Deborah ( vancouverdeb} reads in 2023

January
1 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 4.5 stars F, American
2 The Fallout by Yrsa Sigurdardottir 4 stars F, Icelandic

February
3 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 3 stars F, Ireland
4The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander 4 stars , Ireland
5Mrs England by Stacey Halls 4 stars, UK , F

March
6 Weyward by Emilia Hart 4.5 stars
7Trespasses by Louise Kennedy 4.5 stars, Ireland , F
8 The Bandit Queens byParini Shroff 4 stars , India, F

April

9)All The Broken Places byJohn Boyne 5 Stars, Ireland, M
10)Foster byClaire Keegan 3 stars, Ireland, F
11) The White Lady byJacqueline Winspear 4 stars , UK ,F
12)Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin 3 stars , F
13)The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke 4 stars , UK, F

May

14)The Midnight News by Jo Baker, 5 stars , UK, F

Currently reading The Midnight News by Jo Baker

Welcome to my new thread! I've not run a thread in 3 years, so please be patient as I try to set it up. I've forgotten a lot of the basic HTML code! I'm a pretty slow reader lately , but I understand from Dr Neutron aka Jim that it's not about the numbers, just the fun of sharing books and life

I'm Deborah, and I live in Greater Vancouver , BC , Canada. Happily married for nearly 40 years, 2 adults sons, William ( 33 ) and Daniel (38 ). William is married to Serenade and we now have two lovely grandchildren who live close by , Melissa ( 5) and Miles (2.5 years ). We also have a busy dog , Poppy, who takes me and my husband on a lot of walks every day.

Please, welcome to my thread! Delighted to have you!

Sorry for the very small topper picture. It is William, his wife, and Melissa and Miles on Melissa's recent 5th birthday. I'm not sure how to resize it, but good enough.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I read this in early January with Mark as part of a group read. I'm pleased to see that it has made the Women's fiction Longlist for 2023. 4. 5 stars

The Fallout by Yrsa Sigurdarottir The sixth in the series featuring Freya , a child psychologist and Huldar, an Icelandic police detective. I've read several books by this author and couple of books in this particular series.

An engaging read that draws you in immediately. On a cold day in Reykjavik, a baby goes missing from her pram. A dismembered body turns up in the trunk of a car. I thought I solved the mystery fairly early on, but discovered things were much more complex. Not too gruesome at all, but a good , twisty read. Recommended and can easily be read as a stand alone novel, rather than part of a series.

4 stars

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan A slim novella. Perhaps I expected more. More depth, more about the Magdalen Laundries, more about Bill Furlong, the Catholic Church, and what happened to young Sarah. A touching story, but just not enough depth for me. 3 stars

The Magdalen Girls by V.S Alexander. This was a difficult book to read, due to the topic. The Magdalen Laundries were terrible places. I read this after reading Claire Keegan's book, Small Things Like These. I found Small Things Like These did not really give any information or details about life in the Magdalen Laundries. This was a sad, but very informative read. Very glad I read it. Recommended! 4 stars

Mrs England by Stacey Halls An interesting and engaging gothic tale. It takes place in 1904 England . A young lady named Ruby May, trained as a Norland nanny, is assigned to a family living in an isolated estate of West Yorkshire. Nurse May finds the staff of the house to be quite unfriendly , the manner of Mr England to perhaps a bit over familiar. Mrs England, the mother of four children seems cold, withdrawn and rarely present. It's a most entertaining read. I've read her two previous books, The Familiars and The Lost Orphan and enjoyed them very much. 4 stars

Weyward by Emilia Hart Isn't the cover gorgeous? And I'm not one to judge a book by it's cover but..... A fabulous read that I recommend to most everybody. The story is told in three timelines.

1619 Altha is awaiting a trial for murder and witchcraft

1942 Violet is living on her father's crumbling , country estate. Her mother is long dead, and Violet longs for an education like her brother Graham is receiving .

2019 Kate flees an abusive marriage. In the ramshackle cottage of Weyward, Kate attempts to heal and restart her life.

All three women are related, and their stories are woven together. Though the story may seem to be somewhat about the supernatural , it is really about the women's connection to nature, female agency, and the unfortunate effect patriarchy has had on women.

A gripping , hard to put down wonderful read.

4.5 stars

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy On the Women's prize Longlist for 2023.Trespasses begins very slowly. Cushla is a single 24 year old woman living in a small town outside of Belfast. She lives with her widowed mother, Gina, who has diffculties with alcohol . Cushla teaches at the local Catholic primary school . There, she takes a somewhat lost young fellow under her wing, Davy McGeowen. Davy is the youngest in the family of a " mixed marriage" , that is to say his father is Catholic and his mother is Protestant. For this reason, Davy is bullied.

Cushla also works in her brother's bar in the evening. There she serves both Protestant and Catholics. At this bar, a Protestant barrister catches her eye and vice versa. Michael and Cushla begin an affair.

A touching look into the tensions, violence and love between the various factions. This is the first novel about the Troubles that has held my interest, and it will stay with me for a long time.

A beautiful and at times , harrowing debut novel.
4.5 stars

Welcome to my thread - the next is yours. I'll be back later to fill in my thread above a little more fully. Very late to the party, I know! My topper image is very small, I know, but I don't how to enlarge it for now. It is my son William, his wife and our two grandchildren, Melissa , 5 and Miles, aged 2 .

It is so nice to see you back! I look forward to catching up and seeing what you have been reading. You already hit me with a BB >9 vancouverdeb:

This weekend keeps on giving!!!

Lovely to see you back with a brand new thread.

Hello Deborah, So wonderful to see you back posting about life and books! Do we get some new Poppy stories? Loki says hi to Poppy!

>14 figsfromthistle: Anita, so lovely to have you visit! I'm pleased to hit you with a book bullet right away! I hope your library has it. Mine did , but let's face it, I purchase a lot of books too.

>15 PaulCranswick: You are too kind Paul! Thanks for visiting! I do recall that last year you read Mrs England and enjoyed it as I did. She has a couple of other books that I enjoyed as well. I do love a good gothic novel. Good fun and entertainment!

>16 mdoris: Hi there Mary! Great to see you too! I'm sure there will be stories about Poppy, yes. She is 9 1/2 years old , but still fun of energy and trouble . She's a 18 pound poodle cross - we think maltese, so we hope we have a good 6 years or more to enjoy with her. She still growls at me nearly every day that I put her leash on to take her out for a walk. She loves her walks, but I think it is mainly a bad habit of hers , to hide under the kitchen table from me , and I have to crawl under the kitchen table and sweet talk her into having her leash clipped on. She is handful! Poppy says hi to Loki too!

Hi Deb! I finally found your 2023 thread.

I also loved Demon Copperhead and I'm excited to read Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Monday I'm having dinner, wine, and conversation with my new RL book club, a small group of women who all work at WSU and who invited me to join them. This month we are discussing I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai and The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. Both were 4.5-star reads for me. I'm hoping to persuade them to read Trespasses for our next meeting, but I'm the newest member so I'll also be feeling out the culture around book selections.

Good to see you have a thread again, Deb. You've been reading some interesting books. I agree with you about Small Things Like These. The Magdalen Laundries weren't explored greatly in the novel. Did you ever see the film Philomena. It explored the impact of those religious laundries in a bit more depth.

You got me with a BB for Weyward and the VPL has it on order.

Hi, Deb! I have dropped a star here!

You also got me with a BB for Weyward. I will keep my eye out for it.

Welcome back!

Your family is beautiful and those kids are getting so big!
A friend of mine got a beagle last year and named her Poppy. :-)

Well Deborah, your Poppy is a character and that has not changed! Can't believe that she is 9 1/2. Energy and trouble. Interesting what we sign up for!

Welcome back! I’m glad you’ve joined us again.

Deb, so glad you dropped a note on my thread to let me know you've a thread again!
I don't believe you're late to the party. My thread on this group was once at the end of April! That was in 2019, then in 2022, I took an LT sabbatical, which was a very peaceful reading reset for me.

>5 vancouverdeb: Love that view of your marvellous family. Gorgeous grandkids 💖
>7 vancouverdeb: Got me with a BB. New author, *and* a new series ~ what a plus.

Looking forward to visiting and checking out the books your reading.

>18 EBT1002: Ellen, Thanks so much for visiting my thread. I hope your new book club meeting will go well - I am sure it will. I can certainly understand the need to get to know the new people and the culture of the book club before making suggestions for book club reading. Trespasses was indeed a very good read, so best of luck! I'm sure you will enjoy it, no matter what. I've not read I Have Some Questions for you, but I did read her novel, The Borrower and very much enjoyed it. Let me know how your book club meeting goes.

>19 Familyhistorian: Thrilled Meg, to get your with a BB, and Weyward at that. I really loved it - maybe my favourite novel this year so far? I got it from Richmond Public Library, and I think I might have been lucky enough to get book as soon as the library got it. No, I have not seen the film Philomena. I'll keep it mind and have look for it.

>20 jessibud2: Great to see you, Shelley! So glad I get you with Weyward. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It is gripping but also has substance to it. Thanks for the kind words about my family. It's hard to believe that Melissa starts kindergarten in September and now Kindergarten is a full day thing. I'd forgotten about that. Poppy - it's a good name for a dog or even a person! I enjoyed a TV show some years ago and one of the stars was Poppy Montgomery, an Australian actress. When we got Poppy, Dave and I discussed Poppy vs Rosie and Dave felt Poppy was a more lively name. Be careful what you wish for!

>21 mdoris: Poppy is live wire indeed, Mary. I'm used to dogs with " personality " , having grown up with two Cairn Terriers, and our first dog was a Border Terrier, but Poppy takes the cake. Over time we've adapted and she is also very loving, jumping in my lap to lick and kiss me , like it or not.

>22 drneutron: Thanks Jim! Thanks for running the 75's. Great to see you too.

>23 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! Thanks for stopping by. Happy to send you a BB. I'm think you will enjoy The Fallout and yes, she has written a number of books. It's great to find a series that you can rely on. Just beware that my library - and even Chapters bookstore tends to file her books under "Yrsa" her first name, rather that her last name, Sigurdardottir. I'm happy to know I'm not the only Late to the Party 75 er. Thanks for the kind words re my family and grandkids.

>17 vancouverdeb: I have a couple of her other books on the shelves and will definitely read one of them this year. I love to be told a great story.

I found this fascinating article in the Guardian UK regarding a new genre of books, " Witch Lit" . I'm not much for the supernatural usually , but I have found I really enjoyed Weyward, which I discovered from reading this article. Last year I read The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke . I really enjoyed that too. Entertaining but also some interesting substance about unwed young women and teens and the " homes" they were sent to await the birth of their children in. The Ghost Woods has a bit of an element of " scariness to it, but I found that more humourous than anything. Another book to consider.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jan/08/witch-lit-hottest-new-genre-books

>27 PaulCranswick: Do enjoy them Paul. I think her book, The Familiars was my favourite of the three I have read. Let me know how you get on with them.

I've starred you, Deborah (or do you use Deb?) and it's good to see you back in the 75s!

Happy New Thread, Deb! It is so nice to have you back in the fold. You were missed. I know you are absolutely loving those beautiful grandchildren. I can't believe Melissa is 5 already. Glad to hear that you are still taking your walks with Poppy.

Thanks for the book updates. Hooray for Demon Copperhead. Glad you could join us on that one. You got me with Weyward. I will slap that one on the list and I agree it is a gorgeous cover.

How nice to find your thread for this year!

Hello, Deborah - you have been greatly missed! I was so happy to see that you decided to have a thread this year, and you have already hit me with two book bullets - Mrs. England and Weyward, so thanks for that.

Lovely photo in the topper - TWO grandchildren! Most exciting! And I cannot wait to hear more Poppy stories.

Hi Deborah my dear, so glad that you have a thread for this year, hope all is well with you, Dave and the family. Sending love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

>30 CDVicarage: Great to see you too, Kerry! I do go by Deborah, but since I titled my thread " vancouverdeb" , Deb is fine too. " VancouverDeborah' seemed a bit long. "

>31 msf59: Oh, yes, Poppy of course keeps me and also Dave busy walking. She is very energetic and we don't lack for exercise. I read that you too have a dog, Juneau. You bet I love those grandkids , yes, and what a fabulous and doting grandpa you are. Jackson is very fortunate to have you and Sue and family. I'm sure you will enjoy Weyward and happy to pass on the BB. That is a book I did want to warble about!

>32 ffortsa: Judy , thanks so much for visiting my thread. I just been visiting your thread too. Happy reading in 2023 !

>33 Crazymamie: Delighted to see you, Mamie and do think you will enjoy Weyward and Mrs England.Stacey Halls has written a couple of other book, The Familiars and The Foundling and they were excellent too. I sure you would enjoy them. Yes. we are very fortunate to have two grandchildren.

>34 johnsimpson: Thanks for stopping by, John! I trust you still drinking oodles of tea and reading those big chunkster books or yours! Love and hugs to you too!

Hello! It took me a bit, but I made it!

Hi Deb! I was pleased to see your new thread the other day. Why didn't I comment then? I have no idea. Anyway, it's high time I did. I'm glad you're back with us!

>37 quondame: Good to see you, Susan! Please visit often!

>38 lauralkeet: Thanks for stopping by, Laura! I'll be by you thread shortly! Thanks for the welcome !

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Hi Deborah! So glad to see you back this year.

>1 vancouverdeb: Sweet pic of the son/dil/grandkids. Congrats on #2, by the way.

>28 vancouverdeb: Witch lit. Hmm. Okay…

>40 vancouverdeb: Congrats on your three today.

>36 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deborah my dear, i am still drinking copious amounts of tea and still fitting in the Chunksters. My first book of the year was another 1,000+ page book and this took me to 49, 1,000+ page books and i am trying to decide which of the remaining 1,000+ page books to make my 50th. I am looking at either one of the Outlander books or a classic like Les Miserables but not just yet.

>41 karenmarie: Great to see you too, Karen! I think Melissa and Miles are very cute too, but I may be a little biased! :-)

The idea of "Witch Lit " was both interesting and humourous to me, Karen. I don't read much " chicklit " but I am familiar with the term .

Yes, that was lucky with Wordle today! According to wordlebot, I lucked out on my final guess, as there were I think 5 or 6 possibilities that did not occur to me.

>42 johnsimpson: Great to " see you " John. I thought I could count on you to continue drinking copious amounts of tea. I drink about 16 ounces of tea at breakfast and then another cup after dinner. Good for you with the Chunksters. I thought Demon Copperhead was a fairly chunky book and it was just 560 pages.

>44 vancouverdeb:, 560 pages is a fairly chunky book my dear.

I like tea but prefer coffee and I do not drink copious amounts of either. Beer...now you are talking, although I am no one near copious amounts of that either.

Happy Tuesday, Deb. Great to see you posting. I am still a bit spooked by chunksters but I am getting better.

>40 vancouverdeb: Excellent job getting that one in three!

Hi Deb! Glad to find your thread.

>45 johnsimpson: Well, not bad of a size, John, but nothing compared to your chunksters.

>46 msf59: I've tried to like coffee, Mark, but I find it to taste like bitter sludge. Sorry , coffee people! I even tried a Latte in my question enjoy coffee. Well, you got through Demonhead no problem, so I'm sure you can read a chunkster if you want to. Enjoy New Orleans!

>47 EBT1002: , Luck , mostly, Ellen , but thanks !

>48 banjo123: Great to see you too, Rhonda! Now I need to find your thread.

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Returning your visit, Deb. Huh. Not weird at all here.

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>52 weird_O: Visit returned on your thread , Weird one! Yeah, maybe I'm little vanilla in my tastes. Sad. I'll see if I can weirder.

Well, I hope to finish off The Bandit Queens tonight , as part of my Women's Prize Longlist. I think I'll read something a little lighter next, not sure quite what as yet. Had a great walk in the sun today, along with Poppy, the dog. Stopped by the library and picked up a hold, All The Broken Places , and The Murder of Mr Wickham. I'm not sure what is next . I still have couple of books of the Women's Prize Longlist to read The Marriage Portrait and Wandering Souls.

Had lovely walk with Poppy the dog today, enjoying the sunshine and fairly mild temperatures. Enjoying the daffodils, the Tulip Magnolia trees, crocuses and all the greenery.

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Hello Deborah, hold on to Poppy today! This howling wind could whisk her away.

>57 mdoris: It was raining lightly today for our walk, but the wind was not too bad, thanks , Mary. I'm glad I enjoyed the past few days of sunshine. I couldn't quite believe it was going to rain today, but it did .

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. Another from the women's Prize for fiction for 2023.

Geeta is thought to be a widow in her small village in India. Her fellow villagers believe that she killed her husband, but in fact Ramesh walked out on her. Geeta is feared , and is an outcast, since she is regarded as a murderer. She is content to be regarded as a killer, as she is able to live a quiet life without her abusive husband. She helps establish a microloan group with other women in her village, and Geeta makes money creating and selling jewellery.

Things change when another member of the microloan group ,Farah, asks Geeta for help in murdering her husband.

The story deals with the physical and emotional abuse of women and children, the caste system in India. the varied religions and poverty, but it does so in a darkly humourous way. I enjoyed the story, but the ending was a little over the top for me.

4 stars

>59 vancouverdeb: I put a hold on The Bandit Queens awhile ago because I saw lots of enthusiasm for it around the LT boards. But ya' know what? I'm glad you candidly reviewed it. I'm going to cancel my hold request. While aspects of the story appeal to me, much of the story is too dark for my psyche these days.

So thanks for an insightful review. I'll move to my next read which just appeared as ready for me, A Conspiracy of Paper. It was recommended on my thread by Richard, because I've been on a roll with the historical mysteries. This David Liss novel is a new series for me (Benjamin Weaver). I'm ready to give Andrea Penrose's series featuring Wrexford & Sloan a rest for a few weeks, though I enjoyed some of them a great deal.

Edited to fix the touchstones. Hope they show up now.

>59 vancouverdeb: I added that one to the shelves in March, Deb and I could well read it fairly soon. Enjoyed your review.

Sixty posts already! :D

So happy to find your thread, Deborah!!!
I missed you, so I am very glad to see you are back.

>60 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks Sandy for appreciating my review. I'm glad that it helped you to decide whether you wanted to read it now, or later, or never. I am glad I read it, and it did give me a look into India that I did not have prior to this reading The Bandit Queens. I did feel the ending was a bit over the top and that was a disappointment to me. But it's not a book to read if you not wanting a darker read. The Andrea Penrose series interests me, and it is one that I will look into.

>61 PaulCranswick: Enjoy The Bandit Queens, Paul, I am sure you will. I did too and I am keen to read a couple of more books on the Women's fiction prize list.

>62 FAMeulstee: Delighted to see you Anita! I shall be over your thread soonest!

Happy new thread, Deborah. I found it! Great photo at the top. Grandkids are the best. I wish I had more than one and that she wouldn't grow up so fast. You've done some great reading this year. Like you, I look forward to reading more from the Women's Prize longlist. I am reading Memphis right now and really enjoying it. I am waiting to get Trespasses from the library.

Hi, Deborah! Thanks for visiting my thread. I've found yours now and am returning the visit, and dropping a star.

It looks like lots of folks are reading Demon Copperhead this year. I guess I need to add it to my list. That's really starting to pile up now, thanks to all the suggestions I'm getting from LT.

I look forward to following your adventures this year!

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>63 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. I answered at length on my thread RE Penrose books.
Slow to get around to your thread... maybe should have commented here instead.

>65 BLBera: I'll be over to your thread soon, Beth and see your comments on Memphis soon. I hope you enjoy Trespasses as much as I did. Thanks for the kind words about my grandchildren. It is lovely that we have two of them, but I am sure that is it for us. William and his wife are finished having children,and our eldest son - he is 38 - declared a while back he does not intend to marry or have kids. He has a girlfriend, but I guess better to know that you are suited to marriage or children than make the mistake of doing so. I do remember your special Scout days with your granddaughter.

>66 atozgrl: Thanks for dropping a star, Susan! Yes, a lot of people on LT have read Demon Copperhead, and I was lucky to get into a group read with a few other LT people in January to inspire me to read it. The 75's are certainly a place to find a lot of new books to read.

>68 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! I'll pop over to your thread and read your comments on the Penrose books.

>63 vancouverdeb: I did read I'm a Fan already and must admit that I'm Not a Fan!

Welcome back, Deb! I dropped a star, but I'm a lazy thread visitor. I will stop in from time to time, though. Otherwise I'll be too busy jigsaw puzzling! Haha!

I'm really enjoying the puzzle rental service because all the puzzles they send are a surprise. Our gift subscription from my daughter to my husband (she said it was for both of us although it was *his* birthday) runs for 6 months, but I think I'll continue it afterward. It's a bit pricy, but the fun of it overshadows its price.

I haven't read any of the books you've read so far this year, but everyone seems to like Demon Copperhead very much!

>71 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the warning , Paul re I'm a Fan. I wasn't planning to read it anyway, but good to know.

>73 vancouverdeb: Hi Madeline! Great to see you. Yes, as you know , my other vice is Jigsaw puzzles and I do far too many - or is that possible ? The puzzle rental company is such good idea! Lately I find myself with many jigsaw puzzles to do, which is of course very good news! My two sister's do jigsaw puzzles and recently my brother and his wife moved back from Toronto. My sister in law is also puzzle crazy, so between the 4 of us, we have own puzzle lending group. It's great!

>73 vancouverdeb: I have found two other women in my BookCrossing group with whom to trade puzzles so that helps a bit. The other issue with the puzzle rental company is the time in the mail. They only send one puzzle at a time. It takes 8 days round trip between Houston, Texas, and Rockville, Maryland. So eight days in the mail and 2-4 days puzzling. Which is fine. We do our own puzzles in between.

>74 SqueakyChu: Perfect , Madeline! It's great to have others to exchange puzzles with, they are expensive. I also recently discovered Facebook Marketplace, and more specifically , Vancouver Puzzle Swap and Exchange. It's good way to get a second hand puzzle for a reasonable price, and also swap or sell your own. I've yet to sell or swap, but I have purchased several since last summer. The last two jigsaw puzzles were Ravensburger 1000 pieces puzzles and just done once , and the two were $25.00 total, Cdn and also no taxes, which is a big thing here in Canada - maybe 12 % of the purchase price? I take the taxes so much for granted, I forget the rate :-)

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>76 vancouverdeb: Great wordle result!

>75 vancouverdeb: Puzzles and books are expensive. Here in Ontario the tax rate is 13%.

Have a great Monday!

>75 vancouverdeb: Deb, I actually do have a great place to buy puzzles (which I have also done recently). It's the Friends of the Library book store which sells puzzles "as is" for $4 each. I always now pick 1,000 piece puzzles so I can share them with other. Two of the three puzzles I bought in that used book shop had all the pieces. The other was only missing two pieces. I can live with that.

My puzzle rental company sent me a puzzle with an extra piece (presumably to a different puzzle as it looked different). I asked, kiddingly, if I could get a $5 credit for returning that piece! Ha!

You were great with today's wordle!

>77 figsfromthistle: Oh, your tax rate is even higher than ours in BC. That bites! :-) I do love wordle and play it every day. I check on your wordle results each morning as well as several other peoples wordle results.

>78 SqueakyChu: I'm so glad you have found a good place to purchase puzzles for a good price . $4 dollars is an excellent price for puzzle. My local public library has puzzles to loan, but pretty slim pickings and many are missing a piece or three. But of course I have borrowed puzzles from the library thanked them for starting the new program about a year ago.My sister Tannis has taken to checking out charity shops for puzzles and the Dollarama stores with good results. An extra piece, yes why not ask for credit for returning the piece. Thanks re Wordle. It's a fun game! :-)

>79 vancouverdeb: I wish our library would offer puzzles. I’ll have to ask them about that. Do the library puzzles you borrow mostly have all the pieces? My library lends musical instruments though I’ve never borrowed any. I should probably pick up that uke I bought a few years ago and play it again. It’s somewhere in a closet. :/

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>80 SqueakyChu: I’d estimate that about 60-70 % of the puzzles for loan at the library have all of there pieces, Madeline . They have a sticker on the front of each puzzle box where each borrower can note if they find any pieces missing . It’s a bit discouraging to me that perhaps 30 % of the puzzles do have missing pieces , from 1 to 3 missing pieces . But I am glad the library is loaning jigsaw puzzles.

>83 vancouverdeb: I like that they track the missing pieces. That way one knows which puzzles to choose. It’s fairly easy to lose just one piece. Fortunately we have a robot vacuum cleaner that finds all of our missing pieces!

Hi, Deb. Just checking in after my trip to NOLA. We had a good time, which is no big surprise. I hope all is well on your end. Good luck with those puzzles.

>12 vancouverdeb: I've added this one to the TBR pile. Your review is excellent! I also enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles. The last puzzle had two pieces missing. When I ran the cleaner, I found them under the couch. Such joy having a cat in the house who loves to walk on the table!

Happy Wednesday, Deb! Seeing another Wordle fan always makes me smile!

Another Wordle fan here - you probably need to remember the 15 hours that separate hours in time zones, Deb if you are checking my results as I am almost certainly playing tomorrow's game!

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Good night, Deborah! It is wonderful to have you back and anchored by a thread.

Yesterday wasn't my greatest Wordle effort either, but there's always today!

I'm delighted to have you back among us and have taken so many BBs that I'm reeling.
Keep reading and commenting!!!!

>84 SqueakyChu: How cool, Madeline! A robot vacuum cleaner that also finds puzzle pieces. I'd love one of those.

>85 msf59: Thanks Mark, yes, all is well! I'm glad you had a great holiday and I'll be by shortly to check out your trip and pictures!

>86 Whisper1: I'm hope you enjoy Trespasses as much as I did, and thanks for your kind words re my review. I'm glad you enjoy jigsaw puzzles too - I always have one on the go.

>87 Carmenere: Happy Wednesday, Lynda. I always enjoy seeing how other people managed to get their way to the correct wordle word. It's interesting and fun.

>88 PaulCranswick: Thanks for reminding me, Paul. I'm pretty good at remembering most people's time zones , and I'm careful not to reveal any spoilers to myself if I check in on LT. Thanks for stopping by!

>89 vancouverdeb: So lovely to see you too, Peggy! Exactly ,with wordle there is always tomorrow. I'll be over to your thread shortly.

I finished All The Broken Places and loved it! It will be my first 5 star read in quite some time. I'll need a bit of time to gather my thoughts . I had a fairly busy day today and yesterday. I took my mom out for dinner to Nando's yesterday for dinner ( it's a casual Portuguese place ). Then I stopped back at my mom's and visited with my mom and sister for the evening. Today I hustled out to Purdys Chocolates to get chocolate Easter eggs etc for several of my family members. Headed out on my walk, stopped off and dropped some of those goodies to the recipients. Went to the library and then dug through my books shelves and stacks for Silent Companions which I own but cannot find at the moment. I'll look more later, I even enlisted my husband's help, but no luck. Well, I have plenty of books to chose from. But once I get a particular book in my mind , well....

>92 vancouverdeb: I try my best to never put the word up even with spoiler covers, Deb, as I don't want to place temptation in the way for my pals!

>94 PaulCranswick: Ah, but Paul, half the fun is seeing the path others take to finally get to the correct Wordle word, at least I think so.

>93 vancouverdeb: I'm a great fan of John Boyne's works. I've added All the Broken Places to the tbr pile. I seem to be adding a lot of your reads to my list of those to read! Thanks!

Wordle 656 4/6

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>96 Whisper1: I love John Boyne works too . I’ve only read The Hearts Invisible Furies prior to All The Broken Places . I was already at the library today looking for more of his books . I found one for now . I hope you enjoy the books as much as me , Linda .

>91 vancouverdeb: You would not believe how many puzzle pieces it has scooped up over the past few years. :)

>95 vancouverdeb: I've been trying to do a better job keeping up with the daily Wordle this year, and so far I've been doing pretty well. I *also* enjoy seeing how other people solve the puzzle. Up until earlier this week I had managed to avoid clicking on the spoiler in threads on LT before I worked on the puzzle, but I apparently wasn't yet awake enough that day, and I accidentally exposed one. Definitely have to be more careful!

I have not been good about posting the Wordle on my thread. I have posted some days, but not regularly.

>99 SqueakyChu: That's one handy device you have Madeline! That robot vacuum cleaner! I just started on 1500 piece Heye puzzle so far, oh it's fun! But it will be challenging too.

>100 atozgrl: Irene, I'll have to stop by and see how you are doing with your wordle. Oh dear, one of the days you accidentally stumbled onto the spoilers of a wordle. So far I have been able to avoid that. I am a big fan of Wordle.

All The Broken Places by John Boyne

I'm unable to find fault with All The Broken Places. It was a riveting read that kept me turning the pages.

Gretel is an elderly lady of 91 who has lived in a large, elegant flat in London for decades. She lives quietly, having been widowed several years ago. Across the hall lives a woman in her early sixties, Heidi, who is struggling with a decline in her mental faculties. Gretel does not speak of her past in Nazi Germany, where her father was a commandant of one of the Concentration Camps. In fact, she has spent the majority of her life trying to escape her past, by moving to France, to Sydney Australia and finally settling in London England. We revisit Gretel's fascinating and unsettling past life.

When a new family moves into the flat below her, Gretel befriends a young boy named Henry . As she witnesses the shouting and bruising on both the wife and and the child, Gretel struggles to decide whether to take action and risk exposing her past, or live with the guilt of remaining silent.

An hard to put down story that I loved. Highly recommended.

5 stars

A good day! Book Mail , The White Lady: A Novel the first in a new series by Jacqueline Winspear. I loved of her Maisie Dobbs series, so I am hoping to enjoy this just as much. It may be my next read.

>102 vancouverdeb: Whatever the criticisms of Boyne for cultural appropriation (unfair in my view), his stories do definitely get you turning the pages over.

>104 PaulCranswick: This is my second book by John Boyne and I have loved them both, Paul. The first I read was The Heart's Invisible Furies. He's definitely an excellent writer.

Foster by Claire Keegan

Sadly , Claire Keegan's novellas don't seem to work well for me. The novella is so short , I felt like a barely turned the first page only to find I was at the end of the story. I'm left feeling that there was not enough depth or information for me to properly connect with the characters. I have loved , and felt very moved by short story collections, like Mennonites Don't Dance and The Beggar's Garden. I may re- read Foster in the future and see if I get more out of the story with a second read.

3 stars

>102 vancouverdeb: This one sounds fantastic. I shall add it to my list.

>106 vancouverdeb: Sorry it did not work out for you. I also wish that the novella's that she writes would be longer.

Happy Easter weekend :)

>106 vancouverdeb: - That is one of the main reasons I am not a fan of short stories: I always feel cheated. I like to sink into a good story and especially if the characters are good and have depth, I always feel that I want more. I rarely, if ever, read short stories any more and have read very few novellas, probably for the same reason.

>106 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. i have put the M Christie connected short stories The Beggar's Garden on hold at the library. i read and enjoyed his book Greenwood that was recently in the Canada Reads line up. I read it for bookclub many years ago. I have been impressed by Claire Keegan and her stories and look forward to more of them. For me sometimes when they are short and intense they pack a wallop! Glad you liked the new Boyne book. I was very impressed too.

>107 figsfromthistle: I hope you enjoy All The Broken Places as much as I did . Yes, Anita, I feel almost guilty that I did not like the novella more. Happy Easter to you too!

>108 jessibud2: Well, I certainly know the feeling, Shelley, preferring a full length novel to a novella or short story collection. A Novella sometimes works for me, or a short story collection, but often not.

>109 mdoris: I'm always pleased to steer someone to book they will probably enjoy, Mary. I did find The Beggar's Garden to be quite powerful and I hope you do too. I'm always interesting how others live I'll have to look into other works by Michael Christie. I know The Gift of the Magi was a novella or short story really stays with me. Happy Easter !

Wordle 657 4/6

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Deborah the short story that really stayed with me was Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood. it is a about revenge, such a powerful emotion and it is a woman's story too. I will never forget it.

I'll keep Stone Mattress in mind, Mary, thanks! At the moment I can see that Old God's Time is in transit from from the library. With it being Easter Long Weekend, I probably won't get it until Tuesday.

Wordle 658 3/6

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That was lucky!
crane, pious, ledge

Hi Deborah!

Just cruising along, enjoying seeing you back here again.

>78 SqueakyChu: Hmmm. Puzzles offered by the Friends? I’m President of our Friends of the Library and also on the book sale team. I wonder if we could have a special puzzle donation drive and special puzzle sale – as is like yours is, for $4/each? I’ll bring it up at our Spring Book Sale follow up meeting on Tuesday. We usually give puzzles to the local thrift shop.

>100 atozgrl: and >101 vancouverdeb: I’ll jinx it, but my current Wordle games played is 324 with 98% wins.

>106 vancouverdeb: Novellas are harder to pull off than novels. Short stories, even harder. Sorry this didn’t work for you.

>114 vancouverdeb: Congrats on getting Wordle in 3. It took me 4.

Happy Easter weekend, Deb. I am sure you have plans to get together with the grandkids tomorrow?

All the Broken Places sounds fantastic. I am also a big fan of Boyne. This one seemed to be released at the end of last year with little fanfare, which is why it wasn't on my radar. It is now.

>102 vancouverdeb: Sounds good.

Thank you for letting me know you had a new thread, and apologies it has taken me so long to visit. I am enjoying having the long weekend off. I am hoping to walk on Tuesday but otherwise spend the time gardening and reading. Sunshine at the moment, which makes it even nicer.

>101 vancouverdeb: Since starting the puzzle rental, we have not been doing our own 1,500 piece puzzles. It takes the rental puzzle about a week to arrive so we try to do smaller puzzles that we can complete on time. I love the surprise of the puzzle rentals. The one we have now is a doozy! I’ll Instagram the picture when we’re done.

>115 karenmarie: I am always peeking into the Friends store to see if they have puzzles. On the same rack they also have used board games. All boxes are taped shut, and all are marked $4 “as is”. The smaller kids’ puzzles are cheaper. I bought my granddaughter a used puzzle for $1. She refused to do it so so gave it away in my Little Free Library! :)

>114 vancouverdeb: I got yesterday’s Wordle in two! Pure luck!! Wild! It only had one letter in common with the first word I tried. My opening word is always a random five-letter word.

>115 karenmarie: Thanks for stopping by , Karen. Personally I think having a puzzle donation and puzzle sale would be wonderful! I'd be there like a shot! One of my friends who lives on Vancouver Island tells me her library runs puzzles swaps. I'm not sure what is involved, but I think the library sets a date once a month or so, and puts up signs to let people know that a table will be available for a few hours for people to come in and swap puzzles. A good idea I think. I think my Wordle solving rate is 97%, so yours is better than mine. I'll have to check my iphone to know my exact stats.

>116 msf59: Mark, unfortunately Dave is working the entire Easter weekend. So we are planning together with the grandchildren next weekend instead. But I just stopped by their place and took them cards and chocolate Easter eggs, so we had a quick hello and I was able to get some goodies to the kids. Tomorrow I am going to a family dinner at my sister's place. There will be 13 or 14 of us, so should be fun. And yes, I do recommend All The Broken Places. I'm not sure if I saw on the " new and hot " shelf at the library first, or on the shelf at the bookstore , but at any rate, it's a good read .

>106 vancouverdeb: It is funny, Deb, because we so often appreciate similar books but I adored the two novellas by Claire Keegan that didn't work too well for you. I must admit though that I preferred Small Things Like These.

>117 charl08: I hope you enjoy All The Broken Places , Charlotte, if you get to it. I know you are doing a great job with the Women's Prize Longlist 2023. I hope to get back to that shortly . I have at least two more books to read. Wishing you a Happy Easter! I got out for a walk today and yesterday, but when you have a dog, not much choice. We are having a rainy weekend, but Poppy and I caught a lucky hour where is was cloudy, but not actually raining. Enjoy your sunshine and time in the garden and reading!

>118 SqueakyChu: That puzzle rental company is such a great idea, Madeline. I'll look forward to seeing your finished puzzle when you post it on Instagram. Oh your granddaughter sounds like fun refusing to do a jigsaw puzzle! I bet she has particular taste! :- )Good for your, getting Wordle in Two! Occasionally I have gotten Wordle in two, but not often!

>120 PaulCranswick: Paul, I felt badly that I did not like the novella's by Claire Keegan more than I did. Perhaps a reread of Foster might yield better results for me. I picked up Old God's Time today at the library . I feel like I am spoilt for choice right now, with quite a few potential reads.

>122 vancouverdeb: Sebastian Barry is an author I need to read more of, Deb.

>121 vancouverdeb: My granddaughter, who is five, prefers to work on our 1,000 piece puzzles with my husband. She’s pretty good, too!

We only started puzzling at home during pandemic when no one could come to visit for two years, and we could do one after the other on our kitchen table. Before that we only did a puzzle a year during our vacation week
at the beach.

Wordle 659 3/6

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>123 PaulCranswick: I’m looking forward to reading Old God’s Time Paul .

> 124 That is amazing that your granddaughter at the age of 5 is able to help with 1000 puzzles, Madeline . I started doing puzzles about 3 years ago , because both of my sister’s are avid jigsaw puzzlers , and I thought maybe there is something to that jigsaw puzzling . And so my addiction began !

Just heading out to Easter dinner with my family . Happy Easter to all who celebrate 🐣🐇. I hope to post more later this evening.

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Happy Easter, Deborah!

Hope you enjoy your new thread in the 75’s, but I think you do.

I liked what you said about not needing to read for the number of books read! I am in a bit of a reading slump, so need to be reminded of that.

Dropping a star, of course, Deborah. See, you're enjoying time in Ireland, mostly.

I have a lot of Maisie Dobbs to read, but interesting with a new series by Winspear. I look forward to hearing what you think.

Hello, Deborah! Sounds like your Easter weekend was full of fabulous.

>106 vancouverdeb: I have not read this one yet, but I loved Small Things Like These. I would also love if there were more of it, though.

>112 mdoris: I also loved Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood.

Wordle 661 3/6

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>130 EllaTim: Thanks for visiting my thread, Ella. Yes, thankfully it does not matter how many books we read, just the comradeship and fun that we have sharing with others. Sorry to read that you are in a reading slump.

>131 ctpress: Great to see you, Carsten! I did not really mean to spend so much time in Ireland but those books called to me. I'm currently reading The White Lady by Jaqueline Winspear , so will see how this new series works out. Too early to say.

>132 Crazymamie: Yes, indeed, my Easter was fabulous, Mamie. We had big group of family at dinner, and ham, mashed potatoes, mustard glazed carrots, brussels sprouts baked with a bit of bacon, raw veggies, buns and a lovely cake for dessert. Best of all was the company of course.

>102 vancouverdeb: Ooh, you got me with All the Broken Places! Going on my TBR right now. I find it really unwise to pass up a 5-star rating.

I’m a daily Wordler, too. I do love when players show their work—I love to compare how others solve and, hopefully, learn from it.

Have a good week!

Karen O

P.s. I didn’t have you starred, but now you are!

>135 klobrien2: I hope you enjoy All the Broken Places. I did love it , Karen , and I hope you do too . Thanks for starring my thread , and I had already done the same with your thread . I’ll be over to visit later today.

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crane , pious, abort, labor, borax

Wordle 663 4/6

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Currently reading The White Lady and enjoying it.

I'm curious to see what will be on the Women's Prize Longlist, and I predict Demon Copperhead, The Marriage Portraitand Trespasses. If you want to look at how the Women's Longlist Prize ranking on Library thing , go here , and you can also rate the books you have read. I have read just three so far. https://www.librarything.com/list/44469/2023-Womens-Prize-for-Fiction-Longlist

Vying for my time at the moment is my jigsaw puzzle addiction, watching Luther on Britbox and also, Dave and I finally purchased a new sofa and couple chairs for our living room. So we are working at de cluttering , which is a big chore. They are arriving the first week in May. We are looking for places to donate some of clutter, books ( cries a little ) , our old couch and loveseat and various other things.

>139 vancouverdeb: Thanks for mentioning the Women's Prize list on LT, Deb. I'd forgotten about the Lists feature and it's fun to see (and contribute to) the LT ranking.

Hello, Deborah! We have been working at decluttering, too. I need to get back to Luther - we watched the first few seasons and then I got distracted by other things. The show was a lot of fun, though, so I want to get back to it.

Great to see your WP shortlist predictions Deborah and congrats on the new sofa and chairs. That's always fun to spruce up the place but yes dealing with "stuff" is so ongoing! I have Britbox too and welcome any suggestions!

Hi, Deb. I'm trying to calm down after wrestling more furiously than I needed to complete my federal income tax. A matter of an overlooked decimal point, my impatience with a baulky printer, panic induced by that bottom line: Total Payment Due.. But I mailed the forms (and a check) yesterday. I still have some dough in the checking account.

I did get some reading done. Almost half-way through Ursula Hegi's Tearing the Silence: On Being German in America. Hegi was born in Germany in 1946. Her mother died young, and her father became increasingly alcoholic. She immigrated at 18, hoping to escape her German heritage in Amerca. Didn't work. The book is a collection of monologues by 16 German-born Americans (including Hegi) who address at length their experiences as descendants of a society that exterminated millions—Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, dissidents, intellectuals, religious leaders.

A second book I'm reading is a graphic story called Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas. My enjoyment of it is hampered by its trim size (5 1/2" x 8 1/4"); it should be larger so you could see more detail in the drawings and have an easier time reading the labels and dialog.

Anyway, it's Friday. Have a relaxing weekend.

>139 vancouverdeb: I have read three books from that list. I think I enjoyed marriage portrait the best out of the three.

Happy weekend ahead!

Happy Friday, Deb. We are having a wonderful Jackson Day. I have been with him since early this morning and Bree is suffering from a bad cold so I brought him back here and he is spending the night. We cannot stop smiling. Have a fantastic weekend.

>140 lauralkeet: Glad to be of help, Laura. I agree, it's fun to see how LT members rate the Women's Fiction Prize . I check there quite often to see who likes what and what the rankings are.

>141 Crazymamie: Mamie, I do love Britbox ! I find a lot of watch on Britbox. Line of Duty, Marcella, Luther , Happy Valley, Doc Martin - and the list goes on. Decluttering - not fun, Mamie. I just went through a some of my books and found about 30 to take to a thrift shop. I find it a bit difficult to part with beloved books.

Hi Mary. We'll see about my Women's Prize List predictions, but I feel quite confident about the 3 I have listed so far. But time will tell, I guess. Thanks re the new couch and chairs. The couch on it's way out next week , and love seat will still until closer to the delivery date of new furniture.

As for Britbox, well , taste may vary but I've really enjoyed Happy Valley , Broadchurch, Endeavour, Midsommer Murders, Line of Duty, Doc Martin, Shetland, DCI Banks, Call The Midwives - the list goes on. Silent Witness, Detective Morse, I guess I lean towards more of Crime , and Mystery , Police sort of shows. Currently I'm watching Luther and it's bit wild , it 's a cop show.

>143 weird_O:, Bill , I've yet to get to our income taxes. I need my husband Dave to get online and look up some information from his last years tax forms before I can file my own. The deadline is kind of looming , since April 30 is arriving sooner than we think, or I should say my husband seems to think. I don't enjoy filing taxes either. In Canada, you can file with paper, but you have to request a paper form. So it's all done online. Usually it's fairly quick , but last year I made and error on my tax return, and nearly tore my hair out figuring out how to correct my mistake. Finally I stumbled upon the solution, but I was missing a few handfuls of hair.

Tearing on The Silence : On Being German in America. I know several people who immigrated from Germany at some point during WW11. Some of them have passed away, but all had fascinating stories. One fellow that arrive here during the war denies the Holocaust happened, which is a bit of head shaker for me. He came to Canada as a 8 year old or so. Another couple that I knew, both have passed away, were of the Mennonite faith. Helen told me that she was part of Hitler for Youth and she and her family did not understand what really going on Germany at the time . She married another Mennonite fellow and he immigrated to Canada prior to the start of WW11. Interesting, he was a conscientious objector, as many Mennonites were. But he agreed to serve at the front as an unarmed medic, which he did. Some really interesting stories that people have.

Enjoy the weekend! My husband has the weekend off for once - often he works through the weekend, that being the nature of his job.

> 144 Glad that you have made a good inroad to the Women's Fiction Prize list, Anita. I own but have not yet read The Marriage Portrait. I really loved her book Hamnet and I also enjoyed Heatwave, and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox , so I expect I will enjoy her latest book

>145 msf59: I am a happy to hear that you are having a fabulous Friday, with Jackson, and he is even spending the night. I hope Bree is soon feeling much better . Enjoy a great weekend, Mark.

Wordle 665 4/6

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crane, pious,along, agony spoiler>

Wordle 666 4/6


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WordleBot
Skill 91/99
Luck 33/99

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

Elinor White is 13, living in Belgium, when she and her older sister are recruited to be operatives for the Belgian resistance. Elinor and her sister carry out several missions before their luck runs out and Elinor is forced to make a split second decision which will trouble her for the rest of her life .Elinor's skills and courage are once again needed during WW11. Though she is courageous and resourceful, the tragic events of WW11 leave her haunted.

Post WW11, Elinor lives in small cottage in the Kent countryside. She lives a fairly content, but quiet life, ever vigilant and somewhat of a recluse. When a young family moves into a small cottage close by, Elinor is drawn into the Mackie family as she witnesses violence against them. Jim Mackie, his wife and their young daughter have escaped London to be free of Jim's criminal family

Told in three timelines , this makes for a fascinating read, and Elinor discovers that people are not always who they seem , and even trusted colleagues keep secrets.

I am a big fan the Maisie Dobb's series , and I really enjoyed this new stand along novel. I'm eager to read whatever Jacquline Winspear writes next.

4 stars

>151 vancouverdeb: Great Wordling, especially since your first two gave you so little. And WordleBot knows that it’s because of your skill!

I think The White Lady is on my
TBR, but I will make sure of that! Thanks for the heads-up!

Karen O

>153 klobrien2: Thanks Karen! Wording is so fun! I do love Wordlebot too. It's so interesting to see how Wordlebot rates my word choices, and how much is luck vs skill. I do hope you enjoy The White Lady. I only recently discovered it existed myself. I think I saw it here on Library Thing, but I am not absolutely sure.

Wordle 667 4/6

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I was surprised to get it in 4 , given how few letters I had at the start .

crane, pious , glitz, whiff

Wordle 668 4/6

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crane, pious, whiff, hound

Good morning Deb! I forgot to mention, over on my thread, that I tried the roasted cauliflower recipe you shared. I substituted garam masala for cumin as you recommended. It was a winner! I love that spice combination but it also occurred to me the same method could be used with other spices too. Thanks for making cauliflower less boring LOL!

Hi Deb my dear, love your review of The White Lady definitely need to add it to the pile now.

The White Lady sounds very good, Deborah. Thanks for the rec.

I think I better get on with Maisie Dobbs. They have added a lot to my local online library - audio and ebooks.

> 157 Hi Laura! I'm delighted that roasted Cauliflower recipe I shared worked out so well for you. Great idea, that the same method and spices could be used for other veggies too. Dave and I can an entire head of cauliflower roasted with those spices. I find that a cauliflower is usually more like 4 - 4 1/2 cups,so I downsize the spices and oil with it too. I though cauliflower was pretty boring too until I tried that recipe.

Too mix the spices and olive oil , I put the cauliflower and mixed spices and oil into a larger freezer bag to mix it all together without a mess.

I posted this recipes on Laura's thread, and since she enjoyed it, as did me and Dave, I'll post here in case someone else needs new ideas for veggies - cauliflower in particular.

I recently discovered a great way to cook cauliflower. You chop up a head of cauliflower and use a mix of olive oil, garam masala , garlic and turmeric etc and bake it at 450 F for about 25 minutes. My husband and I really love it. I'll see if I can find the recipe. I substitute garam masala for the cumin. I also do not use cilantro as I am not sure if I like cilantro or not. You can downsize the recipe as I do - I find most cauliflower heads to be about 4 - 41/2 cups . It's really delicious!

https://reluctantentertainer.com/skinnytastes-turmeric-roasted-cauliflower/

>158 johnsimpson: I did enjoy The White Lady, John and I am sure you will too .

>159 ctpress: I hope you enjoy The White Lady as I did too, Carsten. Yes, crack on with the Maisie Dobbs series when you get a chance.

Wordle 669 4/6

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crane, pious, guppy,thump

Wishing you a very good day, Deb!

Karen O

>152 vancouverdeb: I just picked this one up from the library! Looks like it's going to be a good one :)

Wordle 670 4/6

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crane, blade, flake , plate

I’ll be back a little later . Just have to walk the dog in the rain . 🌧☔️

>161 vancouverdeb: I absolutely love roasted cauliflower! One of my all-time favorite things, even better than french fries. I've just been making it with olive oil and sea salt. Yum! I'll have to give it a try with these spices.

HI Deborah, Major crazy wind here. Power went off and outside bench got blown over. Loki is hiding inside!

>164 klobrien2: Thanks, Karen. It was not a bad day. Raining out and quite blustery, but I got the dog walk done and things are okay now. Thanks for stopping by.

>164 klobrien2: So glad that you picked up The White Lady from the library, Anita. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>168 atozgrl: I hope you enjoy the roasted Turmeric callower as much as Dave and I do, Irene. I had something like at dinner at Nando's , a casual sort of Portuguese restaurant and I'm almost embarrassed to tell you that Dave and I like it so much we can eat an entire head of cauliflower between the two of us, when I roast it like this. Well, you already know about roasted cauliflower, I hope the spicy mix works for you too!

>169 mdoris: It's a blustery day here in Richmond too, Mary. I wasn't thrilled to walk the dog, but needs must. Sorry to hear you lost your power. That is never fun. I hope you have your power restored now, or very soon. Never fun without power. Yes, I can imagine Loki was scared by a bench blowing over. Poppy is often more barky when it is windy. I think all the noises that wind creates scare her too. Hugs to Loki.

Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin. 3 stars

In an effort to flee postwar Vietnam, a family decides to leave for a better life, preferably in the USA. Sadly, Anh's parents and four of her siblings perish on the boat headed to Hong Kong. Anh's parents were aware of danger's of travelling in the rickety old boats, and so the family travelled in two different boats.

Anh is eldest sister , at 16 years old and she becomes a mother figure to her surviving younger brothers, Minh and Thanh. Life is not easy in the various refugee camps that young group is forced to endure. Eventually Anh, and her brothers get a small apartment in London. Anh works hard to support her brothers, and Minh become rebellious and hangs out with the wrong crowd. Thanh does his best, but cannot quite achieve his dreams. We follow the family into adulthood.

I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it. It was an enlightening look at the Vietnam refugee situation, and the challenges of refugees everywhere. I found I was not able to connect with the three characters that well on a emotional level. The writing was dry and workmanlike.

>172 vancouverdeb: I liked it a little better than you but I can see your point on the emotional connection issue. I "got" Anh more than the others as I know Asian ladies just like her!

Great to see you back and enjoying the group so much, Deb, you really were missed!

Wordle 671 4/6

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Both the Wandering Souls and The White Lady sound like good ones, Deb. You have a streak of good books going.

>173 PaulCranswick: Yes, perhaps living among Asian women like Anh helped you connect with better than I did. I do recommend the book, it was just a little dry. It's hard to say why some books leave on deeply touched, and others less so.
>174 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul . It is good to be back , discussing books and life amongst such a friendly group of people.

>176 BLBera: Beth, yes, Wandering Souls and The White Lady were good reads. And my current read, The Lighthouse Witches is amusing and has grabbed me too. Sometimes an entertaining read is just the ticket in between more serious novels.

You're back!! Yay!! I found your thread because of the roasted cauliflower post. LOL. My hubby and I are big fans of cauliflower and I usually do mine boiled and then put in the blender with garlic, butter and sour cream. Can't wait to try this new recipe.

>178 Berly: Thanks for finding my thread, Kim. Let me know if the roasted turmeric cauliflower works out for you. Dave and I sure love it

Wordle 673 3/6

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Hi Deb, dropping by to thank you for commiserating on the vertigo. Mine is strictly due to an otolith dislodging into my circular canals. The PT is treating it by manipulating my head in the right position for the crystal to get back where it belongs.
Why on earth would someone think water treatment would do anything? Very strange.
I see that you are reading The Lighthouse Witches. I wondered about trying that one... except I can't 'do' gothic thrillers. Looking forward to your review, however.

> 181 Thanks Sandy. Vertigo is never fun, that's for certain . I hope that the PT is working so you are 100 % soon. The testing they did with the warm water in my ears and electrodes around my eyes in not meant to fix / cure anything. It is a diagnostic " thing" , callled electronystagmography. Here is a link https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22704-electronystagmography-en... from the link ' An ENG test uses small metal discs called electrodes. Your healthcare provider attaches the electrodes above, below and near the outer corner of each eye. You also have one electrode on your forehead. The electrodes may be attached to a headband that you wear. Or they may be separate sticky patches.

You sit in a dark exam room during an ENG. The patches record your eye movements in different scenarios like:

Putting cold and warm water or air into each ear to stimulate your vestibular nerve.
Keeping your head still while following a light with your eyes to stimulate your oculomotor and trochlear nerves.
Turning your head or sitting up quickly to stimulate your oculomotor, trochlear and vestibular nerves.

ENG tests usually last around 90 minutes.

They did some other tests, but I don't really recall what they were. I kind of dreaded the idea of having warm water slowly but into each , but it was not that bad at all.

Yes, I am reading and enjoying The Lighthouse Witches . It's not my usual genre, but I find it to be entertaining. I have a quirky sense of humour and sometimes if it get a bit too far fetched, it just makes me laugh.

Been a bit busy the past couple of days. My mom has been troubled with Ménière's disease Disease , yet another variation of vertigo. I spoke to my sister on Saturday evening, and she seemed concerned because my mom had vomited from the vertigo and seemed to not be feeling well at all. She had bouts of Meniere's every now and then since she was in her 30 's or, so but since she is 81, and has been suffering with it for over a week now, I went over there on Sunday to visit and just check up on her. I took some hamburger soup I had made, at her request. I was happy to see that she seems to be improving quite a bit. I'll check with her again soon , just to make sure she is continuing to improve. My sister does live with my mom, so she is not alone. But it's good to see your mom in person just to see how they are actually doing.

Got out on Saturday to Indigo at Broadway and Granville in Vancouver and also stopped by the Book Ware house. I restrained myself and purchased just one book, Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen, book bullet from Joanne's thread. Today I head out for walk and found myself at my local Indigo and purchased the new Lane Winslow book, To Track a Traitor. No Cranswickien Haul's here, at least not ones I would admit too. :-)

I'm looking very forward to the Women's prize for Fiction Short list that comes out on April 26th.

I've read, in order of preference

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin.

I predict that the first three will be on the short list, but of course, I won't be surprised if I am wrong!

Wordle 675 6/6

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A tough one today .

>185 vancouverdeb: But you got the Wordle—good for you! I bombed out, played a big guessing game. I’m looking forward to tmorrow, however.

Have a great day!

Karen O

Hello Deborah, That is a concern about your mom and sure hope she is feeling better very soon. She is so lucky to have her doting daughters nearby delivering yummy soup. And where is this warm weather they have been predicting, I would like to know!! Fun to be out and about and making new book purchases.

Hi Deborah! I've finally found your thread and of course, now I need to add The White Lady to my poor overgrown WL.

Sorry to hear about your mother's vertigo. That's a scary thing as you get older, although 81 doesn't seem that old to me as I get older. It's so nice that she has her daughters so near.

I also watch a lot of crime shows on Britbox - just about everything you mentioned. I also loved Grace and Karen Pirie if you haven't caught them yet.

>185 vancouverdeb: I also Wordled in 6 today. It was one of those guessing days.

>183 vancouverdeb: I hope you love Factory Girls as much as I did!

>186 klobrien2: I was lucky with Wordle today, Karen. According to "Wordlebot" there were 4 other possible solutions to Wordle that I chose, but lucky for me, I picked the right one out the five choices. I hope you have also had a good day today!

>187 mdoris: Thanks Mary. I think she is gradually feeling better. Or so she said in a text yesterday. I'll pop over again tomorrow quite likely and check her again. I think it is just a longer bout with Meniere's than is usual for her. Usually it just last a day or maybe three, but this has been longer than usual. She is fortunate to have 3 daughter and a son in close proximity - within a 1/2 hours drive, yes, but as I am you know, raising a large number of kids ( really any number of kids) takes a lot of love and work, so I think we kids try to give back what we received in childhood. Well, I have the windows open today, so it's getting there warmth wise. Yesterday while I was walking , I saw several people in shorts. I anticipate wearing shorts by Friday or Saturday. Here's hoping!

>188 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! Thrilled that you have found my thread , and always happy to add to your WL, as you added to mine with my last visit to my thread. I know what you mean about 81 not seeming that old at all. My mom occasionally reminds me that she is only 19 years older than I am. Plus, my mom seems still quite young to me. She's usually out walking and getting her daily steps in , a lives quite an active life. But when I was over there last Tuesday, when she was just a few days into struggling with the vertigo, she looked a little thinner and slightly frail to me. When I went over again on Sunday, I encouraged her to eat a little more. Her biggest problem I would say is that she is extremely hard of hearing, due to genetics and age. That is probably her biggest frustration. She can no longer hear well enough to talk on the phone, so I either communicate by text or else I go over and talk to her in person. I miss just giving her a phone call.

Yes, I love my Britbox crime shows! I have watched Grace and Karen Pirie, so thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming! I'm always on the lookout for a gripping new crime show . Wordling - yes, it was a day for good luck with all the choices. Thanks again for the book bullet!

Hi Deb. Another BritBox crime show fan here. I wish there were even more of them!

I'm excited to see Winspear creating a new character. I'll be on the lookout for The White Lady.

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The Women’s Prize For Fiction Shortlist

The Marriage Portrait
Trespasses
Demon Copperhead
Pod
Fire Rush
Black Butterflies

It's an interesting choice, Deborah. I've just been talking to someone in my work bookgroup who had read the list. I've yet to meet anyone who liked Pod. I have it out from the library. I'm not sure I want to pick it up!

> Hi Ellen! I hope you enjoy The White Lady as much as I did. I'm glad that Jacqueline Winspear has come out with another book, and maybe a new series ? That remains to be seen I guess. Yes, I do love a good crime / mystery show. I landed upon a cop show made in Montreal called 19-2. Initially I thought it might be a little dry, but now I am really into it. It's about a bunch of cops out of one station on patrol. Some of it is pretty everyday, like being on patrol would be, but there is also a fair bit of action. It focuses quite a bit on a few cops and their lives outside work and the burdens they carry. I actually really like it now that I am into it. Took me an episode or two to get into it. It's on Net Flix in case you are interested. Here is a link https://foreigncrimedrama.com/19-2-review/

>194 charl08: It is an interesting choice, Charlotte for the Womens' Longlist. I did expect Trespasses, Demon Copperhead and The Marriage Portrait to be on the shortlist, but the other three, who knew ? I'd like to read Black Butterflies, but so far it's not available in North America. I don't think Pod will be a book I want to read. I was watching Simon Savidge's reaction to the Women's Longlist on you tube, and he was not keen on Pod either. A bunch of whales! No thanks, and I understand Simon found it violent .

Wordle 677 3/6

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Hi Deb, Thought it was past due to delurk, now that my jigging eyeballs/vertigo has settled down. Hope your Mom has recovered from her episode of vertigo, such a life-disrupting affliction.
No BB's for me today. I was never drawn to any of those novels on the Women’s Fiction Shortlist. I've been slowly enjoying some rereads off my own shelves, probably because I needed predictable comfort stories.

>199 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for visiting, Sandy. I'm glad your vertigo has settled down. Thanks, yes, my mom is feeling 100 % now , again. I saw her yesterday and she had been out shopping at the mall, for Bubble Tea with my sister in law and is off my niece's place tomorrow for tea and coffee and company with her some of her great grandchildren . Drat, I did not manage to send a BB. I'm always keen to read some of the books from the Women's Fiction Prize, and the Booker Prize, and some of the Canadian Prize's as well. But I have to expect I will actually like the book, or I won't make any special effort to read it.

I ordered Black Butterflies from the Women's Fiction Shortlist. I'm looking forward to reading that. Initially I thought it was not available in North America, but I found it on Amazon com in the US in soft cover, so it was not too expensive. My library did not have it. It's take up to 10 days or so to arrive.

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>202 vancouverdeb: Excellent Wordle-ing! Nice, clean solve. Looking back, I see you’ve been having a pretty good Wordle week. Have a great weekend!

Karen O

Yahoo, such great weather at the moment Deborah! Hope you are enjoying it! That is great detective work to track down more copies of the Womens Prize for Fiction books. I will of course check out your reviews.
>200 vancouverdeb: Wonderful to see your mom is out and about and feeling much better. Good news!

>203 klobrien2: Thanks Karen! Yes, it's not been a bad week of wordling for me. We'll see how tonight goes - I usually play wordle just after midnight. Thanks for the good weekend wishes. We a had nice sunny day today, about 23 C - which is about ???? 73 F. It's out first warm day so far this spring. My dog, Poppy, found it a little to warm and had to rest in some cool grass several times as we walked a couple of miles together.

>204 mdoris: It was a nice sunny day, yes, Mary. 23 C is about the perfect temperature for me. Not too warm, not too cold. But of course we are in for warmer weather as the summer draws neared. Rain and cloudy skies are forecast for tomorrow. It's hard to believe. I'm looking forward to Black Butterflies. I am also very glad that my mom is feeling 100 %. I was a little concerned for a few days. Thanks for your well wishes.

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Hi Deborah! I'm very far behind but caught up best I can with your thread.
Vertigo is the strangest thing. I'm so sorry that your mom is so afflicted by it. I was fortunate in that my vertigo lasted just a couple of days due to crystals in my ears floating around it's ridiculous but I assume they can come back when least expected.
Don't you find that riddle has been more challenging lately or is it just me?

Hi Deb, delurking to say I was here. I like many of the books you mention but haven't added any BBs to try and keep my TBRs a little sane.

>193 vancouverdeb: Hmmm I've only read two from that list. It will be interesting to see which will win.

Glad your mom is feeling better and is back to her normal routine.

Hope you have a great start to the week!

>207 Carmenere: Vertigo is strange and unpleasant thing, yes. Apparently several causes, Meniere's Disease, Labyrinthitis, and BBPV and I am sure they are most types. My mom can you years with out a bout of vertigo, but this time is it lasted a fair bit longer than usual. Usually her vertigo will last just a day or, three at most. This was closer to 9 or 10 days. I'm glad she is feeling well again. No, I don't think Wordle is more challenging, but it is a bit more difficult because one cannot refer to the " Official Wordle List of some 2300 ? words. Now, we have be prepared for almost anything. Thanks for stopping by, Lynda.

Yes, that is the horrible thing about vertigo - it seems for most, once you have had it, you never know when it will strike again!

>208 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for delurking, Sandy. I know what you mean about trying to keep your TBR's sane. I try to buy fewer books and try to use the library more, but I am not always successful.

>209 figsfromthistle: I've only read two books from the shortlist, too, Anita. Demon Copperhead, and Trespasses . I do have The Marriage Portrait in my TBR shelves, and I've ordered Black Butterflies , and it should be here in early May. Yes, I have no idea which of the 6 in the shortlist will win. Thanks for the well wishes for my mom. I'm glad she is feeling better too. Yes, here 's to a happy week ahead for all of us!

Gosh, that used up a lot of my brain cells! I was not sure I could post the images of the books I've read side by side. Much brain power there for me!!!! :-)

My favourite read of the month was All The Broken Places

I have finished The Lighthouse Witches, but my comments / review will likely happen tomorrow.

I didn’t realize Jacquline Winspear had another series out until I saw your post about The White Lady, Deborah. Sounds interesting 🤔

>212 vancouverdeb: The cover you have posted for The Lighthouse Witches is beautiful, I'd pick up for the cover alone, but I'll look out for your review of it.

Hi, Deb. Thanks for keeping my thread warm while I was away. I can't believe it has been 2 weeks. I am helping Bree with Jackson today. Twist my arm, right? I will have to try and bookhorn in All the Broken Places. Hopefully over the summer.

>212 vancouverdeb: Your mosaic of covers looks lovely! I might have to try doing that sometime; I usually do them one at a time.

Lots of good reading in April!

Karen O

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Back later today to catch up on my thread .

I have finally made the trip to your thread and dropped my star. Love the family picture: adorable grandchildren!

>6 vancouverdeb: I read Demon Copperhead last year along with two of Beth Macy's books that you might find interesting as they deal with the real life story behind Kingsolver's novel, that of the impact of opioids in Appalachia. Macy is a journalist in southwest Virginia and the books are Dopesick and Raising Lazarus.

>12 vancouverdeb: Trespasses has showed up on lots of threads so I'm moving it up the TBR list.

>28 vancouverdeb: I browsed the article and chuckled: is it like the Zombie phase? Pride and Prejudice and Witches? I read a fun cozy mystery series that was set around the Great British Baking challenge but with witches.

>102 vancouverdeb: Added to the TBR list

>103 vancouverdeb: I have lost track of Maisie Dobbs but would be happy to read a good standalone.

Hope your mom is doing better! Happy Monday!

>215 Familyhistorian: I'm not sure how I realized that Jacqueline Winspear had a new book out myself. I'm not sure if I noticed on Amazon, or here on LT. I'm not sure if The White Lady is stand alone, or the start of a new series. Time will tell, though I suspect it may be a stand alone. But I'm not sure, Meg.

>216 WhiteRaven.17: Great to meet you, Kro! Glad you love the cover for The Lighthouse Witches. I still have not created a review for it, but I'll try to do that a little later on tonight. Check out the cover of Weyward. I thought was gorgeous!

>217 msf59: Glad to see you back, Mark, and I'll bet Jack and Bree were even more delighted than I am to see you home!I know you are enjoying some Jackson time today. I think you'll really enjoy All The Broken Places when you manage to bookhorn it in.

>218 klobrien2: Thanks for the kind compliment regarding my April Book line up. I was surprised to find that one my desktop computer, the April books showed up in a horizontal line up, whereas on my Iphone the books show in vertical line. I was going for the horizontal line. Fried a lot brain cells, there, I tell you. Let's hope both of us have a good May reading month.

>221 witchyrichy: Such a thorough post, Karen . Just the kind I love. Perhaps one day I will read Dopesick or Raising Lazarus. It makes sense to read one or both as an accompaniment to Demon Copperhead. The drug crisis certainly is real. I have On the Ravine by Vincent Lam, a fiction book about the opiod crisis here in Canada, Toronto in particular. I'm not sure I'll have time to read it before it goes back.

I hope you enjoy Trespasses. It's my favourite so far from the 4 books I've read from the Women's Fiction Prize Long list. It starts out a little slowly, but I really enjoyed it.

The " Witch Lit" is a humourous sounding genre, I agree. I do prefer it to the " Chick Lit " genre, which I usually try to avoid. Witches and the supernatural are not usually my thing, but I've been having a lot of fun with my Witch Lit. I really enjoyed The Ghost Woods and Weyward, so check those out if you want more witch lit :-) I never read anything from the Zombie phase, so I can't compare. I'd say they are a little like fairly contemporary gothic reads, and often deal with pregnancy, abortion, or abuse, as well some witchyness.

I seem to have run out the ability to add touchstones in this post, but do enjoy The White Lady and All The Broken Places when you get them.

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

In 1998, Liv flees to the remote Scottish Island of Lon Haven. A single mom, she takes her three daughters, Sapphire, 15, Luna, 9 and Clover aged 7 with her. She hopes for a new start. Liv has been hired to paint a mural in a decommissioned lighthouse called The Longing. Unbeknownst to the family, the lighthouse was once a place where witches were imprisoned and tortured in the 1600's. The bothy of the lighthouse is small and primitive, and both it and the island seem full of menace. Somehow, Sapphire , Clover and Liv all go missing.

Fast forward to 2021, and Luna is 31, and expecting her first child with her partner Ethan . She assumes she is the only remaining member of her family. An unexpected call from the police informs Luna that her sister Clover has been found. Clover is in hospital , and Luna rushes off to her sister's bedside. But Clover is still 7 years old, instead of the 29 year old woman that Luna expects. What has happened ? Is Clover a changeling or a " wildling", the sort of spectre that has been rumoured to exist in Lon Haven.

To discover the truth, Luna returns to Lon Haven with Clover.

Creepy good fun and an entertaining tale. 4 stars

I did prefer The Ghost Woods: by C.J Cooke, which I read in the fall of 2022.

>213 vancouverdeb: Well, you managed to post the images the way you wanted, Deborah :-)
Foster is on my list, as I loved Small Things Like These.
I might get to All The Broken Places some day.

It is so good to have you back! I see you all around the threads.

>226 FAMeulstee: Thanks for visiting, Anita! Well, the images show as vertical on my phone, and as horizontal on my desk top, so I have not entirely achieved what I set out to do. But close enough for now, thanks, Anita. Foster is a very short read. so I have no doubt you will get to it soon. All The Broken Placesis an excellent read.

It's great to be back and I try to get around the threads.

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crane , pious, mushy, sulky

>227 vancouverdeb: Deborah, it's possible that the way the images appear on a computer screen vs. a phone is due to auto-formatting that LT uses. Most websites in recent years have adopted responsive design, which will reformat the site to fit the display screen being used. So images can fit across the screen on a computer, but often have to be adjusted to a vertical format on a phone so that users don't have to scroll horizontally to see them. I assume LT uses responsive design, so that may be causing what you view as a "problem." Whether or not the pictures show horizontally or vertically on the phone could also depend on the size of the pictures. There's a lot that goes into it, and I'm not an expert.

I don't use LT on my phone, so I don't know what it looks like in that format. And I can't be sure this is at the root of your issue, but I'm throwing it out as a possibility.

> 229 Thanks so much for explaining that for me , Irene . Much appreciated! I think you are probably correct that a smaller pixel size for the book covers would probably give me a horizontal line of images . Thanks so much for taking so much time to explain that . Next month I’ll try another pixel size , and see if that works .

>230 vancouverdeb: I don't know what coding you used for your image display. But if you specify a size for the images, it may not be able to auto-resize the images for the different displays. I haven't yet played around with adding images to my thread in LT, so I can't give any real advice on it yet.

Stopping by to say “hi” and “Have a great day!”

Karen O

>231 atozgrl: I just used the HTML that's available here on LT, Irene. " How to Fancy Things on Threads "
https://www.librarything.com/topic/177029#

- Puts the img at the web location shown into the post, but gives it a height of hhh pixels and a width of www pixels. For those of you who want to include images that seem way too big once you included them, shrink them down with these parameters. Note, that for best compatibility with most screen widths, an image shouldn't be much wider than about 500 pixels.

You helped me a lot with your advice. Next time I'll try changing the size of the pixels and see what happens. Thanks Irene!

>232 klobrien2: Thanks Karen! I did have a very lovely day. Enjoyed the sunshine and headed out for walk along the Fraser River and enjoyed the jets/ floatplanes taking off at the Airport, watched rowers, about 6 to a boat, several of them , and visited with my sister.

>233 vancouverdeb: That sounds like a plan! Let me know how it turns out. I need to go read the instructions and see what I can do about adding images to my posts. I have not tried that at all so far.

>235 atozgrl: I will let you know how it turns out next month, Irene and thanks for the help. If you need some help with adding cover images, just ask and I'll try to help. Once you've done it once, it's quite easy. There are pretty instructions in The How to Do Fancy Things in your Thread post.

Just waiting for some new living room furniture to be delivered . A new couch and two chairs. We ordered them back in January, and they are custom made with the fabrics that we chose at the time. I hope we like them. I'm sure we will, but it's been a while since we ordered them.

A hold came in from the library Midnight News , a new one by Jo Baker and I'm looking forward to that. I really loved Longbourn, so I hope I'll enjoy this one two. Dave is off to the library to pick up hold for himself and mine too.

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>236 vancouverdeb: I will definitely check in if I run into problems, thanks for the offer!

I hope the furniture arrived and that you are as happy with it as you expect.

>239 atozgrl: Thanks Irene . You helped me with my LT tech problems, so it’s unlikely that you’ll need my help , but if you do , just ask .

The furniture arrived , as we are happy . I find that I just need to find an ottoman or pouf , as my sister calls them . I’m 5’3” and despite us picking out our furniture, my legs are left dangling from the floor an inch or two . So I’ll need to find one that suits me .

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Glad your furniture arrived. I have the same feet dangling problem ;)

Happy weekend reads!

>240 vancouverdeb: Me too Deborah. I have one with handy storage space inside. Sometimes useful for books on the go.

Hope you have been enjoying all the pomp and circumstance today.

>240 vancouverdeb: I have the opposite problem— I’m 5’ 9”, so my feet kind of dangle over the edge of a recliner leg rest sometimes. Oh, such problems I have! 😁

Karen O

Will be back later to reply your posts . Thanks for visiting. Has to quickly post my Wordle score , since I got in two , which is rare for me .
Wordle 686 2/6

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>245 vancouverdeb: Wow! Congratulations on your Wordle-in-two!

Karen O

Hurrah for new furniture, Deb! It seems the wait times for custom made furniture are better than they were in the past two years. I hope you enjoy them and are pleased with your selections!

>245 vancouverdeb: Hurray for getting it in two.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend. I'm adding C.J. Cooke to my TBR list.

>245 vancouverdeb: Congrats! I struggled with that one; took me 5.

>242 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with the dangling feet problem! :-)

>243 charl08: Thanks Charlotte! Yes, I've been very much enjoying the pomp and circumstance! :-) I went over to my sister's yesterday . She had made up the Queen's Favourite Biscuit Cake and she and I shared a slice of the chocolate biscuit cake as part of our celebration. My pouf ( ottoman) does not have any storage, but I considered getting one of those. A good idea.

>244 klobrien2: Thanks for visiting , Karen. I guess we all have our issues with furniture - some of us too short, some of us on the taller side. One can't win, it seems!

>246 klobrien2: A rare Wordle in two for me, Karen!!! I was surprised and pleased!Thanks!

>247 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. We are pleased with our furniture selections. We ordered the furniture in January and we got a call in late April letting us know that the sofa and chairs were ready. So, yes , it does take a bit of wait to get custom furniture.

>248 witchyrichy: Yes, the weekend has been good so far, Karen. Enjoyed the coronation , nice weather and I'm reading an excellent book. I hope you enjoy C. J. Cooke when you get to her.

>249 atozgrl: I was lucky with Wordle that day, Irene. Today's wordle took me 4. I'll post it later in the day.

I'm reading an excellent book, The Midnight News by Jo Baker. I really enjoyed her book Longbourn, and I am ready to recommend The Midnight News though I am only at page 100 of 432 pages.

Wordle 687 4/6

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>253 vancouverdeb: Ooh, you got me with Midnight News. I, too, read and liked Longbourn, and The Midnight News sounds great, too. Thanks for the heads up!

Karen O

>255 klobrien2: You're in for a treat when you read Midnight News, Karen! I'm just past page 200 and it's a fantastic read!

Wordle 688 5/6

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Hi, Deb. I hope you had a nice weekend. I will also add The Midnight News to the obese TBR. Sounds good. I also really enjoyed Longbourn.

>222 vancouverdeb: Great to meet you too Deborah, I've certainly seen you all over the threads. I will admit the book does sound interesting from your review, so I'll add it to my never-ending TBR list. And yes, the cover of Weyward is very nice, I feel like book covers nowadays are on a whole different level sometimes with the rise of people collecting books purely based on aesthetic.

Wordle 689 4/6

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>258 msf59: I did have a nice weekend, Mark, thank. I LOVED The Midnight News and it is a 5 star read for me! I have a book hangover from it!

>259 WhiteRaven.17: Hi Kro! Well, I'm trying to get around the threads, as I took a break from having a thread for a few years. I hope you enjoy The Lighthouse Witches when you get to it. I try to remember my mom's wise words, " never judge a book by it's cover" but occasionally a book cover does grab you.

I finished The Midnight News last night , and I loved it. 5 stars. I have yet to create some comments or a review for it, but if you think you might like it, get on the waiting list at your library or grab the hardcover version - it's only out on hard cover for now.

>1 vancouverdeb: What a beautiful photo!

I will place The Midnight News on the tbr pile.

>263 Whisper1: Thanks , Linda! I hope you love The Midnight News as much as I did.

Please follow me to my next thread.