Ellen (EBT1002) counts books, months, & adventures in 2020 - Stave 8

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Still posting my photos of Abby, aka "The Bean," whom I miss every single day

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It's a good time to be a Seattle sports fan. The Storm are going to the WNBA finals and the Seahawks are 3-0.
Give me this beautiful, dynamic, and well-read "Anarchist city" any day of the year!!

My Rating Scale:

= Breathtaking. Perfect for me at this moment.
= Excellent! Among my favorites of the year.
= Particularly enjoyable or thought-provoking.
= Really good. I'm glad I read this.
= A solid read. Generally recommended.
= This was an okay read.
= Meh. Pretty much a waste of time.
= Nearly no redeeming qualities. Really rather bad.
= Among the worst books I've ever read.

Honestly, I'm rarely going to complete any book earning fewer than two stars but I reserve the right to rate them based on my experience.

Here is the rating scale Karen (karenmarie) has outlined on her thread. I'm thinking I'll give this a try:

= Masterpiece
= Stunning.
= Excellent.
= Very good.
= Good.
= Average.
= Bad.
= Very bad.
= Don't bother.

Of course, it still holds true that I'm rarely going to complete a book earning fewer than two stars but I reserve the right to rate them based on my experience.

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

1. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver 4.5 stars
2. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 4 stars
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe 4 stars
4. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood 4.5 stars
5. Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams 3 stars
6. Grand Union: Stories by Zadie Smith 3.5 stars
7. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths 3.5 stars
8. Little Gods: A Novel by Meng Jin 3.5 stars ~ Early Reviewers
9. Sudden Traveler by Sarah Hall 3.5 stars

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

10. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman 4.5 stars
11. Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner 3.5 stars
12. The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas 3.5 stars
13. Still Waters by Viveca Sten 3 stars
14. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves 3.5 stars
15. Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles 4 stars ~ Early Reviewers
16. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb 4.5 stars
17. Dear Life by Alice Munro 3.5 stars

COMPLETED IN MARCH

18. Spring by Ali Smith 4.5 stars
19. Copperhead by Alexi Zentner 3 stars
20. Tracks by Louise Erdrich 4 stars
21. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 3.5 stars
22. We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin 3 stars
23. So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell 4.5 stars
24. Girl by Edna O'Brien 4 stars
25. The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty 4 stars

COMPLETED IN APRIL

26. Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz 3.5 stars
27. The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke 3.5 stars
28. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 4 stars
29. Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner 3 stars
30. The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss 4.5 stars
31. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara 4 stars
32. Dominicana by Angie Cruz 4 stars
33. High Rising by Angela Thirkell 3.5 stars

COMPLETED IN MAY

34. Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke 4.5 stars
35. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks 4 stars
36. Possession by AS Byatt 4 stars
37. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves 3 stars
38. The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy 4 stars
39. Lockdown by Peter May 4 stars
40. Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine 4.5 stars

COMPLETED IN JUNE

41. Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves 3 stars
42. The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson 4 stars
43. Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa 4 stars
44. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 4.5 stars

COMPLETED IN JULY

45. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich 4.5 stars
46. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 5 stars
47. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui 4 stars
48. The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths 3 stars
49. Weather: a Novel by Jenny Offill 4.5 stars
50. City of Thieves by David Benioff 5 stars
51. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 4 stars
52. A Burning by Megha Majumdar 4 stars

COMPLETED IN AUGUST

53. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton 3.5 stars
54. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor 2.5 stars audiobook
55. Dead Water by Ann Cleeves 3 stars
56. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 4 stars
57. This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga 3 stars
58. Redhead By the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler 4 stars
59. These Women by Ivy Pochoda 4.5 stars
60. Writers & Lovers by Lily King 4 stars

COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER

61. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado 2 stars
62. Long Bright River by Liz Moore 4 stars
63. The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste 3.5 stars
64. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield 4 stars
65. Thin Air: A Shetland Mystery by Ann Cleeves 4 stars
66. Apeirogon by Colum McCann 4.5 stars
67. Weeping Waters by Karin Brynard 3.5 stars

COMPLETED IN OCTOBER

68. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell 4.5 stars
69. Broken Harbor by Tana French 4 stars
70. Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries by Robert van Gulik 3.5 stars
71. Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin 4 stars
72. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 5 stars
73. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths 4 stars
74. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 4.5 stars

COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER

75. IQ by Joe Ide 4 stars
76. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid 3.5 stars
77. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 4.5 stars
78. Real Life by Brandon Taylor 4 stars
79. All Adults Here by Emma Straub 4 stars
80. Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington 3.5 stars
81. Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline 4 stars

RandomCAT

✅ January: New Years Resolutions ~ Oryx and Crake and The Bone Clocks
✅ February: Still LEAPing into the new year! Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner (1984)
✅ March: Seasons of Love ~ Spring by Ali Smith
✅ April: Showers and Flowers ~ The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke
✅ May: Believe in Your Shelf ~ Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt
❌ June: Head to the Sea ~ Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi or The Breaking of a Wave by Fabio Genovesi
✅ July: Picture this! ~ The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
✅ August: Get Your Groove On ~ On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
✅ September: Reccies! ~ Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado ~ recommended by Mark and others
❌ October: Healthcare Heroes ~ The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally?
✅ November: Lest We Forget ~ The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

December Goodbye 2020 (Pick six)

1. a book with a color in the title: The Yellow House by Sarah Broom

2. a book with a number in the title: The Three-Body Problem

3. a book with title starting with "D"

4. a book I have been meaning and planning to read all year: Tin Man by Sarah Winman (also for W)

5. a book with a character named Joseph or Donald (or Joe, Joey, Don, Donny) -- OR authored by a Joseph, Donald, etc.: Righteous by Joe Ide

6. a book published during the Obama years (2009 - 2016): The Three-Body Problem or Why I Read by Wendy Lesser (also for W)

AlphaKIT

A & U January ✅
-- U: Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
-- A: Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

F & B February ✅
-- F: The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas
-- B: Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

G & C March ✅
-- C: Copperhead by Alexi Zentner
-- G: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and Girl by Edna O'Brien
-- C and G: The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty

S & T April ✅
-- S: The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss
-- T: Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

L & P May ✅
-- L: Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke
-- P: Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt /// Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

K & Y June ✅
-- K: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
-- Y: Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa

J & R July ✅
-- J: Weather by Jenny Offill
-- R: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

O & H August ✅
-- O: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
-- H: Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

M & E September ✅
-- M: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
-- E: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia)

D & V October ✅
-- D: Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
-- V: Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries by Robert van Gulik

I & Q November ✅
-- I & Q: IQ by Joe Ide

W & N December
-- W: Tin Man by Sarah Winman or Why I Read by Wendy Lesser
-- N:

Yearlong letters: X and Z ✅
-- Z: Grand Union by Zadie Smith
-- X: Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz

Personal Reading Challenge: Every winner of the Booker Prize since its inception in 1969

1969: P. H. Newby, Something to Answer For
1970: Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member
1970: J. G. Farrell, Troubles (awarded in 2010 as the Lost Man Booker Prize)
1971: V. S. Naipaul, In a Free State
1972: John Berger, G. -- DNF
1973: J. G. Farrell, The Siege of Krishnapur
1974: Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist ... and Stanley Middleton, Holiday
1975: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust
1976: David Storey, Saville
1977: Paul Scott, Staying On
1978: Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea
1979: Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore
1980: William Golding, Rites of Passage
1981: Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
1982: Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark
1983: J. M. Coetzee, Life & Times of Michael K
1984: Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac
1985: Keri Hulme, The Bone People
1986: Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils
1987: Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger
1988: Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda
1989: Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
1990: A. S. Byatt, Possession: A Romance***
1991: Ben Okri, The Famished Road
1992: Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient ... and Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger
1993: Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
1994: James Kelman, How late it was, how late***
1995: Pat Barker, The Ghost Road
1996: Graham Swift, Last Orders
1997: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
1998: Ian McEwan, Amsterdam
1999: J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace***
2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
2001: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang
2002: Yann Martel, Life of Pi
2003: DBC Pierre, Vernon God Little
2004: Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty
2005: John Banville, The Sea
2006: Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss
2007: Anne Enright, The Gathering
2008: Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
2009: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall
2010: Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question
2011: Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending
2012: Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
2013: Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
2014: Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North
2015: Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings
2016: Paul Beatty, The Sellout
2017: George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo
2018: Anna Burns, Milkman
2019: Margaret Atwood, The Testaments, and Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other
2020: Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain

***On my shelves

Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist

✔️ Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara ~ currently reading
✔️ Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
✔️ Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
✔️ Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Actress by Anne Enright
✔️ Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
✔️ Girl by Edna O’ Brien
✔️ Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell
✔️ Weather by Jenny Offill
✔️ The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
✔️ Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Women's Prize for Fiction Short List

✔️ Dominicana by Angie Cruz
✔️ Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
✔️ Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell
✔️ Weather by Jenny Offill

Women's Prize for Fiction Winner

✔️ Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

2020 Booker Prize Longlist

Diane Cook (USA), The New Wilderness

✔️ Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), This Mournable Body

Avni Doshi (USA), Burnt Sugar

Gabriel Krauze (UK), Who They Was

Hilary Mantel (UK), The Mirror & The Light

✔️ Colum McCann (Ireland/USA), Apeirogon

✔️ Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia/USA), The Shadow King

✔️ Kiley Reid (USA), Such a Fun Age

✔️ Douglas Stuart (Scotland/USA), Shuggie Bain

✔️ Brandon Taylor (USA), Real Life

✔️ Anne Tyler (USA), Redhead by The Side of The Road

Sophie Ward (UK), Love and Other Thought Experiments

C Pam Zhang (USA), How Much of These Hills is Gold

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2020 Booker Prize Short List

Diane Cook (USA), The New Wilderness

✔️ Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), This Mournable Body

Avni Doshi (USA), Burnt Sugar

✔️ Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia/USA), The Shadow King

✔️ Douglas Stuart (Scotland/USA), Shuggie Bain

✔️ Brandon Taylor (USA), Real Life

Happy new thread :)

Happy new thread!

>15 EBT1002: and >16 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita and Rhonda!

Currently reading:

Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell (thank you, Vivian!)

Happy New Thread, Ellen. I just did the same, adding a new thread!

>20 ronincats: Time for me to come visit, Roni!

You are always welcome! And hurrah, Seahawks!

>22 ronincats: It was a nail-biter of a game, Roni, but the good guys prevailed!

Happy new thread, Ellen. Love the toppers. I have been looking at cats (online only so far, thanks, covid) and there have been a few gingers that have caught my eye. But no decisions yet...

Hi Ellen, and happy new thread. That pic of Carson on your head is just perfect. He’s got the kitty bliss thing down pat.

From your last thread, homemade lasagna with homemade pasta is an impressive accomplishment. I have a recipe for Greek Pastitso that uses a bechamel sauce, but had never heard of a lasagna recipe with it. I have two lasagna recipes – one from my sister and one from my aunt. Sister’s is easier, but Aunt’s is very, very tasty. And I have a good recipe for (Americanized) Greek Pastitso that uses a bechamel sauce.

Keep up the good work on your knee surgery recovery. What's the work schedule looking like?

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Ellen!

Happy new thread, dear Ellen.

Happy new thread, Ellen. Are you sure your numbering of book reads is right? There looks to be some repeat of numbers around June.

Happy New Thread, Ellen! Go Seahawks! They are on a roll, baby.

Happy new thread, Ellen. Are you going to watch any of the French Open? I caught the end of the Gauff match yesterday.

You're doing really well with your Booker reading.

I hope the knee is progressing.

Happy new thread, TwinE! Love your photos up top and your posting of the prize winners as they winnow down. Hope your knee is behaving this week. Go Seattle!!!

Happy new thread Ellen. As winter comes in having a lovely cat to help as a hot water bottle must be even nicer than ever.

I've been lurking, Ellen, because I don't have anything to say but Happy New Thread. There. I said it. (Meant it too)

Hi Ellen - I'm glad you're enjoying Utopia Avenue - Mitchell doesn't work for everyone, that's for sure. It sounds like you're improving with every day and that's great news.

Fall has definitely arrived in the northeast with some reasonably bright colors. Despite these tough times I keep thinking about how lucky we are to have avoided all the horrific natural disasters of the past few months. Are you still aware of smoke there?

I finished Shuggie Bain on audio this weekend and loved it, and The New Wilderness which was good but not great. I only have This Mournable Body left to complete the shortlist, but I understand it's the third in a trilogy so I'm not sure if I want to read it without first attempting the other two. My list is SO long but having an empty nest is definitely good for my TBR!

New thread decor incoming.

from the last thread: My friend recovering from knee replacement is not one to stint on the meds. But she is a lot older than you, and that might factor into the recovery situation. We spoke to her yesterday and she sounded more optimistic.

I am happy to read your recovery is coming along just as you want it to do!

I'm recovering from that rediculous performance from Donald Trump last evening. I am like a kid before Christmas.... please please please come my way! Now! Election Day, and the Announcement of Who Won!!!

I just put all the books "currently reading" on my inventory. I've not done that for a long, long time. I'm still trying to be more active on LT again.

Hi Ellen. I’ve been lurking on your old thread to follow your recovery. It sure sounds like your knee is doing well. Hurray on getting rid of those compression stockings! I think the ten-hour work week idea is a very good way to ease into your job. And congrats on the new hire! Once the training is done, your work load should be much more manageable.

Happy new thread, Ellen! Glad to read that your knee recovery continues nicely.

Just saving my seat...

Happy new thread, Ellen!

Hi Ellen. Hope you are doing well. I have a question for you: how long did it take for Carson to emerge from hiding and join the family? Come to my thread and you will see why I ask...;-)

Great to see you, Ellen! I hope this week goes better.

Go Storm! And the Seahawks are not too shabby, too. It was a fun weekend of TV binging and popcorn.

I hope things are going well as you transition back into your office.

I'm currently reading Once Upon a River, which I think was one you read. So far, so good. Just enough creepy cum magical realism to make it a good October read for me.

>45 maggie1944: Karen, I'm loving seeing you post!

Glad your recovery is going so well. For me it was a big accomplishment when I could finally go all the way around (forward and backwards) on the bike pedals. (I had to have a manipulation under anesthesia 7 weeks after the surgery). Now, I have full range of motion, and most of my leg/knee strength back, but unfortunately the pain has not disappeared, although it’s at the level of being merely annoying.
We’ve been in Florida 4 months now, but still greatly missing Seattle.

62. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell




This was almost a five-star read for me, and possibly would have been in any year other than 2020 when my concentration wavers so. I loved it and the final words took my breath away. Through most of the novel, Elf and Jasper worked best for me and I never quite connected with Dean until near the end. The novel is "about" the late 1960s music scene, about a British band trying to make it, but the themes it explores are expansive and universal: love, ambition, coming of age....

Thank you, Vivian, for sending this book to me for recovery reading. It's certainly one of my favorite novels of the year.

I have How Much of These Hills is Gold and The New Wilderness on my kindle, on loan from the library. These are two novels by women, long-listed and calling for my attention. And I am so overwhelmed right now that I couldn't get past page three of either of them. I may have to just wait until they come out in paperback and order them; that will support the authors more than my library check-out and allow me to be in the right mental space to read them.

In the meantime, I'm digging into the next Tana French on my shelves, Broken Harbor. It's what I can handle at this point in time.

Tana French is a great choice, Ellen. I'm on the library list for her latest one which just came out this week.

I can't wait to get to Utopia Avenue, Ellen. I just read one that I think you would love, Transcendent Kingdom. It's really good, and pretty short. You might give that a try.

Take care.

>50 lauralkeet: Me too, Laura! The Searcher got a great review and is not as much of a chunkster as The Wych Elm was. I've never been disappointed in any of her novels.

>50 lauralkeet: I agree, Laura. Tana French's work is easy to get caught up in.

>51 BLBera: I have that one hold at the library, Beth. I read a review in The Seattle Times.

>52 vivians: Good to know her new one is getting good reviews, Vivian. I think The Wych Elm got mixed reviews around here but I do love her writing and I intend to give it a try after I finish the Murder Squad series.

>24 jessibud2: We got Carson from the humane society the first weekend they were allowing adoptions, back at the end of May. Because of COVID, he had been there for several months. You'll know when the time and the cat are right, Shelley.

>25 karenmarie: We made pasta again last weekend, Karen. This time it was herbed linguine and we served it (to ourselves) sautéed in olive oil with garlic, red pepper flakes, additional herbs, and topped with fresh parmesan. Very simple but absolutely delicious.

This is my last full week of "half-time" work. I'm working 6-8 hours a day but I'm managing it all right and the FML gives me the leverage I need to take time off for rest or exercises when I need it. Since my job usually consists of 9-11 hour days, this feels tolerable.

>26 drneutron: and >27 katiekrug: and >28 PaulCranswick: Thanks Jim, Katie, and Paul!

>29 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. You are so right! I mess up the count almost every year. I have read more books than I thought!

>54 EBT1002: - You are not quite caught up, Ellen. See >43 jessibud2: ...;-)

>54 EBT1002:
I laughed to myself when I read your post about the hours. I am loving this Covid schedule. I believe that working the Covid hours has added about 5 years to my working life - not that I plan on working 5 more years but physically I am feeling so much better now than I did before March. I returned to my office at the end of June for a few hours a week and then July 7 was back full time. However, for some reason, I now feel so much more free to say "OK - that's a day." And walk out and leave. I work all day Monday and Thursday morning's from home, and not having to set that alarm clock makes it feel like a holiday. I am in my office the other days of the week doing most of my work via Zoom. It feels impersonal and I think for that reason I feel much freer to walk away from it. At work, I feel like a new person. I suspect that if we ever return to what is considered to be a normal work week around here, that I will be retiring. The weird thing, I am working less hours, but I feel like I am getting as much done and I feel like I am on holiday because I am now working a normal 40 hour work week. The thing that has made the difference - there is absolutely nobody in our library. We are averaging 10 people a day in the building Monday through Wednesday and half that Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. I am now worried that the University may start asking why we have 6 libraries on campus and start trying to consolidate them.

I believe that the cause of the problem is that the University has a very stringent social distancing policy. We had to cut down on the number of seats in our buildings - about a third of what it was - in order to maintain the 6 feet distance. Students have to reserve a seat. At first it was for only 2 hours, then when somebody noticed that we literally had nobody in the buildings, (really that was true) that reservation period was lengthened to 4 hours. Some students are now coming in, but it is nothing like it was in semesters past.

One thing we have learned is that many students do not have the proper equipment for being totally online. Many of them are trying to do their work on cell phones. We did not realize how many students were dependent on the library laptops and the library PC's and Mac's. This showed up when they took their first tests. We had a library policy that you could not use the library to take tests. The problem showed up with the first wave of Algebra I tests. We had to back off on the policy and open up a few more PC's, and make sure that all of our public PC's have webcams and lock down browsers on them so that students can use them for testing. You simply can't take a test on a cell phone.

On campus we have great Wifi broad band width, but have also quickly learned that residential and apartment complexes don't. Even though I have a good setup at home, it took me months to get a system together that works and that I could pay for. We have discovered that students don't have the monetary resources to have the band width they need. That includes better hardware and better Wifi. It is no surprise that the cheaper the apartment rent the worse the Wifi. It should have been no surprise that the digital divide is an economic divide, but somehow it was.

"It should have been no surprise that the digital divide is an economic divide, but somehow it was." It's something that was much more easily ignored before the pandemic made remote working and learning so important. We've just purchased a new computer for our "grands" (our niece's children) to use for their schoolwork, because they were making do with a crotchety older laptop. Their parents do "everything" on their cellphones, so they hadn't minded not having a good fast computer in recent years. But this situation is a lot different.

>43 jessibud2: and >56 jessibud2: Yes, Shelley, I'm working my way through and not necessarily in order. This morning I got interrupted when Carson insisted that HE is my laptop. I obligingly set aside the MacBook and let him curl up for a bit.

To answer your question, Carson spent 22 days under the guest bed in our basement. We put a Feliway in there along with his food, water, and litter. After a couple weeks, we moved his food and litter out of the guest room so he would have to come out of hiding. We watched as he came out to eat, noticed us over his shoulder (quietly watching television, we were), and gradually got more comfortable. So, it took time and we let him have lots of control over the process but we also didn't let him just settle into the guest room without having to come out for food and such.

Okay, back to work for me. I had a little break this morning, did my exercises, ate some Apple Butter Bread (yum) and now I'm back to earning the Science Diet (I occasionally remind Carson that someone has to earn the Science Diet!!!).

Happy New Thread, Ellen! Go Carson, and RIP beloved Abby. What a beautiful photo of Seattle in >4 EBT1002:. I'm not sure we've completely forgiven our son for moving from there.

Congratulations to the champion Storm! And what a great start by the Seahawks. I'm still hoping Seattle gets back an NBA team some day.

Like Vivian, I'm very happy that you enjoyed Utopia Avenue so much. Me, too. I know what you mean about Dean - I connected with him much more toward the end.

Apple butter bread is so delish, I'm glad that was your elevenses choice.

Rock on with the reads you *want* to read, Ellen. Sending you & P all the good-health vibes I can muster.

>59 EBT1002: - Thanks for that, Ellen. 22 days. Wow. My Owen emerged from under the cabinet in the living room after 24 hours but I still can't get close to him. I had a litter box downstairs (as well as the main one in the bathroom upstairs). I have been moving it up a flight each day (I am in a townhouse, lots of stairs) and last night I put it in the hallway just outside the bathroom. They are both using the main litter box now so today, I emptied the smaller one and washed it out and put it away. One success.

I was only able to take Theo to the vet to get microchipped yesterday. I don't know when Owen will allow me to get close enough to touch him, let alone put him into the carrier, but I am willing to let him determine the timeline. He is out and about and they chase each other a lot. No hissing. So I take that as a good sign.

>48 EBT1002: I have fond, yet complicated memories of Cloud Atlas, but it was ultimately an important read for me. Maybe this will be too! (one day)

Our little Gabby (the tabby- cat) turns one soon. she has been such a loved addition to the household. I love seeing your cat-love here too :)

>60 jnwelch: I don't know if Seattle could support another championship level sports team. We have The Storm, of course, and The Seahawks could be at that level this year, I guess. Then, we have a soccer team for the men, and a soccer team for the women, then there is The Mariners who play baseball. There is the new The Kracken (ice hockey).

All the "The" additions are mine. There is another team or two which I've forgotten. One could spend one's entire life going to "professional" sports team events, after this pandemic is over.

Happy, Sunday, Ellen! I'm also loving Utopia Avenue, having now passed what I consider the first glitch in my assessment of Jasper.

Glad your recovery continues to go well, Ellen. I am looking forward to Utopia Avenue, great to see the enthusiasm on the threads.

thanks for the review of Utopia Avenue-- looking forward to it. But right now I am having concentration problems, and not sure David Mitchell is the answer.

>30 msf59: Thanks Mark. I am watching the Hawks play the Vikes right now. The Vikings' opening drive was pretty impressive. (Rats)

>31 BLBera: Hi Beth. I really didn't pay any attention to the French Open although P kept me apprised of happenings. I know Rafa won the final today and I thought of you. I'm pleased with that outcome, too.

>32 Berly: Hi Kim. Tomorrow is 6 weeks since surgery. The progress is slower in the second month than in the first but I still feel good about how things are going. I walked 1.5 miles a few days ago and again today. Slowly, but still.

>33 charl08: Hi Charlotte. I love having Carson on my lap -- and he does like to be there -- but the truth is that it's a bit hard on my knee. The weight and the immobility are not ideal.

>34 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy!

>35 vivians: Hi Vivian. I continue to be surprised at how well David Mitchell does work for me. I'm not sure why but I expect him not to be my cup of tea. But everything I've read by him I have enjoyed.

I do recommend waiting on The Mournable Body as it being the third in a trilogy reduced my enjoyment. But others may have a different opinion. I still gave it 3.5 stars and I think it is a worthy installment on the Booker short list.

>36 richardderus: Thanks Richard! Perfect for autumn!

>37 ffortsa: Judy, I do think my good recovery is being enabled, in part, by my relative youth (really??) and the fact that I had the surgery before the pain and mobility were as bad as some folks experience.

>38 maggie1944: Hi Karen. You sound more optimistic about the election outcome than I am. I'm confident Joe will have more votes but I am not confident that we won't see a repeat of what has happened more than once: a win in the electoral college even though not in the popular vote. That, or a chaotic refusal to honor the outcome of the election.

I still remember Election Day in 2016: I left work that afternoon and a woman colleague, one of my favorite people on Earth, said "tonight we break the glass ceiling!" She was so confident. And that night, watching the red get filled in state by state, was one of the worst of my adult life.

Anyway, I don't mean to be gloomy. I am just cautious. And I'm glad you are finding time to be more active on LT! I miss being here as much as I was when I lived in Seattle and worked at UW.

>39 Donna828: Hi Donna! Thank you for lurking. I am scheduled to be part time for three more work days and then I believe my surgeon will release me to full time. Sigh. But, as you note, the new Executive Director starts tomorrow (hooray!!) and that will gradually spread out the work load. I'm excited about that.

>40 lkernagh: Thanks Lori!

>41 laytonwoman3rd: Good to see you, Linda.

>42 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

>44 BLBera: Hi Beth. Things are just stressful at work these days and I just have to ride it out. Trying not to let it get under my skin too much but that does go against my natural way of being.

>45 maggie1944: It was fun watching the Storm OWN the finals, Karen! Watching the Seahawks right now and pleased that the defense finally seems to be getting their act together.

>46 streamsong: Hi Janet. Yes, I read Once Upon a River and I'm glad you're enjoying it (probably past tense by now) and I love your description of it for an October read. Yes, just right.

>47 arubabookwoman: Deborah! So good to see you here! Going all the way around on the bike, especially forwards, is indeed an accomplishment. I still have to work up to it each and every time. I'm sorry to hear that you still routinely experience pain. I do, too, of course, but I'm only 6 weeks in. My main complication is an IT band that catches every time I flex my knee, right around 100 degrees; it's irritating and I hope PT can address it with time.

I miss Seattle too. We didn't move as far away as you did, but even sitting here watching the Seahawks and seeing images of the city makes me homesick.

>57 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. It is certainly an interesting time to be working in higher ed. Our provost announced last week that spring semester will start a week later than originally planned and spring break is canceled. There will be 3, maybe 4, "study days," one per month. Some students seem to be unhappy with the cancelation of spring break but we need to reduce travel back and forth across the state and to other regions.

>58 laytonwoman3rd: I agree, Linda, with you and Benita. The pandemic has laid bare so many inequities in our society and many of them directly affect college students.

>60 jnwelch: Hi Joe! I'm not sure I've forgiven myself for moving away from Seattle! LOL. It was the right move, especially financially, but I do miss that city.

I'm glad to know others had the experience I had with Dean in Utopia Avenue. I just loved Elf and Jasper as characters throughout.

>61 richardderus: Hi Richard. I had impulsively bought a jar of locally made Apple Butter a few months ago and it was just languishing in the fridge. P saw the recipe for Apple Butter Bread and I am SO glad she did. YUM.

I sure hope Russell can find the key in the second half, Ellen! Hugs to you and P and Carson!

>69 EBT1002: I didn't realise that The Mournable Body was third in a trilogy but I am committed to it already!

Have a lovely Sunday evening, Ellen.

>62 jessibud2: It does take time and patience, Shelley. I recommend Feliway (not cheap but also not something you need to do forever). I think it helped him feel a bit calmer. And we moved his food and water gradually upstairs to the main level. I think it is a balance between letting them set the pace but not letting them say under the bed forever. I hope Owen comes out more and more and lets you get close to him. As you and I both know, every cat has their own personality, just like humans. :-)

>63 LovingLit: I have yet to read Cloud Atlas, Megan. It's probably on the reading list for 2021, assuming we get there. I know I've said this before but I need to sign up for fewer challenges next year.

>64 maggie1944: Karen, I think Seattle may have enough sports love for many, many championship teams. I pay no real attention to anything but the Hawks and the Storm. I mean, I always enjoyed hopping on the Light Rail and going to a Mariners game but they have been lousy for so many seasons in a row now.....

>65 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. You know, you reminded me that it took me a while to "get into" Jasper. And he ended up being such a wonderful character!

>66 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. I feel good about how things are progressing. My leg aches almost 24/7 but it doesn't hurt, per se, and I am getting more mobility. I can now go up a flight of stairs alternating feet (like "normal") although my gait is funny and I'm very slow. Going down stairs is still all about "down with the bad (surgical leg)."

>67 banjo123: Rhonda, honestly I can relate to the concentration problems. I'm even making my way rather slowly through Broken Harbor by Tana French and having a bit of trouble focusing. I keep having to give myself days off from social media and the news!!!!

>72 ronincats: Thanks for the Seahawks love, Roni. The second half is looking better than the first but I remain nervous. The Vikings owned the first half!

Adding: That is a fumble!!!!!!!! Good challenge by Pete Carroll.

>73 PaulCranswick: Paul, I think you will still enjoy and appreciate The Mournable Body but my sense is that it would be even better if you had read at least the second in the trilogy because of the character development.

As I mentioned to Rhonda above, my concentration continues to be challenged. I get sucked into social media and the news, "doom scrolling" through Twitter for far too much of my free time. I'm trying to put boundaries around that, taking entire days off now and then. I feel like we are at a critical time in history.

I've been reading Broken Harbor and the good news is that it's engrossing.

I still need a "V" read for October AlphaKIT. I'm thinking to read one of the works by Mario Vargas Llosa on my TBR shelves, but talk about demanding concentration.... So we shall see.

>74 EBT1002: - I have to explore Feliway. I have heard of it but don't really know much about it. Owen has come out and is cautiously gaining confidence. He is playing a bit (chasing) Theo but will not allow me to come close enough to touch him yet. I have their food bowls on opposite sides of the kitchen and it only took 3 days of moving the second litter box up a day at a time until both boxes were near the bathroom upstairs. Finally removed the second box and they are both quite comfortably using the larger one in the bathroom. Yay!

But considering it's only been one week (well, 8 days) since I brought them home, I am feeling pretty good about it all so far. I am still a bit nervous about being away from the house for too long at this point but with covid, that isn't likely to be a major problem, let's face it.

Pics on my thread, if you want to meet them ;-) (Theo looks like Carson)

Well, that was a nail-biter!

Hi Ellen - I'm absolutely loving the new Tana French, which still has a mystery at its center but is much more a character study. I'm also listening to the first in a series by Adrian McKinty which others on LT have raved about. It's a little weird to have two Irish novels going at the same time (different time periods though) but both are terrific.

Hi Ellen! May I make a "V" suggestion for you, a short read that is transporting, undemanding, and free? Murder in Ancient China by Robert van Gulik. Free for your Kindle, about an hours'-worth of mildly challenging puzzle to solve or simply watch unfold as your mood dictates.

Happy week ahead. I'm still vibrating with jealous loathing over your apple-butter bread.

Hi Ellen!

>76 EBT1002: I feel like we are at a critical time in history. I do, too. I don't 'do' Twitter, thank goodness for my sanity, but I do obsessively read the WaPo, the NYT, CNN, HuffPost, and other news services on my cell phone.

>74 EBT1002: Ellen! Every year you say you need to sign on for fewer challenges! I don't think you can.

I'm reading the anthology Nasty Women right now and in each of the first five essays, the writer talks about crying all day after the 2016 elections. I am keeping my fingers crossed that things will be different this time.

Ha! I hope you stayed with the Seahawks all the way through that once in a lifetime finish. How can they continue to get their act together only at the last possible moments?

I am continuing to read Caste and coincidentally, I listened to a case of an Indian person who comes from the lowest caste in India, working in the USA, I think. He sued as he felt his supervisor, who happened to be of an Indian higher caste, was discriminating against him, and had prejudice because he'd learned of the lower caste membership. Interesting case for US courts.

I've added a couple of Louise Penny books to my Audible account and have taken to listening to them when I go walking. That way I can't fall to sleep while listening to a book.

Autumn weather is lovely. Rainy sometimes, windy sometimes, and bright blue, deep blue, skies on other days. I love the autumn days. Maybe because as a kid I also was able to look forward to my birthday on November 11th. I will hit 76 this November. Whew.

>77 jessibud2: slow but steady progress with the new kitties, Shelley. I will come admire them!

>78 ronincats: I know, right?? The bye week will be a relief.

I love how much love Russell Wilson is giving to Sue Bird of the national champion Seattle Storm!

>79 vivians: Vivian, I enjoyed Broken Harbor. It took some days to finish it. I've read The Cold Cold Ground, the first in the Adrian McKinty series and really liked it!

>80 richardderus: You may! I'll check it out. I was thinking about reading something by Val McDermid but my Covid Fatigue is so significant that I am not even sure I have that in me! Thank you, Richard.

>81 karenmarie: I have to "do" Twitter for work, Karen, but it's gotten out of control lately. I also read NY Times, The Guardian, etc. Twenty-one days to go (although I don't think "it" will be over in 21 days).

>82 BLBera: You know me well, Beth. And I still remember the day after the 2016 election incredibly clearly. It was devastating.

>83 maggie1944: Hi Karen. Of course I stayed with the Seahawks all the way to the end. I was so very glad I did. Fourth quarter magic!

Walking while listening is a great way to do audiobooks. I'll be riding the stationary bike this winter so I may get started on listening to them again.

We are having a super-duper windstorm this evening. Kind of scary. But no flicker of lights yet.

It was and may still be quite windy here. We are hunkering down.

Hmm. The new mobile-friendly design is growing on me. I am deeply glad to get that ghastly barfed-up shrimp color away from my eyes, though why they didn't get the brown out too I do not understand.

Hi Ellen!

>87 maggie1944: Windy weather is my least favorite, Karen.

>88 richardderus: This evening is my first experience with the new format, Richard, and I'm getting used to it.

I read Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries by Robert van Gulik last night. Thank you for the recommendation, Richard. Two very short mysteries, little puzzles, elegant in their simplicity. Set in 7th c entry China and yet contemporary in sensibility. Perfect pandemic reading.

>89 EBT1002: Windy weather is my least favorite
Ach- me too. I feel so put about by wind! Unless it is stormy and I am al cosy inside that is - then - I love it.

Hey there, TwinE! Glad to hear the knee continues to improve and that you are getting kitty love. Hope the new VP (?) works out well and that working full-time again means closer to 40 than 60 hours/week. I know you and your job!! Take care of yourself. BTW I LOVE David Mitchell--haven't read that one yet. : )

>90 EBT1002: Oh GOOD! I'm so pleased the rec panned out. It's not long enough to drag, not so short there's no investment, and different enough to be intriguing. Very happy you enjoyed the read.

I like wind.

I am making progress in being able to concentrate on reading, and I'm turning off the TV more often. I figure the news will find me if it is really important. Gawk! Waiting for my ballot.

I'm not sure I like the changes. It took me way too long to figure out how to get to this place.

>91 LovingLit: I'd rather be snuggled inside during a windstorm, Megan, but high winds still unsettle me. I used to hate running in windy conditions!

>92 Berly: Hi Kim! The new ED is working out well so far. Today was his fourth day. I can't just hand him the keys midstream and walk away but already I like his energy and attitude and expertise!

David Mitchell is a pretty terrific author. I still have a couple more of his on the shelf to be read.

>93 richardderus: That's a perfect description, Richard. It was just what I needed.

>94 maggie1944: For me it's about setting aside Twitter, Karen, as well as the news. I'm just angry too much of the time.

The new format takes getting used to.... so far I've only experienced it on my iPad, which works pretty well. I'm not sure how it'll be on the laptop.

The new format is not bad on the laptop. We had to stage a few revolts to get some of the old functions back, but on the whole it's quite readable.

>97 ffortsa: I might give it a try on g tv he laptop this evening.

I finished Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin today. Book #70. It was good distraction from life.

Now I’ve started Shuggie Bain and I think it’s going to be good!

We voted today. Filled out our ballots and drove to Colfax, the county seat, to drop them in the locked box by the courthouse. Washington has been a vote-by-mail state for about 15 years. It works. And for those of you paying attention to Texas: Whitman County, where I live, is a huge county by square miles. We are the nation's leading wheat producing county. And we have about 45,000 residents. We have four ballot drop boxes. Always.

Anyway, then we drove around the Palouse a bit. I won't retire in Pullman but the Palouse is truly beautiful. Then home. Reading, laundry, a bit of baseball (about which I could not care less at present), my knee exercises.... A colleague and her husband stopped by to borrow our ladder.

I have Covid Fatigue. I know I'm not alone. I'm tired all the time, I'm bored, restless, terrified about what might happen in November.... My sweet cat Carson has an aggressive streak that we're trying to deal with. He swipes at ankles to get attention. He nips if you mess about with an iPad when he's sitting on your lap. I got down on the floor to interact with him yesterday (the good news in that is that I can get down on the floor if I'm cautious!) and he bit me on my face. He drew blood. I adore him and I don't know what to do about his aggression.

I started reading Shuggie Bain today. I think I'm going to like it a lot.

And I'm a bit tired of life these days.

Has anyone else gotten addicted to the "Tiles" game on the New York Times web site? Might have to be a subscriber.

>101 EBT1002: me.

And oh dear about Carson. I hope you can get him past his aggressive moves. Ankle swiping is one thing, but drawing blood with a bite is something else.

Oh no, I hope Carson doesn't get into the habit of biting.

>100 EBT1002: - Maybe he is mad at you for going back to work and not staying home with him all the time. It's odd and disturbing when behaviours change suddenly. At my end, I am still working on the split personality of my Theo, the most affectionate cat I have ever had but a real Bully Boy when it comes to the other cat. I am trying to work on that too, while trying to get Owen to not be so scared and shy. Not an easy task...

Happy Sunday, Ellen. Boo to Covid Fatigue! I am sure you are not alone. I am fortunate that it hasn't affected me that much. I can still do my hobbies and do limited socializing. I think this will be with us for a long time, unfortunately. I think I am suffering more from Trump Fatigue. He NEEDS to GO!!

Oh yeah- Go Bears! Go Seahawks! They have a bye this week, right?

Ellen, I share your covid fatigue and election-related anxiety. It's just too much. Really sorry to see sweet Carson is giving you trouble. Animal behavior is such a complicated thing (says woman with one very badly-behaved dog). I hope you're able to figure something out.

And YES to the NYT Tiles game. It's mesmerizing! And there are so many different types of tiles to play with. We are daily crossword solvers so we've had a puzzle subscription for a long time, but only recently got hooked on their other puzzles. The Spelling Bee is a fun one.

Yes to the Covid Fatigue, Ellen. I'm a homebody by nature and so if it were just me, I'd be fairly okay, but I worry so much about what this may be doing to Charlie as far as long-term mental health. And then the worries about the election and will there ever be a good vaccine and if so how long will it take to get round to us and will I ever actually feel safe going out and about again and just...ugh. So I definitely get it. *hugs*
And I'm sorry about Carsen and the biting. Hopefully it's just another of the settling-in phases? Fingers crossed. I bet your vet may have some good advice, too.

I think if I were you I'd give the Vet a call. They might have some ideas about what is bothering Carson. Maybe the cat thinks its weird that you are down on his floor?

Went to the Vet with Gretchen yesterday. She's getting "older" as am I. Between us there's a sizeable amount of time spent managing meds. She's not walking easily and the vet thinks it is arthritis. Hmmm. I don't know. She seldom wants to put weight on her rear left leg. But she's a pretty fast three legged walker.

Anxiety about the election: this morning I found a piece on public radio allowing folks to say what they feel about the current Prez after these 3-4 years. Yee gads, the reasons have for supporting him are hard for me to hear.

>100 EBT1002: Yay for voting Ellen.

Sorry to hear about Carson's new habits. Do you think it could be him adjusting to having had a lot more of your attention, then it going back to normal as work kicks in?

Glad to hear, on Beth's thread, that the new man seems promising at work Ellen.

Voting: Yay; baseball: "Not the Astros," but other than that *yawn*

Shuggie Bain luuuv whammys. And a beautiful Sunday to you and P!

Ellen, maybe this is karma. I was just complaining to my friend that Theo dove under the covers the other night as I was reading, and when I stripped the bed this morning to do laundry, I discovered that he wasn't just *exploring*. He ripped a huge gash in my sheet. My friend suggested I google Jackson Galaxy. I never heard of this guy before but apparently he is a cat behaviourist. I will be exploring further. Just thought I'd mention it.....

https://www.jacksongalaxy.com/

Oh dear for the Carson bite. If you get it sorted, please let us know how. Our Sparks is a grab and licker. He wants attention badly, and I don't mind being licked a bit, but I do mind the claws when he forgets. I've tried hissing at the claws, but I must give mixed signals. I had a much older friend whose cat put her in the hospital with an infected hand that Edisto had clawed and bitten. She had let him get away with it for most of his life.
As for Covid weariness - all I have to do is think how much worse our situation could be. As for the election (and the state of the world), I stay agitated whether I watch the news or not.
>108 maggie1944: I heard that interview too, Karen, but I'm used to the alternate reality of the Trumpists around me: can't understand it, but I'm hardened to it. (The latest was my dear HS friend maintaining that Covid death #s are really not as high as reported because "The government pays hospitals for every Covid death, so of course, they inflate the numbers." One google search {{not difficult for an intelligent woman like my friend}} traces this back to a mid-West state senator talking about Medicare payments for C-19 being classified with the other respiratory diseases. It became a social media darling of the right, which I had missed - my DH was familiar with it.) Sorry to take up your thread space, Ellen, but I live with this if I want to communicate with local friends, and apparently I'm not as hardened as I thought.

Hi Ellen: Too bad about Carson. As a person who has never owned a cat, I can't offer any advice. (allergies) Although, with the Covid stay-at-home stuff, I do feel I am a few cats away from being the neighborhood crazy lady. :)

I am, along with you, counting the days until the election and hopeful for a new president.

I'm reading one you might like: The Eighth Detective.

>102 ffortsa: oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one, Judy. I like some Tile settings better than others, and it partly depends on how hard I want to "work," but it's a better time killer than Twitter!

Regarding Carson, I know we need to do some behavior mod with him, we need to be consistent, etc. He's such a sweet cat most of the time!

>103 PaulCranswick: Me too, Paul.

>104 jessibud2: I have actually thought about my return to work as a difficult adjustment for him, Shelley. I'm still home but I can't pay attention to him the way I could in my early weeks of recovery. Honestly, I think he really liked the first couple weeks when I spent a lot of time in bed.

I have a basket with a fleece lining it That I've set up near my desk. There's also a little space heater, purchased for my comfort but Carson likes it too. He has taken to sleeping in that basket at last some of the time I'm working.

>105 msf59: I'm glad your bird hikes and limited socializing are working during this time, Mark. Even when you were working, you got out of the house every day. Working from home and being limited in my mobility are probably exacerbating the Covid Fatigue I'm experiencing. It helps when I go for even a short walk outside. And yes, Trump Fatigue is totally piling it on! It will be so interesting to see what happens after November 3.

>106 lauralkeet: You nailed it, Laura. Covid and the election -- it's just too much.

Yes! I love experimenting with the different tile sets. Some are easier and there are a couple that I find very challenging. Hmm, I've seen but not tried Spelling Bee. Uh oh....

>107 scaifea: Yes, Amber, all that. We are living through such a weird and difficult time. Charlie seems like a resilient kid but yes, he will be of a generation that had this interlude in their childhood. I think of my mom who was a poor kid during the depression. One lasting manifestation is that our pantry and freezer were always stocked, often with things for which we had no plan and really wouldn't even ordinarily eat. I wonder what Charlie's generation will tend toward.... hopefully just respect for science and good hand hygiene. 😀

I've been thinking about calling our vet. She does home visits only and she truly is the cat whisperer, so she may well be able to help.

>108 maggie1944: Aging is tough, Karen, for humans and our furkidz! I believe Carson mostly wants attention and is unsure how to get it. The biting and swiping almost never seem hostile. But unacceptable nonetheless. I also think he's a bit anxious and that can come out in aggression.

I'm not sure I could stand to listen to that radio show! I do see comments by a couple old friends from high school who are strong Trump supporters. Their reasoning is incomprehensible to me and I've stopped engaging for the most part.

>109 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. Carson's behavior is less new than amplifying. And I do wonder if my return to work is affecting him. He loves attention, wants to be near us (especially me) almost all the time. When I'm working, I can't pay attention to him.

And yes, so far the new executive director is working out really well! Yay!

>110 richardderus: Shuggie Bain is a good one, isn't it, Richard? I'm about a quarter into it and I'm pleased that it's among the short-listed Booker nominees.

It's a gray, drizzly Sunday here. It feels like Seattle! Lol. I'll do some work (email) for about half an hour but otherwise it's read, LT, knee exercises, and that's about it. Not too bad, really.

>111 jessibud2: Oh Shelley, that's not good. I wonder how/why he ripped the sheet. Trying to create a hiding place? Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. You and I are in this together!

>112 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. I'll keep you all posted on Carson's progress. Right now he's sleeping on a pillow next to me, sweet as can be!

No worries at all about taking up space on my thread! I love it. I have seen that same argument about the Covid deaths. I get so frustrated at people's intellectual laziness, hearing something and just believing it without question. I get particularly frustrated with old schoolmates who lead with their "Christian" values but seem oblivious to Trump's clear disregard for those values. I just don't get it. Except that I do. One of them recently posted one of those "when we were kids" things on FB. She listed all the television shows we watched and I thought "yep, they showed a fantasy world in which everyone was happy, including the African American characters who appeared perfectly happy in their roles as maids and gardeners, living on the other side of the tracks." I stewed for three days (maybe I'm still stewing) about whether and how to respond. This person has shown no inclination to think or rethink her point of view. It feels like a waste of energy to engage but I get so angry at myself for letting it slide.

>113 BLBera: Hi Beth! All in same boat!
Hmm, I don't know of The Eighth Detective so I will investigate. I'm quite enjoying Shuggie Bain at present.

I heard about it from Charlotte. It is very clever.

>122 BLBera: Clever is good. I'll put it on hold at the library.

>111 jessibud2: I am also a fan of Jackson Galaxy and the show My Cat From Hell. I think Jackson might label this as 'play aggression' and suggest you play with him actively with a toy such as a feather on a wand or laser pointer or whatever he'll wear himself out with a bit.

Here's a photo of my cat, Cree, who was actively watching the show. I'm not sure if Cree's smirk means he approves or not of Jackson's cat advice.

It's also one that you can read short chunks of at a time, Ellen, which I find helpful. I'm also reading the Nasty Women, which is a great anthology, but is making me more anxious about the election. I think you would like these essays, if you haven't already read them.

Ellen, here's a very recent article about the NYT Spelling Bee puzzle:
The Genius of Spelling Bee

We don't use Twitter but I know you do, so this might lighten up your feed. 😀

>126 lauralkeet: - Do you have to be on twitter to play this? I subscribe to NYT and would love another puzzle game but I don't d twitter or facebook or other social media. Is this something I could just play on my laptop?

I can certainly understand your Covid/Election anxiety, Ellen. I wish they would both go away but I'm afraid politics and C-19 will be around for quite some time. We adopted a dog almost two months ago and notice her behavior changes the more comfortable she is becoming. She is sweet and loving inside the house and very mild-mannered. Put her on a leash for a walk and she becomes a wild animal stalking squirrels, chipmunks, geese, deer, and her fellow dogs. I get a lot of arm exercise along with the usual steps and cardio.

I think I am suffering from Covid fatigue as well. I have noticed that my statistics at the library are just as high this year as they were for this same time last year (pre-Covid). I think it is because professors have changed their assignments and are now requiring more research. There seems to be less hands-on work and more library research. I think it is because the perception is that library research can all be done on-line. I wish that were so. It is always a disappointment to have to tell students that not everything in the world is digitized and that they don't have the rights to download everything just because it is for educational purposes. Copyright goes on - Covid or no Covid.

>124 streamsong: I do think it is play aggression a lot of the time, Janet. He doesn't realize that we don't have fur coats to protect us from his claws and teeth. Sometimes I play "bird" with him (best toy ever --- feathers on the end of a string at the end of a wand) and wear him out. I know he just wants attention and interaction.

Cree is a cutie!

>125 BLBera: I have not yet read Nasty Women, Beth. I would like to acquire that along with The Source of Self-Regard. I like essays a lot and both of these seem like they would be up my alley.

>126 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I do get sucked into Twitter and I take occasional breaks from it. For example, it's 6:30pm on Sunday and I am committing to NO TWITTER for at least 24 hours. It helps to take these breaks. And I think Spelling Bee sounds like something I would very much enjoy!

>127 jessibud2: I can access it through my on-line subscription to the New York Times, Shelley. But I haven't played it yet.

>128 Donna828: Yes, I think we are in for spending some time in this territory, Donna. I need to come visit your thread as I'm guessing there will be photos of your new dog there. ;-)

>129 benitastrnad: Ha. Yes, Benita, some things can only be done one way, C-19 or no.

>127 jessibud2: no, you don't have to be on Twitter at all. The puzzles are available through the NYT website. I'm not sure if Spelling Bee is available through the regular subscription or if you have to have their puzzle subscription (which is required for the crosswords).

Oh. I see Ellen answered your question!

Well, P and I took a risk. We went to the cinema. We saw David Copperfield and it was delightful. We did research about how the local cinema was handling things and we gave ourselves permission to walk out if anything was feeling unsafe. They have taped off every other row and are of course requiring masks, etc. It turns out we had the theater entirely to ourselves! It was like a private showing. The lobby was deserted other than four employees (one on tickets, one on snacks, two doing some cleaning). I'm not sure but P and I may be the only residents of Pullman who went to a film today. I think it will help the C-19 Fatigue, especially for P who does not have work to keep her mind occupied. I mean, I want to retire. Desperately I want to retire. But the boredom and isolation are easier for me because I do have zoom meetings all week.

Tomorrow I am back on full time. We'll see how well I do holding tight to my breaks so I can move this knee around.

>132 lauralkeet: - I am able to do the crosswords through my regular subscriptions (or, attempt them anyhow, lol. I am usually fine with Monday's, after that, not so much). I will have to see tomorrow if I can find the spelling bee and the tiles one Ellen mentioned earlier.

Good luck with your return to work, Ellen. I know what you mean about having a job. I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have school.

>134 jessibud2: I hope you're able to access Tiles and Spelling Bee, Shelley. For those of us with impaired concentration these days, they are pretty wonderful.

>135 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I was looking ahead at this week's schedule and getting a bit depressed. Meetings! So many meetings!!

--LANGUAGE ALERT--

I am SO ANGRY. We have had several conversations over the past week or so about the upcoming holidays. Because of this f*cking pandemic, we can't visit my 89-year-old aunt in Tennessee. We can't visit my 77-year old sister and her 85-year old partner in North Carolina. We can't visit my 98-year-old father-in-law in western Washington or our long-time family friends who are in their 90s and who also live in western Washington. Who knows how long any of these folks will be on Earth? And we can't f*cking visit them and I lay that entirely at the feet of Donald f*cking Trump and Mitch f*cking McConnell. We learned today that P's uncle who is 95 years old has COVID. He's 95. Something was going to take him soon in any case. But. We. Cannot. F*cking. Visit. Him.

My only hope is that other families are having these same conversations and that some of those "undecided" voters might actually come around to realizing that this administration does not care about us. They care about consolidating their own power and they care Not. One. Whit. about actual people.

Rant over.

>137 EBT1002: Rant very necessary Ellen. I will be crossing all digits for the US next month.

>137 EBT1002: *hugs* for you and P, Ellen. I feel exactly the same. I haven't seen my parents since February - the longest I've ever gone without seeing them - and I miss then so much. But they're in their 80s and have existing health issues, and I don't want to risk a visit. What if I never get to hug my mom or dad again? And I 100% agree that it's all on Trump et al. And those who vote for them.

>137 EBT1002: oh Ellen, I'm so sorry. Your rant is entirely justified.

>137 EBT1002: Sending hugs your way. Up to a month ago, Canada had restrictions on travel, and visiting loved ones in longterm care. Pressure was put on the government to relax certain visiting rules and travel. I don't quite follow what rules Trump has put in place. I was under the impression that he is not taking the pandemic seriously and therefore there are no travel restrictions in the US. Crossing my fingers for you that if becomes safer to travel soon.

>137 EBT1002: - I so hear you, Ellen. I can't visit my mother, either. I speak to her daily but she is getting depressed. What I truly wish is that when t-Rump actually got covid, that he would have been treated not one bit differently than anyone else. That perhaps if he had suffered as so many others suffer, had to wait as long as anyone else has to wait, something might be different. He is as human as anyone and he has no right to *special* treatment. I don't care what his job title is. He is no more important than any of the millions of others. But I know that is a pipe dream. The only real way this will turn a corner is if he is booted out and evicted from his current home and someone sane with a brain replaces him.

An unrelated question: does it cost extra to subscribe to the NYT Tiles game? I just found it and did my 6 free games. I want more!

>64 maggie1944: Hi, Karen. I enjoyed the NBA team the Seattle Sonics when you had it, and it made to the Finals one year (Shawn Kemp, Gary Peyton, Detlef Schempf), losing to Jordan's Bulls. Seems like Paul Allen could make another team happen. For me, the more pro teams the better. One could spend one's entire life going to "professional" sports team events, after this pandemic is over. Hmm, I'm tempted to sign up. I could read at halftime, I suppose.:-) The Kraken?! Oh, I like that name. Release the Kraken!

Hi, Ellen. It's fun to see the love for Utopia Avenue. It has a simpler structure than some of his books, and may be his most accessible, although Jacob Zoet and Black Swan Green are, too. (I love his others, especially Cloud Atlas, of course). I've got one more of his to read, his first, Ghostwritten. Word on the street is he was still figuring out the best way to write, and it's not very good. But I'll give it a go.

Ellen, everyone I know has COVID fatigue. You are not alone. "Weary" is the word I'm using to describe how I feel.

Somewhere up there Benita said her library stats were up or the same. That's not the case where I am. We have a fraction of the traffic. We do a lot of our reference via chat (for which we are thankful because the students refuse to follow the campus social distancing guidelines and mask requirements). All our group studies are clearly labeled "Limit 1 person," but we're constantly kicking extra people out and having to disinfect the chairs when we move them back to where they are supposed to be. We're considering locking the rooms.

>138 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks Caroline. I am confident that a majority of Americans will vote for Joe Biden, but I am not confident that Trump will not with the electoral college. I believe the stories of Russian interference. I believe we are well and fully cooked.

Sigh. Sorry. I thought I was in better space after a good night's sleep. I did sleep well. And then I read Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter this morning. I also read a chapter of Shuggie Bain which is excellent but hardly cheerful. Ha.

>139 scaifea: I hear ya, Amber. I miss family so very much and it just isn't worth the risk to visit them. How terribly sad that we cannot see those we love. The selfishness of so many.... I so empathize with how much you miss seeing your folks and I know you wish Charlie could see them, too!

>140 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I appreciate my friends here being willing to listen. :-)

>141 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. Trump is not taking the pandemic at all seriously and that is the problem. There are not travel restrictions in place. The reason we can't visit family is that it's not safe for them (or for us when you come right down to it). If we visit and unknowingly expose them to the virus, it could kill them. To visit some of them, we'd have to fly which is a perfect way to get exposed to the virus, so flying to Tennessee and then spending a few days with my 89-year-old aunt would be putting her at too much risk. If the Trump administration had taken this seriously, we would still be living in a pandemic. We would still be taking precautions. But we would be able to take those precautions and engage more in normal living. It wouldn't be like it was in January, but it wouldn't have to still be like it was in April. So, my rage at him is not because of restrictions, it's because he has flouted the virus and taken absolutely zero responsibility to lead this country through the pandemic.

>142 jessibud2: I'm so sorry, Shelley. I can fully understand what your mother is going through -- the isolation is hard! And I agree with you. I have to admit I've had moments of wondering whether he really had C-19 or if it was another piece of stage work so he could show what a super-human specimen he is and/or how not-serious the virus is. IDK. I just know I hate him more than I have ever hated any human on Earth. Hate is not my usual MO. But in this instance, I feel it fully.

>143 jessibud2: I think there are levels of subscription. We splurged on the one that includes the news, the games, and the NYT Cooking app. Prudence uses recipes from the latter quite regularly.

>144 jnwelch: I love the image of you going from pro sports event to pro sports event once this pandemic is over, Joe. The big issue would be how to decide which jerseys to purchase and wear! Ha.

I'm impressed that you have read almost every work by David Mitchell. I doubt I'll work my way through his entire oeuvre but I will read more. I want to reread Jacob de Zoet while Utopia Avenue is still fresh in my mind. And I still have Cloud Atlas on the TBR shelves.

>145 thornton37814: "Weary" is a perfect word for it, Lori.

I have to admit that I don't really know much about "library stats," but I assume it's about tracking utilization of electronic and in-person materials? Our local public library is closed for in-person traffic. One can reserve books or DVDs and they are doing curbside delivery. No study groups or book clubs can meet there in person.

Okay, I have to go get ready for work. My first day of full-time. 40 weeks to go.

>145 thornton37814:
We have locked doors to everything including the study rooms and the front door. You can't get into our library without your university ID card. My stats are almost all from Zoom. I am getting so tired of that artificial environment. I HATE IT!

>147 EBT1002:
I hear you about the Covid fatigue. My 85 year old Aunt died from Covid complications 2 weeks ago. I have not been home since December of 2019. I can't go home. My family is having a memorial service for a cousin who died a year ago from cancer and I can't go home. I don't know if I will be able to go home for Christmas. All of this and everyday I hear about people who go for a weekend down to the beach (before Hurricane Sally that is). If I go anywhere I have to report it to my supervisor. If I don't I am subject to disciplinary action. I understand all of the reasons for this, but then it just makes me mad that we have football! F*****g Football! Of all the things - and even though I despise the conspiracy theory nutballs, I am convinced that the coach should not have been allowed to coach last week. Either that or none of us should pay any attention to the results of a Covid test. Once again, it was proved that even in the matter of disease, it is not what you have, it is who you are. Stupid Trump was sick enough to be admitted to the hospital and then made a show of taking his mask off. At least Sabin hasn't been that stupid.

Not only does Trump have to go - so does Mitch McConnell. That man is a menace and deserves all the names he has been called. Liar and cheater are only the tip of the iceberg. We have got to get those stupid old white men who don't get it out of Washington. Here in Alabama we had a chance with Senator Doug Jones, and now they are going to elect another stupid elderly white man loser ex-football coach to take his place. Like so many other people - I simply don't recognize my country anymore.

>137 EBT1002: I do not think you were anything like as immoderate as you actually felt, or this post would be gone already.

I am so very angry and sad for you and P in your deep and intense frustration. I hope it's only going to get better.

In case it makes today any easier to slog through, the 2020 Olive Editions are here. I won't spoil what I hope will be your pleasure...but yum!

>148 EBT1002: - Ellen, my theory right from the first announcement of his so-called infection, was that he never had it and it was all a PR stunt, to gain the sympathy vote, since he knew he was losing and was desperate. And when t-Rump gets desperate, nothing is too low for him to stoop to. And then, of course, there is what you said, about him bragging about being *cured* and *immune* and it being *no big deal* and *nothing to allow to dominate your life*. Even though there have been several so-called positive test results in those surrounding him, I still almost believe that he never had it. The man is more mentally unhinged than ever and it's showing more and more. It boggles the mind that ANYONE can believe a single word that spews out of that trash can of a fish mouth of his. It's bad enough that there are so many ignorant fools around who follow him like sheep. But what's to explain the so-called *intelligent* people who support him? They are out there, too. I do question the intelligence of anyone who can support him but the fact is, they do.

(Imagine how much more vitriolic I'd be if I were American! ;-)

Like Richard, I think you were right on target, and not nearly as immoderate as you could have been. We've been taking care of my 91 year old mother-in-law so have been really careful not to get exposed and risk exposing her. I'm continually astonished that Trump and his ilk are willing to sacrifice our elders in the name of keeping their base happy.

I'm so sorry, Ellen. Hugs for you and P and all your family. More people are surviving all the time. May he be one of them!

I also believe that the dumpster does not care. In my most cynical moments I wonder if this is his health plan - eliminate the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions (I fall into both categories) and minorities to make everything more cost efficient.

>137 EBT1002: I hear you, Ellen. We've been having the same conversations in our family. I think most of America is in the same boat. Agreed that Trump does not care.

I am sitting in my little apt. with the slider door to the outside open, with the screen closed, listening to tyhe pitter pat of the rain. I do love listening to the rain. I am very fond of our climate.

Hi Ellen!

>100 EBT1002: So glad you voted – it was a bit more difficult for us as we had to request absentee ballots. When we filled them out, sealed the envelopes, signed the envelopes and had a witness print name, date, and sign envelopes, I still had to take them to the BOE (could have gone to an early voting sight but the BOE had less of a crowd), fill out a voucher saying who was dropping each ballot off with date, time, name, and signature. The clerk date stamped each ballot and dropped each into the locked ballot box. Not super easy, but so critical.

I’m sorry you’ve got COVID fatigue. You’ve probably still got knee-replacement surgery recovery stress too, but I can relate to the COVID fatigue. I just cancelled family Thanksgiving at our house, and at this point we’re not even sure that it makes sense for Jenna to come home. And I’m absolutely terrified that Trump will steal the election and/or challenge the peaceful transition of power when Biden wins.

I’m sorry Carson has an aggressive streak and has drawn blood. On your face, no less. I know you and P will figure out the best way to deal with it. Our baby Wash plays roughly, but it’s usually my fault for going for his belly or otherwise invading his space. I disengage gently, sometimes one claw at a time. My sister’s had bad cat scratch fever from the same cat twice, so monitor the bites/scratches carefully.

>137 EBT1002: I completely understand your frustration. I had plans to visit my sister, my maternal aunt/husband, and my friend Karen in Montana this year. All gone. And Thanksgiving, as I wrote above, will be just Bill and me, possibly but probably not Jenna. I haven’t seen my daughter since early January. It's become a physical ache. Thank goodness we talk almost every day.

>150 EBT1002: I hope your first full-day back was safe and went well.

>151 benitastrnad: I agree with you wholeheartedly, Benita. I am so sorry you are also experiencing the situation of not being able to visit family, attend a memorial service. I also share your frustration with football -- and I'm a football fan! So much of it is driven by finances....

>152 richardderus: Thanks so much, Richard. These are tough days for us all. Our governor (of whom I'm a big fan) imposed some greater restrictions today on congregate housing (read: fraternities and sororities) and placed expectations on universities to more thoroughly support students living off campus who need to quarantine or isolate. To roughly quote him as well as the director of our county public health department, "we're all tired of this virus, but the virus is not getting tired."

>153 richardderus: The Olive editions!!!!! You know you made my day!! xoxoxo

>154 jessibud2: Our little local newspaper had an "interesting" article today, Shelley. They talked with a guy who has done focus groups with undecided voters (the guy is a former Republican strategist). He found many folks torn between their disagreement with Biden's policy plans (these are, for the most part, registered Republicans) and their abhorrence for Trump's personality, his divisiveness, and his inability to gain respect from world leaders.

Honestly, I have no doubt that Biden will win the popular vote, probably by an even larger margin than Hillary won in 2016. But I fully believe the Republicans will do everything they can to steal the election via the electoral college and the Supreme Court. Their urgency to confirm Barrett is all about having her serve as the deciding vote in a decision to, for example, deny the counting of any mail-in ballots received after November 3.

Regardless of what happens, I fully expect civil unrest.

>137 EBT1002: So sorry that your rant was necessary, Ellen. I understand the need for some control but not the absence of sympathy and understanding.

I called my mum on Sunday and she was in tears on the phone wanting to see Hani and myself and knowing it is not possible. She has had one cancer after another and, I know she won't keep facing it down, but I fear I won't be with her then.

Your relatives in their 80s and 90s deserve the exception of having their loved ones visit and be with them and any law that prevents them is cruel and unjust and simply wrong.

>155 drneutron: I hear you, Jim. I am astonished and, to be honest, no longer astonished. It is clear (to me) that the Republican Party, especially the pillars (Trump, McConnell, Barr, Graham, etc.) are corrupt and invested only in cementing power. They know voters will focus on "trigger" issues like abortion and LGBTQ rights, but they are most interested in a court system that will support their business interests. It's all a smoke screen for what they are really doing, which is setting up a late-stage capitalist autocracy that will continue to line the pockets of the very wealthy. That and return as close to Jim Crow sensibilities as the populace will allow.

>156 streamsong: Janet, I love that you call him "dumpster." Certainly I think this is his health care plan to the degree that it kills off black and brown people.

Down the street from us is a wonderful yard sign. It just says "DECENCY" and the second "E" is the Biden "E." I love it.

>157 BLBera: Yeah, Beth, we are all tired of this virus. I know there are spikes in countries that dealt with it better than we did. But I'd be happier going back into lockdown than languishing there for so many months in a row!

>158 maggie1944: Karen, you are balm for my soul. I adore Seattle rain! This past Sunday was a Seattle-like rainy day. I loved it. I have such wonderful memories of long runs in Seattle and back in Oregon -- I relished a run in the 50s or 60s with light PNW rain. It's the best. It's what makes it all so green!!!

>159 karenmarie: Hi Karen. Wow, that is a complicated set of steps for voting! I just hope lots of people in your area are willing to go through those steps. I do believe that the more Americans vote, the better.

I'm sorry you are also having to eschew holiday plans with family. It's just so sad and frustrating. At this stage of our lives, we know that time is the single most precious resource any of us has! It feels like some of it is being "stolen" from us.

Speaking of stealing, I think you and I are in the same spot with what we think might happen in November. I do not expect Trump or the Republicans to respect the process. I fully expect them to use the newly filled Supreme Court to decide in Trump's favor. And, of course, those same ballots may have critical votes for senate races, as well....

I think we are sorting out that Carson is not so much aggressive as playing aggressively. He really wants attention a lot and has ways of trying to get it. I'm focusing more intently on rewarding good behavior and not rewarding bad behavior. The past 48 hours have been better....

Not seeing your daughter since early January -- a physical ache. I get it. And it is so terribly difficult. I'm so sorry.

My first two days back at full-time have not been terrible but they have certainly confirmed that I want to retire as soon as practicable. If Biden wins, which would mean I have more confidence that medicare and social security will be around for at least a few more years, I will start cementing my plans for August 2021.

>161 EBT1002: I am ever the optimist. I believe Biden's victory will be convincing enough that Trump and his cohorts will have no choice but to slink from office.
Biden is going to have a lot of work to do to try to heal some of the open wounds in American society but I will be amongst the many praying that he can be to some large degree successful in this undertaking.

>162 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul, that is just so unfair and unfortunate. I can empathize with your mum, and with your worry about when you'll be able to see her. I know she has had a rough go for the past few years and it matters that we get to see family!!!

Just to clarify, it's not laws that are preventing us from visiting the various elders in our family. It's that the travel and the gathering are unsafe since the U.S. has done such a poor job of managing and controlling the pandemic. I'm not angry at any restrictions; I'm angry at irresponsible leadership.

>166 PaulCranswick: I hope you are right!!!!!!! xo

I am still very much enjoying Shuggie Bain although it's a bit heavy. As I have returned to full time work, I'm getting up earlier and reclaiming my hour of reading in the morning. I sit with my mug of coffee and my book, opening the east-facing blind so I can monitor the sunrise, and I just love that hour of peaceful solitude. Sometimes Carson hangs out with me, sometimes he goes back to bed with P. Either way, I'm relishing this part of my routine since moving here.

>167 EBT1002: In that case, Ellen, I can understand why you are so angry. In my case I am not allowed to travel to UK and then return under the present rules in Malaysia. In other words I can go but I cannot come back!

Hi Ellen! I am definitely not a fan of pandemics, and it's hard thinking that we probably have months to go. I am trying to come up with pandemic projects, to make myself feel productive, at least, but right now it's all about worrying over the election.

Hopefully your vet has some ideas for Carson. Our vets have been helpful with our cat's emotional issues.

Curse you NY Times Tile pushers! I didn't know about that particular time sink....and I really really didn't need another one, but I'm hooked now. Hope yer all happy.

P.S. Wise up, Carson. You got adopted by special people. Don't be a butt.

"I just love that hour of peaceful solitude. " That's how I started my days the last couple years I worked, too. I think it saved my sanity.

71. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart


This is a painful and beautiful novel. Set in Glasgow in the 1980s and 90s, it is the story of the relationship between Shuggie, a "different" young boy, and his severely alcoholic mother, Agnes. Shuggie loves his mammy and, like so many youngsters with addicted parents, he is determined to protect and save her. The novel explores this loyalty but also themes of class, poverty, sibling relationships, sexuality, and gender dynamics. The writing is spare and vivid, the story heartbreaking and hopeful in an odd sort of way. For those who have read it, the scene in which Eugene urges Agnes to try "just a wee drink" outraged me. It's one of those classic scenes in which you want to scream at one of the characters: "No! Don't do it!" And it's so skillfully crafted by Stuart.

>170 PaulCranswick: I'm so sorry this pandemic is keeping you from visiting your mum, Paul. I understand all the travel rules. Being from the U.S., we are not welcome anywhere and I completely get it!

>171 banjo123: I hear ya, Rhonda. We did a bunch of jigsaw puzzles in the first few months but not since my surgery. Time to give it another go.

>172 laytonwoman3rd: Yay! I mean, sorry, Linda (but not really). At least the NYT puzzles are good for your brain (well, better than Twitter).

I love hearing that the quiet hour of morning solitude was a lifesaver for you, too. It's worth getting up early to have it!

I have been thrilled to find that the NY Times will allow me to play the allotment of free games on each of 3 devices every day. I figured it would catch on to me, but so far, it hasn't. I do keep telling myself it's mental exercise and I shouldn't feel guilty about it. (I've never succumbed to Twitter.)

>173 EBT1002: Shuggie Bain is definitely one of the ones on the Booker shortlist that I intend to get around to at some stage. It may need to wait until post-pandemic (or at least post this phase of the pandemic) as I’m focusing more on light reading at the moment!

Hi, Ellen. I hope you had a nice weekend. Good review of Shuggie Bain. I am really looking forward to reading that one.

Sorry, about your Hawks. I thought they had that one in the bag but the Cardinals were pretty impresssive.

Count me amongst those who are suffering from mental fatigue and subclinical depression this year. My reading output has ground to a near complete halt — I was off from work the past five days but read less than 50 pages of my current novel, Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi — and I'll be fortunate to finish 50 books this year. I had intended to read the entire Booker Prize longlist by the announcement ceremony on November 11, which I'll fail at, then planned to read the shortlist by then and the longlist by year's end, which I'll fail to do as well. Hopefully I can finish Shuggie Bain by then, although I'll spend another week in early November with my parents, and I'm typically too busy helping them out to get any reading done.

I'm both optimistic and very anxious and nervous about next week's election, both in Georgia and Pennsylvania, and in the entire country. I also fear that there will be acts of violence committed by White supremacist individuals or groups if Trump loses.

>173 EBT1002: re: spoiler:


PS I forgot to link you to STuart's NYT interview.

>173 EBT1002: I really loved Shuggie Bain too, Ellen, and Richard's gif above perfectly represents my reaction as well! Right now I'm reading the new Cormoran Strike novel, which is a real chunkster.

Hi Ellen - Eight more days... I've added Shuggie Bain to my list.

72. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths


This was one of my favorite in the Ruth Galloway series. The mystery was interesting and the characters are continuing to develop depth and complexity.

Currently reading:

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

So far I'm quite enjoying this. The narrative voice is compelling!

>175 laytonwoman3rd: Very cool, Linda! I'm glad you're getting that access to the NYT puzzles. I think they are a perfectly good use of brain time. And one thing I may do the day I retire is shut down my Twitter account. I took about a week off (until yesterday) both Twitter and FB and it did me good.

>176 SandDune: Shuggie Bain is definitely not light reading, Rhian. Anyone with a history of dealing with a loved one with severe alcoholism may find it especially disturbing. That said, it's also a beautiful novel full of love and affirmation in a weird sort of way.

>177 msf59: That was a heartbreaker of a game, Mark. After DK Metcalf's amazing save of a touchdown in the first quarter, it was especially sad to lose in overtime. But I agree; the Cardinals capitalized on some opportunities, better than did the Hawks.

>179 kidzdoc: Yep, I think there are a bunch of us, Darryl. I had been aware that your reading had slowed in terms of volume. As you are among the most avid in this group of truly avid readers, that is telling. And I know it's so layered. I agree with you in terms of fear about what will happen in the days after the election. I expect civil unrest and I am especially afraid of violence by white supremacist groups. With the SCOTUS confirmation yesterday, it is clear that those in power are focused ONLY on staying in power. It's rather terrifying.

>180 richardderus: Great image, Richard! And thanks for the link to the interview. I will read it after I finish work today (taking a rare lunch break to catch up on my thread a bit today).

>181 vivians: I'm glad so many are appreciating Shuggie Bain, Vivian, and that my intense reaction to that scene is also shared by others. It was so well done.

I've not read any Cormoran Strike novels. It may be a series I can keep from getting sucked into. Ha.

>182 BLBera: I think you'll enjoy Shuggie Bai, Beth! And now we are down to 7 days to go. But, as I noted with Darryl above, I hardly expect it (whatever "it" is) to be over at the end of November 3.

Back to work for this reader!

Hooray for Transcendent Kingdom - I loved it!

>188 BLBera: Oh good. I am loving it so far, too!

The NYTimes had a rundown on how each state is handling late-arriving mail-in ballots. Some are using Nov. 3 as a cutoff, some have as much as two weeks grace! So unless the electoral college count is uncontestable, I do think we are in for some nailbiting.

The interesting thing about the most recent Supreme Court ruling is that it affirms state legislative control of voting rules. So that would mean that some states with generous wait times should be allowed their time. We will see.

>190 ffortsa: Also interesting that Barrett did not participate -- rightly-- because she hadn't had time to do the necessary due diligence on the question.

>191 laytonwoman3rd:
Possibly didn't even have her assistants and secretaries in their offices yet. Even if you think you are going to be confirmed, it still takes time to set up an office and figure out where things are located so you can go to work. I am sure that Supreme Court Justices have those same practical problems. I also doubt that she could have participated if she didn't hear the arguments made before the court.

73. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi


I loved this novel. Gifty is a neurochemistry graduate student at Stanford studying the neuronal underpinnings of pleasure seeking and the mechanisms that enable resistance to temptation when the risk of adverse outcomes is high. Gifty is also a daughter of immigrants, torn between the many dualities in her world experience, especially as they play out in the dialectic of religion vs science. She is a wonderful first person narrator. Having grown up in an evangelical family in Huntsville, and having lost family to both distance and death, she is self-protective and driven by a commitment to knowledge. But how can she leave behind her childhood of deep belief, or her needy mother for whom God is the only source of will and hope?

I very much want to go back and read Homegoing. I remember loving it but I don't remember it well enough to satisfy my desire for (literary) intimacy with Gyasi. I want to know her. Perhaps it is because the story of Transcendent Kingdom had discernible autobiographical elements, and because Gyasi clearly draws on what she really experiences to create her fictional world, but whatever the reason, her work makes me curious about her. English teachers always taught us about the life of the author and I have to admit I rarely felt that connection in the way others seemed to do; with Gyasi it is palpable.

I can't do it justice. I can just say this is highly recommended.

>190 ffortsa: We will see indeed, Judy. The rhetoric around discounting any votes received after November 3 just makes me crazy. And I hope everyone is finding a way to drop their ballots in lock boxes (of which we have many in every county in Washington) or mailing super early, or voting in person (early or on Nov 3).

>191 laytonwoman3rd: I found that interesting, too, Linda. I will give her a small nod of appreciation for that demonstration of reasonable and ethical restraint. I don't expect a lot of it from someone who has otherwise shown herself to be a partisan judge with no qualms about contradicting herself when it is in her interest to do so.

>192 benitastrnad: Yep.

Next Up:

IQ by Joe Ide

If anyone watches CBS Sunday Morning, there will be a piece about the WSU Bear Research Center tomorrow. We frequently drive by this place and sometimes stop and say hi to the Brown Bears (aka Grizzlies).

Happy Halloween, Ellen! Hooray for Transcendent Kingdom. Great review. I can't wait to get to it. Wow, some heavy hitters coming out at the end of this year. Homegoing was my favorite novel, of 2016.

>193 EBT1002: What a perfect summation of the experience I think we all seek: the fullness of connection to the Self of another via these stories we're so addicted to.

Happy weekend, and enjoy your next read!

Nice review of Transcendent Kingdom, Ellen. I'll probably read it next month.

>197 msf59: My fingers are crossed that your pumpkins are right, Mark!

I almost gave Transcendent Kingdom five stars. I'm still waffling on that.

>198 richardderus: Heya Richard. Thanks for your appreciation of my little review and commentary. Reading Transcendent Kingdom was, well, transcendent. I worried that I was being a bit pretentious in my comments but I really wanted to capture that experience.

Today was a beautiful fall day. We hung the flannel sheets on the line and drove to Sunnyside Park for a good walk. I think we went about two miles. There seemed to be a disc golf tournament or something going on as there were lots of small groups playing the course there. I am pleased that my knee can go two miles now, even though the PT is telling me I need to focus more on range of motion, that the strength will come later. There is apparently a limited window during which I can get the range of motion back and then the scar tissue, etc., will prohibit further progress. Sigh.

>199 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. I'll be interested in how you like Transcendent Kingdom. Her writing speaks to me in a way it is hard for me to describe.

>202 EBT1002: Thanks Kim!

Great comments on Transcendent Kingdom, Ellen. My copy of Nasty Women is an ebook, or I would send it your way.

Happy Halloween.

>203 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I don't mind supporting the editor of the collection.

I just looked at the clock and thought "I get an extra hour to read tonight!" Yay!

>196 EBT1002: Just saw the program, Ellen. I think the bears are laughing at us.

>205 laytonwoman3rd: The bears are pretty cool, Linda. Seeing their teeth and claws up close confirms my desire never to encounter one on a hike!

>206 EBT1002: - Years ago, when I was still teaching, we did a unit on bears. I had a stencil of a bear paw, claws and all and we used those cut-outs to measure the height of everyone. How many bear paws tall are you? and we charted them on the wall of the classroom. Yep, they are huge! ;-)

>193 EBT1002: Never hear of this author before. BB for sure :)

Have a great start to your week.

Yaa Gyasi is an Alabama author. She grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. I heard her talk on NPR sometime ago, and was surprised to learn this fact about her. I had not heard it mentioned in anyway with her first book Homegoing. (which I purchased at the Amazon store the day we met-up!) I found her comments on Alabama of interest because Huntsville is considered to be very different from the rest of Alabama. Today it is the wealthiest and most cosmopolitian area in Alabama. That is due to the fact that it was the home of Redstone Arsenal. This was a small facility maintained by the U. S. Army and during WWII became the home of the Army's small missile research facility. After WWII, it became the home of the capture Nazi missile researchers that were headed up by Werner Von Braun and his crew. Once the U. S. space program got going the Germans were given free run of the place and transformed it into a much more cultural place than any other in Alabama. It has maintained that aura over the years and has people from all over the world living there.

When I listened to Gyasi talk, she portrays the place as a cultural backwater with prejudice prevalent. This is something that most Alabamains would be surprised to learn, as they regard it as very cosmopolitan in outlook and in sophistication. It has restaurants that serve real German and Italian food and a convention center name Werner Von Braun Center. I suspect that from Gyasi's point-of-view, Huntsville would not be a friendly place. The German's who were forced to go there between 1945 and 1950 were different than many of the subsequent scientists and researchers who reside in the area. Huntsville is still Alabama and a place were the Race Issue is alive and well. I imagine that fact alone colored Gyasi's view of Alabama.

It's Election Day!!!!!!!

>210 EBT1002: I have EVERYTHING possible crossed Ellen.

Hi, Ellen. I heard that same Gyasi interview, Ellen, but hadn't retained her name or connected her with Homegoing, which has been on my wish list for some time. I may have to yield to *TKingdom*. Thanks for your review.
Election Day!!!!!!!!!! I had about 30 minutes of CNN on earlier this morning, showing calm, crowded early voting in NH and NC. Tenterhooks!

>210 EBT1002: I've decided not to talk about that until tomorrow earliest. It's just too overwhelming.

Election Day! Let's turn the country blue!

>207 jessibud2: That's a great story, Shelley. What a good way to really understand how huge their paws are!

>208 figsfromthistle: Homegoing earned much critical and popular acclaim, Anita. I hope you enjoy Gyasi's work.

>209 benitastrnad: Thanks for the bit about Yaa Gyasi, Benita. She's becoming a favorite author of mine.

>211 Caroline_McElwee: You May have to keep everything crossed for another day or two, Caroline. Despite Trump's premature declaration of victory, the votes are still being counted. I'm terrified and appalled by how close it is.

>212 LizzieD: Peggy, I think you'd enjoy Transcendent Kingdom, and likely Homegoing, as well.

>213 richardderus: I paid as little attention to the news as I could last night, Richard. We know who this man is and I'm appalled that our national racism and individualism (i.e., "I don't care about anyone but myself") are so entrenched. That, and the electoral college is bullshit.

>214 BLBera: Sigh, Beth. It's looking like Biden might win the electoral college if all votes are allowed to be counted, but it's so freaking close. Our American democracy is in peril.

We have to eliminate the electoral college but it'll never happen as long as Republicans are in power. And they stay in power because of the manipulation of the electoral college.... It seems a hopeless case.

I started reading Such a Fun Age this morning. What a grabber of a first chapter!!

>216 EBT1002: Good morning, Ellen. I'm nodding in agreement with your comment to >214 BLBera:. I'm glad you have Such a Fun Age to take your mind off things.

>216 EBT1002: The horror! The horror!

Appropriate, since we're apparently living in the Heart of Darkness.

Nothing to say beyond expressing solidarity while trembling uncontrollably.

Come on Nevada and Michigan! Then we'll be at 270 and can hope for Georgia, NC and Pennsylvania as well, but at least in the meantime we can breathe.

I've been binging on the Great British Cooking Show to take my mind off things. :) It's cutting into my reading.

well, it is now almost 2 pm here in Bellevue, so 5 pm in the east. I think there's a great good consensus among all of the MSNBC foks that the results which will give Biden the 270 will be coming in within the hour. I certainly hope so. I'm at the verge of tears all the time these days. I need it to stop already, and for real governing to get a chance.

>222 maggie1944: It's definitely been a hard week. But now, WE DID IT! I have been crying all day.

And Ellen, hope you are doing well.

Amazing how many of us have been emotional wrecks over this election. My husband just told me how much "lighter" I seem today.

>224 laytonwoman3rd: Two-hour nap w/my YGC. He drove here from Brooklyn just to chill. Had to be at work tonight but said he needed a cuddle.

It's been such a great day.

>225 richardderus: Yes....lots of happy hugging in many places.

One of the best things for me as a non-American about the declaration of Biden as President Elect is the joy and relief it brings to so many of my friends.

Have a lovely Sunday, Ellen.

Happy Sunday, Ellen. It is only 7am here in the Midwest but never to early to celebrate this victory, right?

75. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid


This was a good read with a couple of interesting plot twists. It explores friendships, especially as they mature from college into adulthood, and the dynamics of a hired Black babysitter with her white neoliberal employer. The bond between Emira and 3-year-old Briar is palpable and sweet. Bri's mom, Alix, is also attached to Emira, but her draw is confused and conflicted. Alix has a past of teenage pain and heartbreak, one in which the dynamics of race and class played out to amplify her liberal white guilt and her desire for redemption. The narration has a slight soap opera quality to it, for which I knocked off half a star, but this is a complex and entertaining modern drama, worth reading.

>230 EBT1002: Congratulations on reaching 75, Ellen!

>230 EBT1002: I rated Such a Fun Age 4 stars, but I can see your rationale for knocking off that half star. I thought it raised a number of thought-provoking themes. It's a really good book club choice if it's a group interested in unpacking those themes and considering their own, perhaps unconscious, racism.

>230 EBT1002: Yay!

Congratulations on 75 reads Ellen.

How's it been being back to work full time? Is the new guy working out as well as hoped?

Congrats!

>230 EBT1002: Congrats on 75!!

Oh shoot, I missed that >230 EBT1002: was a milestone! Congratulations, Ellen!

Congrats on hitting the 75 book mark, Ellen!

very cool, young lady!

Good for you on 75! Not that I expect you to stop there this year!

The news is still brutal, isn't it? I hope we all make it to Jan. 20 without - what - anything unthinkable, I guess. I'll be writing cards to Georgia as that effort gets underway, but I hear those poor folks have a state election this week, and another in early December, before they even get to the runoff.

76. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien


What a magnificent collection of interwoven stories, memoir-based but fictionalized: vivid, poignant, and beautifully written. It's about a young man at war, specifically the Vietnam War, but it's also about love, terror, loss, friendship, hope...and so much more. I could hardly put it down.

I have some catching up to do but it won't happen tonight. It's true that I don't have to set an alarm tonight but I'm still planning to go to bed early and sleep until I "wake up natural," as Anna would say in Downton Abbey. Tomorrow we're tentatively planning a day trip to Spokane with stops at REI, Fred Meyer, and Trader Joe's. We've been having snow so we'll see how the roads and weather forecast look.

The new executive director is working out wonderfully -- he is willing to step in and get things done, he isn't afraid of making decisions, and he is really smart. I'm so pleased.

On the other hand, working in higher ed during the pandemic continues to be pretty much not fun. And the politics of our country has been CRAZY. I'm thinking we may be witnessing and living through an attempted coup. Hard to believe but they happen in other places, why not here?

The knee is coming along nicely. It aches all the time. I'm told that is to be expected and if I keep working on the range of motion, it will likely ease the aching as it's the connective tissue in the knee that aches. My insurance company only approved one more session of physical therapy so I'm going to have to continue the exercises and moving every day on why own. I will miss Tom, the very nice PT with whom I have had many pleasant conversations and whose expertise I have come to trust and value.

IN READING
Not sure what is up next. I have All Adults Here on the Kindle and Real Life is now available. Since it made the Booker short list, I'm tempted to give it a try.

Hi Ellen!

The good - trip to Spokane and your new executive director working out
The bad - no more PT and achy knee
The ugly - living through an attempted coup

I hope you and P are able to go and have a wonderful time. On the ugly front - my mood goes up and down. I know it will all work out because ... US... we are better than this... but until we get to January 20, 2021 it's going to be a cf.

Hi Ellen - I just finished a terrific novel about Spokane and labor unions of the 1910s, The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Hope you have a good day off there and can put aside the political horrors which seem to be multiplying.

Hi Ellen - I'm so happy to hear about your new executive director. I hope you have a relaxing day off.

Congrats on reaching 75. I love The Things They Carried. Was this your first read? This has been popular with students as well.

75 GOOD for you, Ellen! Keep reading and pointing the way!

>241 EBT1002: There's a new filmed version planned to come out late next year! It's always good to see this awful conflict laid bare on screens.

Happy trip to Spokane! (And deffo work that knee so the aching heaviness will subside.)

I just finished reading Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and really liked it. It would be the kind of book you would like - I think. It had a waiting list at the public library, but I did get it and happy I did. I gave it 5 stars. It is a work of historical fiction and is set in Louisiana and California. Lots to think about in it. It reminded me of the work of Bernice L. McFadden and her historical fiction.

I also have Cold Millions on my TBR list. It sounds really good.

Sweet Thursday, Ellen! Hooray for 75!! We shared similar feelings on both Such a Fun Age & The Things They Carried.

Hi TwinE!! Glad the new Exec Dir is working out so well. Good luck keeping up with the knee stuff. I am ignoring mine until after my TKD test today. I have a cortisone injection already scheduled and if that doesn't help then I will have to go see my surgeon again. Sigh. Glad politics are going the right way, just hoping Biden gets the early access to money, security, rooms etc that he is entitled to. And I can't wait for it to be official as in 1/20!! Hope Rump actually leaves and doesn't go for the coup. Did hear that Rump's law firm stopped representing him. Yay!! Now, enjoy your weekend. : )

77. Real Life by Brandon Taylor


This is a tough but compelling read. Wallace is a graduate student (clearly at University of Wisconsin in Madison, though the town and university are never named), a gay Black man from Alabama, living in a very white midwestern town, in an academic milieu that views him as Other. His relationship with Miller, another graduate student, is a brutally honest and honestly brutal depiction of the ways that childhood trauma claims space in adult intimacy. Taylor's prose is sophisticated and earthy, overcoming what could have just been melodrama.

This novel will offend some and make many uncomfortable, but it is an honest telling of the need to belong, the experience of isolation and exclusion, and the terrifying confusion imbedded in feelings of desire and rage. A worthy member of the Booker Short List for 2020.

Out of order, but doing my best:

>243 karenmarie: You captured the good, the bad, and the ugly pretty well there, Karen. I talked with a colleague yesterday who said that her husband's new knee ached, on and off, for the first year. I think that just makes sense given how it feels to me. It still gets better every week and I like that! I agree with you that the road from now to January 20 will be a cf.

Carson just claimed my lap. he makes it hard to LT.....

>244 vivians: Vivian, thanks for the mention of a book set in Spokane. I've only read Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter but will put The Cold Millions on my holiday wish list!

>245 BLBera: Hi Beth. I had a good Saturday. A good walk in the sunshine, cleaned the shower and vacuumed.... Now I'm watching college football, not expecting the Cougs to beat the Ducks although we are up for now.

I read The Things They Carried back in the 1990s and I remember liking it a lot. It's a really excellent work.

>246 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy. I always love it when I make it to that 75 milestone. I wish I could get back to the 100+ per year but that won't likely happen until retirement (which means maybe in 2021!!!).

>247 richardderus: I'll watch for that film, Richard. It will be grim.

Our adventure to Spokane was fun. I'm glad we went because we are in quarantine for the weekend. P is having a colonoscopy Monday, trying to figure out why she got so anemic, so she got tested yesterday and we are jointly shut in. It's okay, we are clearly heading back toward strict lockdown as a state and/or country if we are smart. P and I have been very conservative when it comes to the virus (not on anything else - heh).

As I mentioned to Karen^ I have now heard from several folx that the knee will just ache some for the first year. I am working really hard at stretching the scar tissue and the connective tissues. According to my PT, that is what aches.

>248 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I really want to read The Vanishing Half. I have it on hold at the library but I may need to add it to my holiday wish list.... 5 stars is a good recommendation!

>249 msf59: Hi Mark. I'm not surprised to share thoughts with you about the two very good works, The Things They Carried and Such a Fun Age. Two very different but also worthwhile reads.

>250 Berly: Hi Kim! I continue to love the new ED -- he is smart, straightforward, hard-working, and unafraid to lead. What a relief.

I know you passed your TKD test - congratulations!!!

I'm going to have a bottle of bubbly on hand for January 20. The two months until that date are dicey and dangerous, but that day will be worth celebrating!

>232 lauralkeet: I'm not sure what it is about me and contemporary novels that center around adults in their 20s or 30s. I really agree that Such a Fun Age deal with important themes and the characters were interesting and multidimensional, the writing was strong.... I think I need to "get used to" the presentation of important themes in the experiences of today's adults. Not sure that makes sense, but it's me thinking out loud.

Anita, Richard, Caroline, Jim, Karen, Laura, Roni, Karen, and Judy -- thank you for the congratulatory words for #75.

Laura, Richard, Peggy, Beth, Karen, Linda, Rhonda, Richard again, Linda again, Paul, and Mark -- we made it through the election and its coverage! What an interesting world..... Biden won decisively and Trump is putting our troops and the distribution of the future vaccine in jeopardy while he soothes his ego. And while he consults with his attorneys about how he will stay out of prison once he no longer has the protection of executive privilege. Yikes.

What to read next?

Because I am the host for December's RandomCAT and because I made it a wee bit complicated, I have painted myself into a bit of a corner in terms of my December reading. I will need to read something that fits into each of the following categories (of course, if one book fits more than one category, that is terrific!):

1. a book with a color in the title
2. a book with a number in the title
3. a book with title starting with "D"
4. a book I have been meaning and planning to read all year
5. a book with a character named Joseph or Donald (or Joe, Joey, Don, Donny) -- OR authored by a Joseph, Donald, etc.
6. a book published during the Obama years (2009 - 2016)

AND

a book that fits into each of the last two letters for AlphaKIT: W and N.

I have my work cut out for me! It's a good thing I get a few days off in December. I'll have two four-day weekends (Dec 24 - 27 and Dec 31 - Jan 3).

Tin Man by Sarah Winman will cover #4 and W.

>258 EBT1002: That looks interesting, Ellen. I might have a go at that myself.

Just one thing though how are the last two letters of AlphaKIT; W and N? Surely they are I and T?

Have a lovely remainder of your weekend.

>258 EBT1002: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake...color (?), number, "N", published in 2016.
The synopsis: "In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown."

>260 PaulCranswick: I tried to make the December RandomCAT both easy and fun, Paul. Folks are supposed to randomly select a number 1-6 and read according to the corresponding prompt. Silly me, I said I'd do all six!!

>261 richardderus: That looks like a fun one, Richard.

>258 EBT1002: I'm smiling as I read this and think of you as the person who is very relaxed and unplanned about her reading. :)

>255 EBT1002: I so agree, Ellen. I've noticed this as well in my reading. Concerns of people in their twenties seem harder for me to connect with.

Have a great Sunday.

Ellen, please go watch this Colbert cold open that Kath sent me!

>263 BLBera: I know, right, Beth? I'm so good at saying I'm going to go easy and avoid any challenges or too much planning for my reading. But I do love a good challenge and I had fun making this one up. Folks on the RandomCAT thread seem to be enjoying it.

Thanks for validating that experience, too. I'm now reading All Adults Here and I am absolutely loving it! I can enjoy the experience of 68-year-old Astrid pretty easily. Yikes!
All Adults Here is reminding me a bit of Elizabeth Strout's writing, and I have not been as much a Strout fan as many around these threads.

So far my Sunday has been just fine, if a bit odd. P is having a procedure tomorrow that requires fasting all day today. So I just indulged in Kraft Mac 'n Cheese and I remember now why I no longer eat it. Blech. We went for a walk around the neighborhood and I had a good long phone call with my sister. Her partner of almost 50 years is rather rapidly descending into dementia and it is killing me that I can't go visit, help my sister, see my SIL before this goes too far.....

>264 richardderus: Will do, Richard! ETA: Except the link doesn't work.

>265 EBT1002: That's so weird, it worked for me...but I replaced the URL so it will work now.

>266 richardderus: I will check it out.

Well, I am frustrated. I was trying to upload photos from my iPad to LT and the photo (of Carson, of course) I wanted to upload rotated. So Carson was sideways. Then when I edited the photo to intentionally be sideways and uploaded it, it did NOT rotate so Carson was still sideways!! Grrr.

>264 richardderus: I love it! And it's not a bad song to have in my head now. :-)

>268 EBT1002: I don't "i" so I don't know, but I bet Tad Deffler does.

>269 EBT1002: Yeah, it's totally priceless, isn't it?

Oh Ellen, I'm so sorry to hear about your sister's partner. This is such a hard time.

>270 richardderus: I almost said something along the lines of "can anyone help? (not you, Richard)" but I knew you would know that.

Priceless indeed.

>271 BLBera: Thanks Beth. It's really hard not to be able to go visit. I spent a week with them around Labor Day 2019, helping them pack for the retirement community in which they now live. I think they made that move just in time. SIL has been asking lately "when can we go home?" so the confusion is getting intense. It would be worse if they had moved into the new space much later. And it means it has now been almost 15 months since I have seen them. Sigh.

That is so hard. I know you'd like to see her while she knows you. I think the isolation is especially hard on people with dementia. I have a good friend whose MIL is in assisted living, and they haven't been able to see her for months. She is getting more and more confused. Even I am feeling down -- and I at least go to work. But not seeing anyone in person is getting old.

Good luck to P with her procedure tomorrow.
And have fun with your Random Cat reading. I was thinking you should read Joseph Anton for 5, but I think that would only cover one of the categories.

>268 EBT1002: About the sideways photo issue. You'd think that what you did would work, but logic will get you nowhere my friend. Here's what has worked for me: edit the photo on iPad/iPhone, click rotate four times so it's back to exactly where you started, and save. Click your heels together three times while chanting, "there's no place like home ..." Oh no wait, that's something else. But seriously, try uploading the photo after you rotate it 360 degrees.

---

I'm super sorry to read about your SIL, and my heart goes out to you as well not being able to visit.

>273 BLBera: "...not seeing anyone in person is getting old." Amen to that, my friend. As desperate as I am to retire, and as tired as I am of spending most of my working hours managing things related to the pandemic, at least I have structure and purpose. SIL's twin nieces (who are exactly my age) visited from eastern Carolina and Massachusetts, respectively, (with appropriate quarantine, etc.) a few weeks ago and she appears to think they are still around, doesn't understand why they aren't coming to meals.

>274 banjo123: I've been wondering what I would read for the Joe/Don category, Rhonda. I don't think I can bring myself to read something from the Don side of the prompt! And I can read some that only cover one of the categories but it will help if at least a couple of them can double- or even triple-up.

>275 lauralkeet: "...logic will get you nowhere my friend." LOL

I will try the 360 degree rotation, Laura. Thank you. And I'll leave out the chant (unless it doesn't work, then at that point it will be "what the hell?") It's hilarious but as I read it, I find myself thinking "of course, I bet this will work." It makes me wonder how our brains have adjusted to the various technologies we use....

Thank you also for the kind words. I know there are many of us all over the country who are separated from loved ones because of this effing pandemic. I just hope we can survive until adults occupy the White House and science can be brought fully to bear, along with some economic relief for those desperately impacted by the necessary shutdowns.

I was looking through my books read in 2020 and realized that the number in the collection and the number in my accounting up above did not match. It appears that I wasn't very good about recording books during the first part of September, which would have been when I was on pain killers. I have now reconciled it all and I have read 78 books so far this year (Real Life up in >251 EBT1002: was actually number 78).

Whew.

Keeping fingers crossed for P, and adding my concern for your SiL. It is such a destructive disease. and heartbreaking to lose your loved one in such a way. Omms for you all Ellen.

I have long had problems with 'coming of age' novels, and that has probably rolled on to books exclusively peopled with younger adults. I've always rather enjoyed reading about much older characters, and continue to do so. My favourite novels are those multi-generational ones. We always had all ages at get-togethers and the like, and books that reflect that feel more rounded to me.

Agreeing with Laura on the photo rotation solution. It works for me.

Glad your book numbers were a gain rather than a loss Ellen.

Morning, Ellen!

Good recommendation of Transcendent Kingdom. I liked Homegoing a lot, but wasn't sure of this one.

I think you'll have a good time with IQ.

Man, I loved The Things They Carried. What a good book that is.

Congrats on reaching 75, and all the ones after. That'll get easier after you reach the magic retirement date, for sure.

Well, here we go with another new week. Our Board is having an emergency meeting via Zoom today at 4 pm to discuss how the Govenor's newest restrictions translate to how we behave here at SG. I am going to spend Thanksgiving by myself, in my apt., with my dog. Luckily the chef will prepare a Thanksgiving meal for us and I can enjoy that. I've decided to double down on my being careful. So far SG has been able to not have any active virus infections here!

I have lots of books! This is just the right time for some reading!

I am sorry to hear about your sister's partner. We also have occasions where we watch as a couple find their breakup has everything to do with dementia of one kind or other. Recently a gentleman who has lived with his wife for 70 years had to take her to a Memory Center. He will sell his membership here, and move closer to her, but the tragedy is causing us all to feel his grief.

Keep up the good work on your knee. I know that the exercises makes for better recovery!

End of life issues are so much more complicated, and so heart-rending, given the current situation. It's a shared sadness that too many of our generation must face, and we were already coping with more long-drawn-out and painful goodbyes than many who came before us.

Hope all goes well for P today.

P's procedure being underway, I'll content myself to wait for news...with a big side of happy-outcome whammys.

I hope everything went well for P.

I like Richard's "big side of happy-outcome whammys"!

Me, too.

79. All Adults Here by Emma Straub


"The older Astrid got, the more she understood that she and her children were as close as people could be, that generations slipped away quickly, and that the twenty-five years in between her and her mother and the thirtyish years in between her and her children were absolutely nothing, that there were still people who had lived through the Holocaust, which had happened less than a decade before she was born, but which her children had read about in their history textbooks. It happened before you could blink. Her children had been children, and now they were adults; they were all adults here, now."

This is a heartwarming novel stuffed with delightful - and flawed - characters. It explores several contemporary themes including family, sexuality in all its complexity from adolescence to older age, gender identity, single parenthood, and more. Normally "heartwarming" would send me in the other direction (why?) but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It wasn't mind candy; it was complex and funny and sweet.

>285 EBT1002: - Ellen, I loved this one, too, when I read it earlier this year.

I enjoyed All Adults Here as well, Ellen, although I think you liked it more than I did. I think it was a matter of timing. I'd read what seemed like a bunch of family issue books, so I was kind of done with that when I read this. I did love Astrid's coming out breakfast though. :)

>285 EBT1002:, >286 katiekrug: Hmmmm....two votes from two excellent readers...I'd best put this one on the list, methinks.

Howdy do, Ellen. Hoping the weekend is trundling along at a happy clip.

Happy Sunday, Ellen. I hope you are having a good day with books and football. I am starting Shuggie Bain today.

Hi Ellen! Hope things went well for P. And I am wishing you a great week ahead. Good luck with your December reads. : )

Happy new week ahead, Ellen. Come visit!

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

81. Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline


This was an oddly enjoyable novel, filled with wonderful characters but with a mood firmly steeped in horror, the horrors of losing one we love, of losing ourselves, and the stories we learn in life to manage such heartbreak.

Joan's husband Victor disappears after storming out of the house following a rare argument. Almost twelve months later, Joan is still searching for him, certain that he is out there and that he needs her. When she finds him in the role of preacher for a traveling missionary troupe, he does not recognize her. Determined to bring her husband back, both to himself and to her, Joan risks everything and faces down her own internal demons. Her 12-year-old nephew Zeus joins her in this odyssey; their relationship is one of the centering elements of Joan's life and it also centers the novel in the ordinary everyday family relations around which our demons swirl.

I got caught up in the story immediately and enjoyed the entire ride. Thank you, Beth, for the recommendation!

I need to start a new thread and I'll tell you all about our Thanksgiving adventures in that new venue, but for now I will get "caught up."

>278 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks Caroline. I love your musings about novels that involve older adults or multigenerational families. I didn't have the same experience growing up that you did but I think I agree that books that focus exclusively on coming-of-age stories generally interest me less than others. There are, of course, always exceptions and LibraryThing has introduced me to many, many exceptions to my old usual reading habits over the years!

>279 jnwelch: Hi Joe! I do think you would enjoy Transcendent Kingdom. Her writing is just wonderful. I have Homegoing on kindle from the library, wanting to reread it now.

>280 maggie1944: Hi Karen. The restrictions. They are just so necessary as this virus continues to rage across our communities. I agree: it's a good time to be a reader! I am hopeful for the vaccines that are being developed and I know the state's draft plan for distribution prioritizes high-risk health care workers and first responders, then high-risk older adults, especially those living in congregate settings. Your living situation probably doesn't quite qualify as a congregate setting (think nursing home) but I do believe your little community will have access to the vaccine in phase 2. It's a thoughtful plan they have drafted, just what you'd expect from our progressive and science-friendly state government.

>281 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda. Yes, getting old and the challenges that come with it are daunting. I just hate that I can't go visit my sister and SIL.

P's procedure went well and they found no issues in her system to be causing the anemia. This is good news although it begs the question of why she became anemic in the first place....

I'm so glad you loved Empire of Wild, Ellen. So happy that P's procedure went well with nothing serious found to be wrong. I am teaching entirely virtually now, but I am happy I made it most of the semester. We might resume face to face for the last two weeks, but I doubt it.

>282 richardderus: Thanks for the big side of happy-outcome whammys, Richard. It seems to have worked. P's results were that there is nada out of order in her innards (upper and lower, she had done!), so that is good news. As long as we can keep her from getting anemic again (I mean, she was anemic!!!!), all is well.

>283 BLBera: and >284 maggie1944: Thanks, Beth and Karen, for doubling -- no, tripling -- Richard's happy outcome whammy! See ^.

>286 katiekrug: It was your recommendation that led me to put All Adults Here on hold at the library, Katie. Thank you for that because it was such an enjoyable read!

>287 BLBera: Oh yes, Astrid's coming out breakfast was a wonderful scene, wasn't it, Beth?

>288 laytonwoman3rd: As Beth said, timing may matter for All Adults Here, Linda. And I've heard complaints that she tackled too many contemporary themes but I didn't mind and I rather enjoyed the Uber-liberal take on them. I recommend giving it a try!

>289 richardderus: Lord, Richard, where does the time go? I know I have shared here that I struggle between wanting to wish the next 8 months away because I. Want. To. Retire. But I also hate wishing my life away as time is so freaking precious. I was noting today that in the first couple weeks after my surgery, the election and Thanksgiving just seemed so far away! Now they are in the rear view mirror.

In any case, that good weekend you wished me did indeed trundle right along.

>290 msf59: Hi Mark. I know from other platforms that Shuggie Bain was working for you. It's a worthy Booker winner and I'm glad you've enjoyed it!

>291 Berly: Thanks Kim! I think I'm going to rather enjoy my December reads even though I have once again painted myself into a challenge corner. Maybe in 2021 I really will do only ONE challenge: AlphaKIT is so easy....

>292 richardderus: Here I am, Richard! (finally)

I was trying to figure out how I got so distracted last week. I blame it on work (of course), but also on The Queen's Gambit and The Crown. We're only three episodes into the latter but still, watching these two wonderful series took up both reading and LTing time.

>293 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much, Paul. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is still less commercialized than others, and because in its purest form it is all about being grateful. 2020 has been hard and yet I have so much for which to be thankful. Friends here on LT are high on the list of gifts I cherish.

>297 BLBera: I would love to chat about Empire of Wild sometime, Beth. As much as I enjoyed it, I feel like I missed some things that a good book club or English lit class discussion would help me process more effectively.

We are wholly on-line for the remainder of the semester. That was the plan all along, situated in a likely-vain hope that students would go home for Thanksgiving and stay there if ALL classes were on line after the holiday. Unfortunately, students seem determined to travel back and forth across the state and we know that puts our community at greater risk for viral spread. We'll see what the next 1-3 weeks bring in terms of positive cases in our area.

Currently reading:

I Hear the Sirens in the Street by Adrian McKinty

What an excellent series this is!

A little more progress on my December plans:

1. a book with a color in the title: The Yellow House by Sarah Broom

2. a book with a number in the title: The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

3. a book with title starting with "D": The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

4. a book I have been meaning and planning to read all year: Tin Man by Sarah Winman (also for W in AlphaKIT)

5. a book with a character named Joseph or Donald (or Joe, Joey, Don, Donny) -- OR authored by a Joseph, Donald, etc.: Righteous by Joe Ide

6. a book published during the Obama years (2009 - 2016): The Three-Body Problem or Why I Read by Wendy Lesser (also for W in AlphaKIT)

>296 EBT1002: Glad to hear all went well for P.