.

>210 richardderus: - I know Joe is also a fan of it.

>211 BLBera: - Thanks, Beth. It was a nice change of pace.

>212 ffortsa: - Thank you, Judy! I did text a picture of the backyard to my boss and said "I think God is punishing me." He laughed.

>213 brenzi: - Thanks re: the job, Bonnie. I am looking forward to see what I can do. I was thinking about climate change with regards to our little flood. It would probably behoove us to get a professional (engineer?) out to see if there are any mitigation steps we can take to better keep water away from the house. I don't think this will be an isolated occurrence.

>214 charl08: - I'm glad to have it gracing my shelves!

>215 SandDune: - Thanks, Rhian. It is...

>216 ELiz_M: - What, no yoohoo?!?! :)

Gym this afternoon instead of last night because The Wayne was dealing with stuff in the basement. Then we watched his favorite movie, The Hunt for Red October which I also really enjoy.

I have some errands to run today, laundry to do, and a bathroom to clean. Good times.

Yesterday, I started You Deserve Nothing which is very good so far. And I don't know what it is about them, but I love those Europa Editions - not the stories but the books themselves. I love the size and the paper and the font. I'm such a nerd.

>153 katiekrug: catching up after being away for a few days - love this flag

>164 katiekrug: stir fried turkey sounds good we have a big electric wok (from my college days) so anything that can be stir fried is gonna be stir fried chez us

>181 katiekrug: congrats on joining the ranks of the retired. I retired right into the teeth of this COVID kerfuffle which really messed up a lot of my game plan. Hopefully your glide path will be smoother. Will TW be continuing the drag that old cotton sack or is he putting in his papers too?

>209 katiekrug: Virginia Woolfe's "Orlando" has a few scenes set during a Thames freeze-over

Hi Jim! The flag always cracks me up.

We love to stir fry, too. It's one of the things I enjoy doing in the kitchen because it's just a free for all, really, with no rules.

The Wayne is still working which is the only reason I don't have to :) I feel slightly guilty about that, but since I plan to spend some time making his life easier and taking over some of the household stuff, it's not as unbalanced as it sounds.

At the end of The Frozen Thames, there are some unpublished lines from Orlando included in the text.

>220 katiekrug: Exactly! I take my wooden spatula and flail around in the wok and Judy thinks I know what I'm doing

(is there any way to turn off the "autocorrect" or auto suggest or whatever it is that LT does sometimes that totally blows my mind?)

>217 katiekrug: Yoohoo!

Hi Katie!

>181 katiekrug: Congrats! I’m happy for you. I remember the relief and joy when I turned in my notice.

>196 katiekrug: and >197 katiekrug: Sorry about the flooding and especially water in the basement. Yikes.

>218 katiekrug: I love The Hunt for Red October. My husband was a sonar tech on subs, and he recognized all the equipment from the time he was in.

>221 magicians_nephew: - LT knows best, Jim.... :)

>222 richardderus: - Gag.

>223 karenmarie: - Thanks re: the job and the flooding, Karen! And YES for THfRO. Very cool that Bill can attest to its accuracy.

The gym is done and we've decided to reward ourselves with a date night. Woot!

>225 katiekrug: Yay! Have a wonderful.

>224 katiekrug: *chortle*

Yay for date night! Hope it's excellent!

>226 richardderus: and >227 MickyFine: - Thanks, RD and Micky!

We had a lovely dinner at a favorite restaurant (Blue Steel Pizza Co.). I had ginger soy cucumbers to start and then the cacio e pepe mazemen, which was A-MA-ZING. Ramen noodles in a light creamy miso sauce with fresh Jersey corn and bacon. I wanted about 3 more bowls of it after I was done. The Wayne had a spicy tuna tartar dip and pizza. My cocktail of choice was also delicious - the "Fresh Like Me" with gin, blackberry, lime, bergamot, grapefruit soda, and cucumber bitters.

(For those interested: https://bluesteelpizzaco.com/food , https://bluesteelpizzaco.com/cocktails)

Then we went to a nearby pub and watched some Olympics and enjoyed another drink or two. Finally headed home, with a stop at a diner for cheesecake and (decaf) coffee.

A lovely evening with The Wayne - talking and laughing and indulging.

>228 katiekrug: Mmmm...Mmmm...Mmmm. Dang, you two should get married or something. You really know how to have a good time!

>228 katiekrug: Pretty much the best kind of evening ever. The foodstuffs look delish!

>229 laytonwoman3rd: - Ha! We have a little joke about when we agree on something important or are having a good time together. One of us will say, "Hey, we should get married!"

>230 richardderus: - It was really lovely. And the delicious food didn't hurt!

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

"'Everyone's hands are bloody and dirty in this place,' Bilal said."

This is a powerful novel, one that doesn't shy away from complexity and ambiguity. It is narrated by Nahr, the daughter of Palestinian refugees who grows up in Kuwait and eventually finds her way to her ancestral homeland. Nahr is tough, often unlikeable, and a victim of forces - religious and political - that she is helpless to fight against, despite her best efforts. Married, abandoned, brutalized, she makes her way through the contemporary Middle East - forced out of Kuwait after the first Gulf War, at loose ends in Jordan, and finally at home in a land that is not hers, despite deep ancestral roots there.

Like so many, most of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is confusing to me - it seems hopeless and unsolveable and so gets put in a box in my mind of things labelled "Too hard." This novel is distinctly pro-Palestinian but Abulhawa does not shy away from showing the brutality on both sides. It was certainly eye-opening to me in many ways and forced me to confront that "Too hard" box, making me want to learn more. And while Nahr commits and abets some heinous acts, I still felt a great deal of sympathy for her, which is, to me, the mark of a good novel. I return to that complexity and ambiguity.

The title is taken from a James Baldwin essay - the full quote: "Here you were: to be loved, baby, hard, at once, and forever, to strengthen you against the loveless world."

4.5 stars

"I had to become another person, someone at the other end of disgrace, rape, and exile, to fully appreciate that my mother, a simple widow with an elementary education, was an extraordinary artist. My mother was a maker of beauty, a brilliant custodian of culture and history."

>232 katiekrug: It sounds like a wonderful, satisfying feast of a read. Excellent!

>232 katiekrug: I think in this country we've been brainwashed into thinking the whole Palestinian/Israeli conflict is all the fault of the Palestinians Katie. The more I learn about it, the more I doubt this is true. But wait a minute.....didn't Jared solve the whole problem? Heh.

I have Mornings in Jenin by the same author on my shelf and I think I'll try to get to it sometime before I look for this one, which looks excellent from your great review.

>232 katiekrug: Ooh, you got me with this one. I have that same "Too hard" reaction but I do appreciate being confronted with it and having to think about these issues more. On to the list it goes.

>232 katiekrug: Great comments Katie. I'll add this one to my list. I do think some novels are a good way to enter into the "too hard" conversation.

>228 katiekrug: Data night sounds fab.

Hi, Katie. I hope you had a good weekend. Sorry to hear about the storms and flooding but that is back under control. Good review of Against the Loveless World. I will add that one to the list.

>186 katiekrug: But definitely!!

>197 katiekrug: YIKES! Glad it is all gone now. I really hate dealing with flooding. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana - a city of three rivers and every year there are flood issues. We lived just a few blocks from one of the rivers, so our basement always flooded and sometimes we had to evacuate. We always got out of high school to help with sandbagging - I do not miss those days.

>209 katiekrug: I liked this one, too, and you are so right about the book itself being a lovely object.

>228 katiekrug: Thanks for sharing. Your evening sounds perfect, and the food looks most yum. Not sure what I want more, the cocktail or the pasta.

>232 katiekrug: Great review! Adding my thumb to that and putting it on your Dirty Dozen list.

Oh, whoa, that meal sounds so good!

>233 richardderus: - It was a very meaty read!

>234 brenzi: - I also have Mornings in Jenin on my shelf, Bonnie. I should get to it sooner rather than later.

LOL re: Jared. *eye roll*

>235 lauralkeet: - I hope you like it when you get to it, Laura.

>236 BLBera: - I think you're right, Beth.

>237 Helenliz: - Ha! The Wayne would love to have a "data" night since he's such a nerd ;-)

>238 msf59: - Thanks, Mark! Weekend was good. And do give AtLW a try. I think you'd like it.

>239 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie! Thanks for catching up with me. When it rains it pours, eh? Heh.

>240 scaifea: - It was!

So it's Monday. Yay?

I started off the morning at 8am with a 2-hour call, so that was fun. Needless to say, it did not help me wake up.

I was very productive yesterday and got all the laundry done and made soup for lunch this week (chickpea and Italian chicken sausage with spinach). I finished up You Deserve Nothing, which was very good. Not sure what to pick up next.

I'm similarly unsure what to read next. My TBR mountain just expanded with all the Booker titles I want to read. So last night I watched the Olympics instead of facing the choice!

Your date night sounds lovely. Glad you had such a nice time and I love your "we should get married"!

Against the Loveless World sounds like an excellent book but I'm not sure I'm up for it. I tend to think Israel is more at fault than the Palestinians and fear I would be too angered or saddened by it.

Hope you've recovered from your trying start to the week. It's noon there now so time for some of that lovely sounding soup which should make you feel better :)

ooops on the typo. >;-)

Monday mornings should never start with a work call. Not sure why it seems like such a popular day to have them though...

>243 vivians: - For some reason, I have very little interest in the Olympics this year. I usually love and devour them.

I finally settled on a new book - a modern re-telling of Pride & Prejudice...

>244 RebaRelishesReading: - The soup was very good, Reba, and did help to improve my Monday! I understand your hesitancy about the book.

>245 Helenliz: - I love the typo! And I completely agree about work calls and Monday mornings.

As it is That Day and as your day started with a two-hour work call, I wilk refrain from grousing about the Maksik book-bulleting I just took.

I think this is the day for chicken and sausage gumbo soup via Progreso.

So I thought this was funny - my boss called me earlier about something and then before hanging up, we had the following exchange:

Him: So last week when you told me you were leaving, I said something I shouldn't have.

Me: Oh? (I really had no idea what he was talking about.)

Him: Yeah, I said maybe if you didn't get published you'd come back. And that was an asinine thing to say.

Me: I honestly didn't even register it.

Him: Well, I did say it and it was dumb because I actually think you are an excellent writer and will probably have a lot of success.

Me:... Um, wow. Thank you. What a nice thing to say.

Him: So anyway, I'm sorry.

Me: No worries. Think nothing of it, since I don't even remember you saying it.

Him: Talk to you later. Bye.

Me: Bye.

What cracks me up about this is that (1) the only writing of mine he has seen are (a) meeting minutes and (b) business-type letters, neither of which is a showcase for creativity; and (2) he has way more confidence in me than I do! But he's an engineer, so I guess the bar on good writing is pretty low :-P

>247 richardderus: - I haven't even said much about the Maksik! But I did like it. I'd be curious how it strikes you. I gave it 4.25 stars.

The Wayne, especially, would approve of your soup choice. One of his favorites!

But he's an engineer, so I guess the bar on good writing is pretty low

Hey, hey, hey! I resemble that remark!




😀

*adds Progresso's chicken and sausage gumbo to shopping list* I have a hate/hate relationship with most canned soups, but two recommendations mean I'll have to try this one.

>250 drneutron: Yeah, the engineer who lives in this house wouldn't care for it either!

>250 drneutron: - As does my husband!

>251 laytonwoman3rd: - TW likes chicken and sausage gumbo. I'm not sure he's had Progresso's version, but RD has a discerning palate so his recommendation is probably good enough :) I'm a Campbell's Chunky soup girl myself, though I like Progresso's chicken with pearl pasta for an easy, light lunch.

ETA: And I only made the crack about the engineer because I'm married to one, too!

>249 katiekrug: ...with extra rice, too? I love it as a stew-strength dish.

I just didn't know the book existed, and had I, I would've scooped it up instantly. Even if you hated it.

>248 katiekrug: Heh...good on him for realizing what he said was insensitive, but what a supremely saddening thing that you needed telling that it was such! That you're so accustomed to it...yeccchhh

>253 richardderus: - Always have rice with gumbo! When I was a kid, my mother would stretch a can of Chunky soup to feed four of us by serving it over rice. Sirloin burger over rice is a comfort food for me to this day.

Ah, so you looked it up and it intrigued you. Excellent. Does the library have it? If not, I'll send you my copy. I really liked it but I'm not sure it's one I would re-read...

And nay! nay! nay! I must defend El Jefe - it's not that I'm accustomed to it, it was that I was so nervous during the whole conversation when telling him I was leaving that I blanked much of it out, I think. He's really a good boss - not perfect, but in balance a very good one.

I think the boss' remarks show an outstanding degree of self-awareness and humility. He said something, had second thoughts about it, it ate away at him all weekend, and he cared enough about you as a person to make a point of saying something.

I mean, honestly, I am impressed. Lots of people would have gone through the weekend thought process and convinced themselves it was really okay and never said a word.

And I only made the crack about the engineer because I'm married to one, too!

😀 Gave me a chuckle...

My personal engineer eats both Chunky and Progresso soup almost daily. For breakfast. His mother and I do attempt to keep a pretty good variety of homemade soup in the freezer as well, to encourage less salt intake. He loves it all.

>254 katiekrug: Well, that *does* explain the way it passed right by you...he's not in the habit of it, and you were still reeling from declaring your independence! That's a huge relief.

The library doesn't have You Deserve Nothing, though they will after I've read your gifted-to-me copy! Thank you!

Hey Katie, I'd missed that you were quitting to write. Additional Kudos and power to your writing elbow. I rather like that your boss apologised. Your account of missing most of the conversation reminded me of doctor's appointments I've been in. If it wasn't so cringe-making to hear my own voice, I'd wish for a recording to hear the bits I missed whilst I was absorbing the stressy headlines.

I nodded along re the comments on >232 katiekrug: Big issues. I read Palestine +100 for the translated fiction book group and in some ways it was profoundly depressing. Asked to imagine the future the Palestinian short-story writers didn't have a lot of hope for change. Powerful stories though, lots of imagination about how tech might change the way discrimination/ conflict continued. The publisher and editor discussed the book as part of the meeting and that bit of the discussion is available in a podcast.
https://m.soundcloud.com/user-41111498-859108077/episode-twelve-palestine-100
We also read Minor Detail, a slight book that packs a punch. Not sure if you've come across that one already though, sorry! It's made some prize lists.

Morning, Katie!

I agree with Laura up there >255 lauralkeet: - it's really pretty impressive that he owned up to what he considered a bad thing to say. It takes real strength to admit a wrong.

Hi Katie!

>248 katiekrug: Amazing, especially as you didn’t even remember him saying it. Good for El Jefe.

>255 lauralkeet: - I think you're right, Laura. And I will say that in years past, he probably wouldn't have said anything after the fact, but the past year or two he's become a bit more self-aware and sensitive. I have little doubt it has to do with all the personal challenges he's faced (I've mentioned before how his wife was diagnosed with a rare cancer and then his 28-year old daughter was siagnosed with breast cancer two weeks later). He was never a tyrant but I think he's softened up a bit. I'm sorry it took those kinds of things to make it happen, of course.

>256 drneutron: - *grin*

>257 laytonwoman3rd: - Breakfast?!?! That's a new one for me. But there are probably worse things to have!

>258 richardderus: - You're welcome!

>259 charl08: - I haven't come across Minor Detail or Palestine +100 - I'll have a look-see for them.

>260 scaifea: - I totally agree, Amber. And even when he repeated it, it honestly didn't seem like such a terrible thing to say - he and I joke around a lot and that's how I interpreted it. But either way, good for him

I still remember when I told him I was moving up north because The Wayne had gotten a new job - his first comment was "Have you considered divorce?" and I laughed. I knew he was joking. He was the first guest to arrive for my wedding :)

>261 karenmarie: - He's a pretty decent guy, Karen. I'll miss working for him. Not the work, though :)

I'm trying a new schedule out today - out of bed by 7am, dog out to pee, coffee on, shower, consume coffee while reading, get to work. I often will wait to shower until lunch time, and I think it's made my mornings very lazy and hard to start work-wise. And I have lots to do, so hopefully this works. So far, it is. I also had to take Nuala to day care, so that helped kick start the day.

We had a training session at the gym last night, followed by chicken tortilla soup for dinner, and then we watched a couple of episodes of Top Chef Amateur, which The Wayne now wants to get on. LOL. I went into bed on the early side, since I wanted to get a good night's sleep ahead of my new morning routine. I somehow managed to still stay up until around 11pm, reading and scrolling through Twitter. But I had a great sleep and woke up before my alarm.

In books, I'm still listening to The Strawberry Hearts Diner which is schmaltzy, but easy to follow for my unreliable listening time. And yesterday I started The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy, a contemporary take on P&P. It's not great but somewhat entertaining, as these things usually are for me.

Tonight we are going to pub trivia, and I am very much looking forward to it.

You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik

You Deserve Nothing alternates narration between three characters - Will, a teacher at an international school in Paris; Gilad, a new student at the school; and Marie, a returning student. Will is a popular teacher, Gilad is an outsider, and Marie is the beautiful sidekick of a more glamorous girl. As Will challenges his students to think critically about literature and philosophy and the world and their lives, he represents - to many of them - a kind of ideal. That he is harboring a secret is no surprise to the reader, but the way the whole thing plays out makes for a propulsive read.

I really enjoyed this novel - the scenes of Will teaching are really well done, as is the high emotion, angsty, edged-in-darkness feel of the teenagers in the book. It rang very true to me. My only real quibble is that Marie was much less present in the narrative. Her sections were shorter than the other two and there were fewer of them. Maksik might have done this on purpose for a reason unknown to me, but it just felt like maybe he was comfortable writing her perspective, in which case, I feel like he should have left it out. Overall, though, a great read.

4.25 stars

"Faces that seemed to radiate certainty, a passion for their cause, they were out there doing what they believed in. Living their beliefs, assuming responsibility, acting in accordance with their desires. They were all the things I was sure I was not. They were all the things that Silver expected us to be... I watched the faces, the backslapping camaraderie, and felt, yet again, challenged by a world that existed outside of myself, by a version of life I was not part of, a version of life I saw as infinitely more pure than my own, and by the growing sense that it was a life I'd never possess."

>264 katiekrug: Sounds interesting! Sadly, my library doesn't have it, so I've added it to my ever growing list of books to keep an eye out for.

>263 katiekrug: Oooh I love chicken tortilla soup! And yay for a new routine - I hope it works for you!

>265 rosalita: - I'd send you my copy, Julia, but I already promised it to Richard...

>266 scaifea: - Thanks, Amber! The soup was from a mix and wasn't as good as the one I make in the InstantPot, but it was a lot easier :)

>267 katiekrug: No worries — I much prefer ebooks these days!

>268 rosalita: - I hear you - me too! I will say I do like the Europa Editions because the print size is good to my eyes :D Ah, age....

>269 katiekrug: Next comes the indignity of bifocals. Or, shudder, progressives!

I think I like your boss.

>270 richardderus: - Too late - got progressives a couple of months ago!

>271 RebaRelishesReading: - Ha! Me too.

Trivia night was great fun, and we came in 4th of 15 teams! Not a bad showing. I think we'll definitely be going back.

I should finish up my current read today and will then flounder around, trying to decide what's next :)

Still lots of work to do, so that should keep me occupies for the day - here's hoping Nuala remains exhausted from day care yesterday and is not in need of a lot of attention.

Gym tonight and dinner will either be leftover soup or jambalaya.

Month in Review: July
(#s in parentheses are YTD)

Books Read: 11 (71)
Mine vs Library: 6 vs 5 (53 vs 18)

Non-US/UK Authors: 2 (8 - 1 Mexico, 1 Canada, 1 Australia, 1 Morocco, 2 Ireland, 1 Finland, 1 Norway)
Own Voices: 1 (12)
New-to-me Authors: 4 (35)

Best of the month: Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
Worst of the month: The President's Daughter was the lowest rated at 3 stars, but it's a sentimental favorite

DNFs: 1 (7)

Jambalaya! Always jambalaya!

Good month, July.

A book I really loved last year - All Adults Here by Emma Straub - is currently on sale for Kindle for $1.99.

Hi Katie - I also loved All Adults Here.

Morning, Katie! You did a lot better with your July reading than I did. How is the new schedule working? Like Charlotte, I had missed that you were leaving your job to write - most exciting! And I also think it's lovely that your boss apologized for his comments - that what he had said stayed with him and that then he addressed his feelings instead of just shrugging it off.

>264 katiekrug: Another for your Dirty Dozen! Excellent review - I'll add my thumb if you posted it.

>276 katiekrug: Oh! That one is on your Dirty Dozen list from last year. so I snagged it. Thanks!

>277 BLBera: - It's such a great read, Beth.

>278 Crazymamie: - Hi Mamie! I posted the review, thanks :) And I hope you like AAH as much as I did!

My boss is a good guy. he jokingly asked me to draft an email for him to send to the Board announcing my departure, so I wrote a really funny one and his response was, "You will make a great comedy writer." :-P

ETA: Umm, my new schedule has already failed once, but I'll keep trying!

Well, he's trying. You have to give him that. Off to thumb your review!

ETA Oh, dear! If at first you don't succeed...there's always wine.

Yesterday's training session was 45 minutes of me fighting with a Bosu ball. Always fun :) Then we had jambalaya for dinner, I tidied the kitchen, and went to bed to finish my book.

My boss told our senior staff team and the Board of Directors yesterday about my departure, so there's no going back now! It feels great.

Today, I am determined to get a bunch of things off my To Do list, and then it's virtual HH night as a reward.

But first, I'll start a new thread, I think...

>280 Crazymamie: - I like that adage, Mamie!

New thread!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/334171