Tricia's Five Plus Ten

The first day of the year and it's winter where I am so here is a little wintertime scene.



JANUARY 10, 2011

-------

This year I will have fifteen categories divided into groups of five and ten with a minimum of five books in each category. I. through V. will be focused on books from my own shelves. (Surely I can manage 25 of them.) Categories 1 through 10 will be mostly my standard ones that I have used before. No themes and broad categories suit me fine and with a total of 75 books to read I should be able to avoid the December rush to fit in that last required book.

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program

The Time Reading Program consisted of a set of high quality "trade" paperbacks which we subscribed to around 1980. They appeared regularly and they have mostly sat on our shelves unread. The set contained novels, history, science, memoirs ... all books that the editors at Time-Life felt deserved a wider audience and each included a new introduction.

I'm using "inspired by" as one book often leads to another ... I'll start with a book from the series but if it leads me to further reading that will go here too. Books already on my shelves or my various lists will take precedence however.

1. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome - Finished January 30, 2015 - own
2. Apes, Angels, and Victorians : Darwin, Huxley, and Evolution by William Irvine - finished October 26, 2015 - own
3.
4.
5.

II. From the Science and Technology Shelves

As I discovered when looking closely at my books during the fall there are a lot of great books on those shelves that I somehow never got around to reading although Jim did read some of them. Anyway plenty to choose from outside of the Time-Life tomes.

1. Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist by Russell McCormmach - Finished February 23, 2015 - own
2. Copernicus: The Founder of Modern Astronomy by Angus Armitage - Finished June 25, 2015 - own
2.1. The World of Copernicus; originally Sun, Stand Thou Still by Angus Armitage - Finished June 26, 2015 - own
3. The Life and Times of Tycho Brahe by John Allyne Gade - Finished September 13, 2015 - own
4. Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest by John Terborgh - Finished September 29, 2015 - own
5. Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester - Finished December 9, 2015 - own

III. History

With the HistoryCAT this is a good year to catch up on those shelves as well.

1. The Amazons : Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor - Finished January 29, 2015 - own
2. Daily Life in Ancient Rome by Jerome Carcopino, edited by Henry T. Rowell, and translated by E. O. Lorimer - Finished February 28, 2015 - own
3. The Murder of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders by Galbert of Bruges, translated by James Bruce Ross - Finished April 15, 2015 - own
4. The Life and Times of Chaucer by John Gardner - Finished May 26, 2015 - own
4.1 My Lord John by Georgette Heyer - Finished June 12, 2015 - own - read because of the Chaucer
4.2 Henry V by William Shakespeare - Finished June 17, 2015 - own - read because of My Lord John
5. The Peabody Sisters of Salem by Louise Hall Tharp - Finished September 21, 2015 - own

IV. Mystery & Suspense

There are quite a few here that I've never read and even more that I remember very little about. I may include a book from the public library if I'm missing a title in a series that really calls for being read in order.

1. Murder at the ABA by Isaac Asimov - Finished January 11, 2015 - own
2. Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman - Finished March 3, 2014 - own
3. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - Finished April 6, 2015 - own
4. Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman - Finished May 2, 2015 - own
5. The 39 Steps by John Buchan - Finished June 19, 2015 - own
6. People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman - Finished July 16, 2015 - own
7. Sleeping Murder/The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie - Finished August 23, 2015 - own
8. The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley - Finished August 24, 2015 - own
9. Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie - Finished August 25, 2015 - own
10. Ghostway by Tony Hillerman - Finished November 6, 2015 - own

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy

Lots of unread and half forgotten books here as well. I can probably manage to find a lot of the SFFF CATS right in the room where I'm typing this and the rest on my lists of books to look for ... Going to try anyway.

1. Territory by Emma Bull - Finished January 4, 2015 - own
2. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - Finished February 13, 2015 - own - recent purchase
3. Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished February 14, 2015 - own - recent purchase
4. Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov - Finished March 4, 2015 - own
5. Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov - Finished March 5, 2015 - own
6. The naked Sun by Isaac Asimov - Finished April 16, 2015 - own
7. The Chrome Borne by Mercedes Lackey - Finished April 19, 3015 - own
8. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett - Finished April 26, 2015 - recent purchase
9. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - Finished ~ May 10, 2015 - own
10. Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe - Finished ~ May 12, 2015 - own
11. Way Station by Clifford D. Simak - Finished ~July 20, 2015 - own
12. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov - Finished ~ August 14, 2015 - own
13. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov - Finished ~ August 16, 2015 - own
14. The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov - Finished ~ August 18, 2015 - own
15. Genesis by Bernard Beckett - Finished September 15, 2015 - own
16. Babylon Steel by Gaie Sebold - Finished September 22, 2015 - recent purchase
17. The Short Victorious War by David Weber - Finished October 13, 2015 - recent purchase
18. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds - Finished October 25, 2015 - recent purchase
19. Flag in Exile by David Weber - Finished November 5, 2015 - recent purchase
20. Rider at the Gate by C. J. Cherryh - Finished November 13, 2015 - recent purchase
21. Cloud's Rider by C. J. Cherryh - Finished November 17, 2015 - own
22. Brain Wave by Poul Anderson - December 2015 -own

1. Young Adult and younger

1. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve - Finished ~ February 12, 2015 -public library
2. Ashfall by Mike Mullin - Finished March 20, 2015 - public library
3. Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker - Finished May 17, 2015 - public library
4. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman - Finished June 3, 2015 - Public Library
5. Eona by Alison Goodman - Finished October 4, 2015 - own
6. Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman - Finished October 18, 2015
7. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey - Finished October27, 2015 - public library

2. My Virtual Library

Lots of unread books on my iPad.

1. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman - January 10, 2015 - iPad
2. Winter Moon by Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, C. E. Murphy - Finished March 28, 12015 - iPad
3. The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan - Finished March 29, 2015 -iPad
4. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - Finished April 24, 2015 - iPad
5. Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy - Finished April 29, 2015 - iPad
6. Into the Black, The Heart of Matter, Homeworld, Out of the Black by Evan Currie - Finished May 9, 2015 - recent purchase - iPad
7. Youth by Isaac Asimov - short story - Finished May 28, 2015 - recent from Project Gutenberg
8. New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear - finished June 21, 2015 - recent purchase - iPad
9. Blindsight by Peter Watts - finished July 9, 2015 ? - free online
10. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - Finished August 28, 2015 - purchased this year - iPad
11. A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber - Finished September 14, 2015 - recent purchase - iPad
12. Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Finished September 13, 2015 - recent purchase - iPad
13. On Basilisk Station by David Weber - Finished September 23, 2015 - recent purchase - iPad

3. Classics and Award Winners including genre fiction

1. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov - Finished February 4, 2015 - own
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Finished February 25, 2015 - own
3. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - April 3, 2015 - PCPL
4. Grendal by John Gardner - Finished May 28, 2015 - PCPL
5. Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson - Finished August 11, 2015 - PCPL
6. I, Asimov by Isaac Asimov - Finished December 26, 2015 - own

4. Short Forms

plays - poetry - stories - whatever

1. Otherworld Nights by Kelly Armstrong - Finished January 27, 2014 - public Library
2. The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman and Eddie Campbell - Finished February 6, 2015 - public library
3. Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson - Finished June 13, 2015 - public library
4. The Sandman Book of Dreams edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer - finished June 22, 2015 - own
5. The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne - finished September 3, 2015 - recent download to iPad
6. Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection by Isaac Asimov - finished October 16, 2015

5. CATS and Group Reads

1. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson - Finished February 3, 2015 - public library
2. Becoming Charlemagne by Jeff Sypeck - Finished March 9, 2013 - public library
3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - Finished March 16, 2015 - public library
4. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished April 20, 2015 - public library
5. In the Wake of the Plague by Norman F. Cantor - finished May 23, 2015 - public library
6. Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - Finished May 31, 2015 - Public library
7. The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman - Finished September 5, 2015 - own
8. Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch - Finished October 2, 2015 - own - recent
9. The Witches of Wenshar by Barbara Hambly - Finished October 6, 2015 - own
10. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson - Finished October 20, 2015 - Public Library
11. Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson - Finished December 4, 2015 - Public Library

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds

'cause

1. 1177 B.C. : The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline - Finished January 20, 2015 - public library
2. The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz - Finished February 7, 2015 - public library
3. Fields of Blood by Karen Armstrong - Finished April 3, 2015 - public library
4. Hexed by Kevin Hearne - Finished April 30, 2015
5. Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier - Finished May 27, 2015 - public library
6. The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - Finished May 29, 2015 - public library
7. Moby-Duck by Donovan Hohn - Finished June 30, 2015 - public library
8. The First Copernican by Dennis Danielson - Finished August 26, 2015 - public library
9. Sheet Pan Suppers by Molly Gilbert - Finished November ? - public library

7. Follow Me

The next in a series or even the first

1. Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey - Finished January 10, 2015 - public library
2. Visions by Kelly Armstrong - Finished January 17, 2015 - public library
3. Heart Fortune by Robin D. Owens - Finished January 19, 2015 - own
4. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs - Finished March 17, 2015 - public library
5. Obsession in Death by J. D. Robb - Finished March 14, 2015 - public library
6. The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished June 5, 2015 - public library
7. The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry - Finished June 8, 2015 - public library
8. From a High Tower by Mercedes Lackey - Finished July 11, 2015 ? - public Library
9. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi - Finished July 13, 2015 - public library
10. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished August 7, 2015 - public library
11. Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished September 13, 2015 - own, recent purchase
12. The Honor of the Queen by David Weber - Finished September 28, 2015 - public library
13. Field of Dishonor by David Weber - Finished October 3, 2015 - public library
14. Devoted in Death by J. D. Robb - Finished October 7, 2015 - public library
15. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith - Finished November 15, 2015 - public library

8. Other Fiction

Fiction that doesn't quite fit elsewhere. An overflow category as well.

1. Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz - Finished February 1, 2015 - public library
2. The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer - Finished February 13, 2015 - own
3. A Distant Magic by Mary Jo Putney - Finished March 11, 2015 - own
4. Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey - Finished April 4, 2015 - own
5. Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick - Finished May 4, 2015 - public library
6. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey - Finished July 2, 2015 - public library
7. Heart Fire by Robin D. Owens - Finished July 18, 2015 - own - recent purchase
8. The Wake Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Finished August 29, 2015 - public library
9. Deceptions: A Cainsville Novel by Kelly Armstrong - Finished September 7, 2015 - public library
10. Siren's Call by Jayne Castle - Finished October 11, 2015 - public library
11.

9. Leaving Home

Migration, conquest, exploration and settling new lands.

1. 1492 : The Year the World Began by Felipe Fernandez Armesto - Finished March 18, 2015 - own
2. Pathfinders : A Global History of Exploration by Felipe Fernandez Armesto - Finished May 6, 2015 - public library
3. Frontier Tales of Tennessee by Louise Littleton Davis - Finished December 22, 2015 - own
4.
5.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts

1. The Gospel of Philip by Jean-Yves LeLoup and translated into English by Joseph Rowe - Finished February 20, 2015 - public library
2. Technical Style, 2nd Edition by J. M. Haile - Finished April 18, 2015 - own
3. The Language of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas - Finished April 29, 2015 - public library
4. Yoga for Osteoporosis by Loren Fishman and Ellen Saltonstall - Finished May 15, 2015 - recent purchase
5. The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis by Ben S. Bernanke - Finished June 16, 2015 - public library
6. The life changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo - Finished July 10, 2015? - public library
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - Finished July 29, 2015 - recent purchase
8. Wisdom : From Philosophy to Neurology by Stephen S. Hall - Finished August 5, 2015 - public library
9. Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson - Finished August 10, 2015 - public library
10. The Creating Brain by Nancy C. Andreasen - Finished August 18, 2015 - public library
11. Collapse by Jared Diamond - Finished August 20,2015 - public library
12. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell - Finished August 28, 2015 - public library
13. A Deadly Wandering by Matt Richtel - Finished September 4, 2015 - public library
14. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lapore - Finished September 9, 2014 - public library
15. At Home by Bill Bryson - Finished October 2, 2015 - public library
16. Tycho and Kepler by Kitty Ferguson - Finished October 16, 2015 - public library

The History CAT

January:
January Time Period: BCE to 1 CE - 1177 B.C. by Cline
January Theme: Myths and Legends
Books that fit both Time Period and Theme - The Amazons by Mayor

February:
February Time Period - 1 CE to 500 CE - Daily Life in Ancient Rome by Jerome Carcopino,
February Theme - Religion
Fits both time and theme - The Gospel of Philip by Leloup

March

Time Period: 500 to 1000 - Becoming Charlemagne : Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800 by Sypeck
Theme: Exploration & Conquest - 1492 : The Year the World Began by Felipe Fernandez Armesto
Books that Fit Both Time Period and Theme

April

Time Period: 1000 to 1300
Theme: Crime & Mysteries
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme - Mistress of the Art of Death - The Murder of Charles the Good

May:

Time Period: 1300 to 1500 - The Life and Times of Chaucer
Theme: Plagues & Disasters - In the Wake of the Plague
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme:

June:

Time Period: 1500 to 1600: The World of Copernicus -- Copernicus, the Founder of Modern Astronomy
Theme: Culture & the Arts: Henry V by Shakespeare
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme

July:

1600 to 1700
Theme: Immigration & Migration
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme

August:

Time Period: 1700 to 1800
Theme: Medicine & Disease: several books on neuroscience and related topics
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme

September:

Time Period: 1800 to 1850
Theme: Lifestyles of Ordinary People - Life and Times of Tycho Brahe
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme - The Peabody Sisters of Salem

October:

Time Period: 1850 to 1900
Theme: Science & Technology - Tycho and Kepler
Books That Fit Both Time Period and Theme

The SFFF CAT

January - Other Pasts - Territory by Emma Bull
February - Classics - The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
March - Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, and Dystopic Novels - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and Ashfall by Mike Mullin
April - Fairy Tales and Mighty Myths - Phoenix and Ashes - based on Cinderella
May - Girl Power - Dreamer's Pool - Queen of Dragons - To Say Nothing of the Dog
June - Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? - New Amsterdam (alternate history)
July - Critters and Creatures - Way Station, Blindsight, The Ghost Brigades
August - Other Worlds - Captain Vorpatril's Alliance; The Robots of Dawn; Robots and Empire; The Stars, Like Dust; Agent of Change
September -- Slightly Out of Wack - Genesis
October -- What Was That? - The Witches of Wenshar

The Random CAT

January - Theme: Olympus Has Fallen - none

February - Theme: Let's Go to the Movies - Pride and Prejudice and The Cold Dish

March - Theme: All the Cool ... - Station Eleven

April - Theme: Aperire - The Naked Sun and The Magicians and Mrs. Quent

May - Place Name in the Title - none

June - On the Water - Moby-Duck

July - Theme: Let There Be Light - Heart Fire

August - Theme: Dog Days of Summer - What the Dog Saw

September - Theme: How's the Weather? - The Dark Wind; Diversity in the Rain Forest

October - Theme: In The Steps of a Friend...

Group Reads and KITS

2015 Unofficial AlphaKIT

January - J & T - Territory by Emma Bull
February - I & B - The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov; Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
March - H & Q - Dead Heat and Dance Hall of the Dead
April - E & F - Fields of Blood
May - R & L - Listening Woman; Garden of Lies; The Life and Times of Chaucer
June - D & Y -
July - W & K - Thinking, Fast and Slow - Author Kahneman; Way Station; The life changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo ; Blindsight by Peter Watts; One Good Knight
August- V & M - Captain Vorpatril's Alliance
September - A & O - Deceptions: A Cainsville Novel by Kelly Armstrong; On Basilisk Station
-----

Isaac Asimov year-long read

January - Murder at the ABA
February - The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
March - three Foundation novels
April - The Naked Sun
May - Youth - short story
June -
July -
August - Robots of Dawn, Robots and Empire, The Stars, Like Dust
September
-----

Jane Austen year-long read?

Pride and Prejudice

-----

Yearlong Navajo Mystery(Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee)/Walt Longmire Project!

January - The Blessing Way
February - The Cold Dish
March - Dance Hall of the Dead
April - Death Without Company
May - Listening Woman
June - Kindness Goes Unpunished
July - People of Darkness
August - Another Man's Moccasins
September - The Dark Wind

Bingo Dog? I think I'll try this just by adding books that fit but not really looking for them.



1. Three Men in a Boat

2. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

3. The world of Copernicus

4. Technical Style, 2nd Edition

5. Hexed

6. Pride and Prejudice

7. Murder at the ABA

8. The Gospel of Philip

9. 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed

10. The 39 Steps

11. Visions

12. The Big Fat Surprise

13. Territory

14. A Distant Magic by Mary Jo Putney

15. A Crack in the edge of the World

!6. Otherworld Nights

17. The First Copernican by Dennis Danielson - (Rheticus had problems professionally because of his attraction to other young males - a big No-No in the 1500's in Europe)

18. Heart Fortune

19. The Language of the Goddess

20. The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis

21. The Gauguin Connection

22. To Say Nothing of the Dog

23. The Amazons: The Lives & Legends of Warrior Women

24. Blood Red

25. The Cold Dish

I am looking forward to the unveiling of your challenge when it is ready!

Way to keep us in suspense! :)

Can't wait to see how you'll set up your categories!

So, partly done and ready to pick some January books!

Great setup! I especially like the idea of an "inspired by..." category.

Today, rather than doing some boring paperwork I finished my first book of the year.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #1.

1. Territory by Emma Bull - Finished January 4, 2015 - own

From my own shelves
308 pages
Western with a layer of fantasy running through it

Territory caught me up in its story from the beginning and by the middle of the book I had reached the point of not wanting to put it down. The story begins like many Westerns with the arrival of a stranger in town, but Jesse Fox isn't just any stranger and the town is Tombstone. It's 1881 and Tombstone is drunk on silver with several factions jostling for power with the Earp brothers being one of them. There is also magic in the ground for anyone who can control it.

I really enjoyed this novel and its take on the events that eventually led to the infamous gunfight near the OK corral and would recommend it. It is well researched (I hunted down an article in Wikipedia about those events.) and the author has a feel for the country around Tombstone.

------

It's been raining here all weekend but the sun is supposed to appear tomorrow along with the leading edge of a blast of Arctic air. Unfortunately for me there's all kinds of out of the house stuff that needs doing this week instead of sitting home in a warm room with my next book.

Hi Tricia, great idea to build your challenge around what is on your shelves. I am also trying to concentrate on books off my own shelves/kindle this year as I went kinda crazy with my book purchases last year and now desperately need to make more room!

>28 DeltaQueen50:

Over the past few months I've discovered so many great books already on my shelves that it seemed only right to try to read some of them. Even so, the two I'm reading now are recent acquisitions - The Amazons: lives and legends of warrior women across the ancient world by Adrienne Mayor and a Kindle version of The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman. The first was a Christmas present and the second a Daily Deal. Actually we've been looking for a used copy of the Hillerman for some time but never come across it. However the book I read first for 2015 has been on the shelf for over a year.

Mayor's book is very interesting so far and is a mix of history, myth, and legend. I'm thinking it's a good fit for both the time period and the theme of the January HistoryCAT. Several chapters in, the Hillerman is OK but I think his later books that I have read are better.

I've taken a book bullet for The Amazons: lives and legends of warrior women across the ancient world. It sounds very interesting.

>27 hailelib:
I have her War for the Oaks on Mt. TBR, but I'll add this one too!

I've gotten pretty behind here!

>30 DeltaQueen50:
I'm still reading The Amazons and finding it interesting although the section I'm in right now can get a little repetitive as Mayor recounts all the historical and archaeological evidence. However I'm learning a lot about the nomadic peoples (from the Black Sea across the steppes to China) that inspired the stories of Amazons.

I had a mini orgy of reading over the weekend and finished some fiction -

Category 2. My Virtual Library #1

2. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman - January 10, 2015

An Amazon Kindle app purchase.
304 (?) pages but it seemed shorter - how do they calculate print length?
mystery on the Navajo reservation

I did like The Blessing Way but it did seem a bit like a first novel and a lot of the focus was on a non-Navajo character. When the series continues we mostly remain on the reservation with Leaphorn and his fellow police. However, there was a nice introduction to Navajo life which Hillerman then built upon in later books.

More from the weekend -

Category 7. Follow Me - The next in a series or even the first #1

3. Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey - Finished January 10, 2015

from the public library
312 pages
magic, hunting evil, Central and Eastern Europe, werewolves
BingoDog - book based on a fairytale

This is the latest novel in Lackey's Elemental Masters series and takes place in Europe in locations from Germany to Transylvania. Inspired by the story of Red Riding Hood, the heroine is Rosa who is a strong Earth Master with a special feel for the forests of Europe and whose talent is for hunting. A female Hunt Master is almost unheard of but Rosa is one of the best and her red hooded cape is her trademark. Having encountered a werewolf determined to kill her as a child, Rosa has trouble at first believing that Markos, a born werewolf, is not like the made werewolves that she has previously encountered...

A good entry in this series and recommended for those who have enjoyed other stories of the Elemental Masters.

And another

IV. Mystery & Suspense #1

4. Murder at the ABA by Isaac Asimov - Finished January 11, 2015

From my own shelves.
248 pages
mystery, humor, book sellers and publishers
Asimov year long read
Bingo DOG - book owned more than one year

The book opens with the writer, Darius Just, telling us about his part in the opening day of the 1975 meeting of the ABA and how the events of that day led to a violent death. Darius meets up with his publisher, various booksellers, and a number of other writers among whom is Isaac Asimov. Isaac tells Darius that his publisher asked him to attend to get background color for a book to be called Murder at the ABA.

I had read this story years ago but I had forgotten most of it. However, Asimov as a character in the book I had remembered. He does poke fun at himself as well as at Darius who is supposed to be based on Harlan Ellison. The footnotes just added to the fun. A quick read with a reasonable mystery that Darius feels obligated to solve.

------------

I've also continued with the book on Amazons and am about halfway through the 400+ pages. Right now I'm in a section about who invented trousers and why. Both the men and women of the steppe nomads wore trousers because they pretty much lived on horseback and they were a practical people.

>32 hailelib: It's been many years since I've read those early Hillerman books. I kind of remember not being quite sure if I liked the series when I read the first one, but it grew on me.

>35 thornton37814:

Hillerman is a favorite of my husband's and I find his characters and settings interesting though I had only read two or three of them before despite having most of the Leaphorn/Chee books on our shelves for years. This seemed like a good year to try them again.

Another weekend reading mostly light fiction.

7. Follow Me #2 and #3

5. Visions by Kelly Armstrong - Finished January 17, 2015

From the public library
448 pages
paranormal with omens, visions, and fae
BingoDOG #11

The second book in a new series, Visions is definitely not a standalone book. It begins almost immediately after the end of Omens with Olivia seeing more omens and finding a dead body which then disappears. There are romantic complications as well when James wants to mend their broken engagement and Ricky also decides to pursue Olivia. In this book more of the supernatural secrets of Cainsville are revealed and the mystery surrounding Olivia's biological parents moves forward a bit. Although this is just the second book it seems to me the Cainsville series is one which a lot of people would like to have all the volumes available before starting. I think it would work better if there aren't any long periods between the books.

6. Heart Fortune by Robin D. Owens - Finished January 19, 2015

From my own shelves - purchased this year
372 pages
lost Earth colony, paranormal abilities, romance
BingoDOG #18

The twelfth novel in the Heartmates series, Heart Fortune is the story of Glyssa and Jace and also the story of the excavation of the lost starship, Lugh's Spear. Characters from previous stories also appear and we are introduced to new Fams. After reading some of the unfavorable reviews on Amazon I find that I liked the story better than I expected but agree that one should start at the beginning of the series. We are now in a second generation and Flair (psi abilities) are growing stronger and new types of Fams (telepathic animals) are bonding with humans.

I liked your review of Territory (Tombstone is a neat place to visit) and Heart Fortune - I think I'd like to get into the Heartmates series.

>38 LisaMorr: Thanks for visiting.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #1

Don't remember exactly where I saw this but someone in this group probably mentioned it...

7. 1177 B.C. : The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline - Finished January 20, 2015

From the public library.
map + preface +177 pages text + Dramatis Personae + notes + extensive bibliography
ancient history, Late Bronze Age, Eastern Mediterranean to Mesopotamia
930.1
HistoryCAT - time period though Troy was naturally mentioned
BingoDOG #9 - centered on a historical event

This book, published in 2014, with the latest information available gives the reader an overview of the collapse of all the great Bronze Age civilizations from Crete to Babylonia. Cline takes as his definitive moment that of the battle of Ramses III and "The Sea Peoples" in the eighth year of his reign now dated to 1177 BC. In order to see why these civilizations all collapsed within a few decades of one another we are taken back to the fifteenth century BC and then brought forward century by century. In the final chapter Cline discusses several theories that have been brought forward. These various cultures were so interconnected that big changes in one part of their world affected everyone else as each culture had diplomatic and trade ties to all of the others. The period from around 1250 to 1150 saw earthquakes, droughts, major famines, and other chaotic events that weakened the various "countries" and caused turmoil in the international trade that had become essential to all of them. Then a time that has been called a Dark Age by some ensued and the Iron Age began with new peoples, even new religions, and new ways of governing over much of the region.

1177 B.C. was relatively short and a fairly easy read. It was also full of interesting facts and explanations of various peoples I was only marginally familiar with. Recommended.

4. Short Forms #1

8. Otherworld Nights by Kelly Armstrong - Finished January 27, 2014

From the Public Library
Introduction + 351 pages containing 7 short stories and one novella
Urban fantasy, werewolves, vampires, demons, witches
BingoDog #16 (I think of werewolves, etc. as mythical. Also magic.) see >21 hailelib:

Otherworld Nights is a collection of short stories set in Armstrong's Otherworld universe that have appeared online and in various anthologies, and a novella that was published in hardcover by Subterranean Press. While I had read the novella a while back all of the shorter pieces were new to me and I enjoyed this collection very much, even the reread.
We get some back story on a couple of characters from the novels plus adventures involving some of her other characters. The last story even gives us a little adventure of Savannah's that takes place after the official "end" of the series. Armstrong describes her story about Cassandra, the senior vampire representative to the supernatural council, as her "unfortunately titled" story since she called it Twilight. Best of all was the news that she is going to put together two more of these anthologies of Otherworld stories. Definitely recommended for fans of the series.

III.History

9. The Amazons : Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor - Finished January 29, 2015

From my own shelves.
429 pages + extensive notes, bibliography, index
Amazons, real and mythic; Greeks, Scythians, archaeology, well illustrated (plates, photos, maps)
398.35
History CAT - both time period and theme
BingoDog - unfamiliar subject

I don't know where I first saw this mentioned but, since I had enjoyed other books by Mayor, it went on the Amazon wish list shortly before Christmas and arrived on my doorstep thanks to Diann (my son's longtime housemate). Since the subject dealt with both the real women warriors of antiquity and the legends they inspired it was a perfect book for January. It even turned out to be largely about the nomadic peoples of Central Asia which I knew next to nothing about thus giving me a Bingo square!

The Amazons is a very detailed account of the myths, legends, and the historical facts behind those stories with myriad references to the writers of antiquity, Greek art, and the archaeological evidence that has been found in Asia from the Black Sea to China. While some of the stories were first recorded more recently they are often based on older legends from the times of Herodotus, Alexander, etc. The burial sites of warrior women that have been excavated have been dated to those times as well. In fact, some ancient burial sites in the Scythian homelands that were assumed to be for male warriors have now been found to be women via DNA analysis. These women were buried with their armor, weapons, and horses just as the men were and show the same signs of battle injuries.

There were legends here that were new to me as well as a great deal of detail about the nomadic clans that gave rise to the stories that the Greeks based their ideas of Amazons on. One of the interesting things is that many of the customs have survived among people living in parts of countries like Kazakhstan in Central Asia. I would cautiously recommend this book but ithe text is over 400 dense pages and the long section on the archaeology can be a little dry and needs to be read in pieces to avoid a feeling of repetition. The photos, maps, cross referencing and analysis of the stories seem worth it however.

The last book to record for January -

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program #1.

10. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome - Finished January 30, 2015

From my own shelves and part of the publisher's series.
Editor's preface, Introduction, Author's preface to the first edition plus 211 pages,
boating on the Thames, humour, the dog

First published in 1889, this was a delightful read for me although there were a couple of places where one had to remember the times in which it was written. Three young men decide they need a change from their usual London routine and decide to spend two weeks on a boating holiday, traveling up the Thames to Oxford with the dog, Montmorency, and then back again. The process of deciding what to take and the evening of packing reminded me of a group of young Boy Scouts getting ready for a camping trip - not very well thought out planning and confused and not very competent packing with the dog always in the wrong place. This was just a preview of things to come! At one point the narrator cracked me up when describing getting ready for the day and tidying the boat he remarked that the process was "a continual labour, which was beginning to afford me a pretty clear insight into a question that had often posed me -- namely, how a woman with the work of only one house on her hands, manages to pass away her time".

A January recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 0/5
III. History 1/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 1/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 1/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 0/5
2. My Virtual Library 1/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 0/5
4. Short Forms 1/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 0/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 1/5
7. Follow Me 3/5
8. Other Fiction 0/5
9. Leaving Home 0/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 0/5

Total for the month - 10 books; 3170 pages
Public Library - 4
Owned prior to Jan 1 - 4
Owned new - 2
Fiction 8; nonfiction 2

Most memorable - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.

BingoDOG - 9 squares, the easy ones, see >21 hailelib:

2 HistoryCATs; 1 SFFFCAT

------

About the only planning for February that I've done is to finish The Cold Dish and The Big Fat Surprise and to read Pride and Prejudice and The Caves of Steel.

This has been a somewhat frustrating morning. As my husband remarked, "Why can't everything work at the same time?"

Two problems started over the weekend. First, he discovered that a toilet was leaking on Sunday which meant a trip to Lowe's for the necessary flexible pipe, then a contortionist act to put it in. Of course the first round didn't quite work but Jim now thinks he may have gotten it right...

Second, yesterday I sat down in the late afternoon to make a couple of phone calls and discovered that we had no dial tone. It's a land line since we have very sketchy cell reception here so we never actually bought a cell phone. Still no dial tone this morning so we spent a good part of the morning troubleshooting once we had determined that the problem was after the signal gets in the house. The rest of the morning was spent researching phones and ordering a replacement set of base and four handsets.

At least the sun is out and it's not particularly cold for early February.

On to books -

8. Other Fiction #1.

11. Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz - Finished February 1, 2015

From the public library.
327 pages plus sample from next book.
contemporary romance, suspense, murder, stalker

Trust No One is a contemporary romance very much in Krentz's usual style but without the paranormal elements she sometimes includes. Grace is a somewhat typical Krentz heroine, but one who is still trying to figure out what she wants to do for the rest of her life, and Julius is pretty much a typical Krentz hero, more alpha than not. While the book was OK while I was reading it, it wasn't one of her better stories and I probably won't be reading it again.

5. CATS and Group Reads #1.

12. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson - Finished February 3, 2015

From the public library.
354 pages plus sample of next book plus interview with author and discussion questions
contemporary Western, Wyoming, murder, revenge, getting on with life
Group read and BingoDOG (protagonist of the opposite gender)

I loved The Cold Dish and it may end up being the most memorable read for this month. The TV series is pretty good and although there were some changes to the characters and storyline the novel is at least as good. It opens with Walt being rather depressed and out of shape and just coasting through his job when the body of a young boy turns up and murder is the only possibility. Here the characters and the setting are fully realized and the murder has an "I didn't see that coming" ending that is, in fact, logical. Definitely recommended.

I've just started Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov and, while its early '50's origin is pretty clear, I'm enjoying it so far.

-----

My finished books so far are running five by male authors and seven by female authors. That probably won't last...

Toilets and phones are both out of my area of expertise. Happy to see you managed to troubleshoot and solve both problems!

Totally agree with Lori about toilets and phones! Hope it all gets fixed soon.

Glad to see the Longmire love, as that is currentlyone of my favorite series!

>46 lkernagh: and >47 DeltaQueen50:

Thanks for dropping by.

3. Classics and Award Winners (including genre fiction, in this case SF) #1

13. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov - Finished February 4, 2015

From my own shelves.
187 pages
copyright 1953, far future Earth, overpopulation, fear of being outside the City, relations with former colonies
SFFFCAT

I did enjoy The Caves of Steel even though the mystery is nothing special and I may even read the follow up, The Naked Sun. This could be thought of as something of a dystopian future for Earth and its 8 billion inhabitants where people live in megacities that are metal warrens. Privacy is hard to come by and most people are born, live and die without ever seeing outside the city, much less going out into the countryside. Most food is basically yeast with "real" meat, fruits, and vegetables rarely available. No one starves, not even the declassified, but very few live well. Added to this, the inhabitants really, really don't like robots. As the story opens, Lije Baley is assigned a robot partner and told to investigate a murder in Spacetown. Relations with the Spacers are uneasy and Lije knows that his future depends on solving the crime so he agrees to working with a robot even though he is as prejudiced against them as anyone else.
Over the course of the investigation some of Lije's attitudes change and he begins to see that Earth must also change.

----

I have also started Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist and a short book by Neil Gaiman.

We"re having a nice day weatherwise - sun and about 68 F (20 Celsius) although it's supposed to rain starting in the early morning hours and then cool off some for a few days. There are definitely signs that spring is on the way with daffodils trying to come up and some trees and shrubs budding.

Two books finished -

4. Short Forms #2.

14. The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman and Eddie Campbell - Finished February 6, 2015

From the public library.
74 pages, part picture book, part graphic novel
travel, legends, greed, evil, revenge, Isle of Skye.

Gaiman tells a great story and Campbell's paintings and drawings really add to it making this a wonderful book that's hard to describe. Although it could be described as a picture book of sorts this is definitely not for children but any adult who has enjoyed Gaiman's writing before should give it a try.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #2.

15. The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz - Finished February 7, 2015

From the public library.
337 pages + a further 142 pages of notes, references, and index
science, health, nutrition, where the US went wrong, c.2014
613.284
BingoDOG - scientists

This new book chronicles the author's 9-year research into the science behind the dietary advice Americans have been given for the last sixty years. After years of painstaking research, Teicholz came to the conclusion that the healthiest diet is the one we abandoned long ago, the one that allows lots of meat, butter, animal fats, and eggs. She's pretty convincing in her descriptions of how and why we have been told for decades to eat more plants and less fat and red meat to be healthy and why all those experts were wrong.

This isn't the first time I've read convincing material that agrees with her conclusion and I was already moving in the direction that her conclusions indicate. However, I'm even more committed now to concentrating on cutting back on sugars and starches, not animal fats, and getting more exercise. But I like veggies and fruits enough that there will still be a lot of them on my plate, just less added sugars and more eggs and butter!

The rain arrived and we've been getting a fairly steady downpour through most of the morning. At least it isn't the snow my son is having to cope with! (He's in Boston, specifically Somerville.)

Got in a little reading earlier. I have several going at the moment -

Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist - about halfway through
Daily Life in Ancient Rome - took off the shelf yesterday when the power went AWOL for a while and it turns out to be much more interesting than I thought it would be.

Fiction - Mortal Engines and Moon Over Soho.

Cold but sunny today but the forecast is for a "wintery mix" for Monday and Tuesday.

This morning the US postal service delivered a package from Amazon - we were pretty surprised since it's Sunday. Of course, they have been trying to reinvent themselves for some time in order to reduce their red ink but this was just the standard free shipping, we don't care how long it takes, order.

My father isn't going to be able to go back to his assisted living facility but we had been thinking of a change anyway. After two months of rehab (he needs a couple more weeks) this seems a good time to make the move and my brother thinks he has found a place where the care is just as good but way cheaper. The price difference is in part location and in part not part of a chain that has investors and expensive upper management. Anyway, Wednesday and Friday I spent a lot of time on the phone - my impression is favorable and the lower price would stretch Dad's remaining funds a couple more years. My son asked if he should go down and take a look and I would certainly trust his judgement over my brother's but we have a little time and I want to see the info packet they are sending me first before asking him to do that. Anyway, I'm not sure he should try to leave Boston just now! Aside from anything else there aren't a lot of flights in and out at the moment. Maybe if a new storm isn't forecast for next weekend...

Another thing that has been annoying for over two weeks -- the public library had their server kick the bucket. They could check books out but not in and they couldn't process holds, etc. and no one could see their accounts.
They finally came back online late Friday and restarted everyone by renewing all the books that were out for another four weeks. I immediately added some videos to my holds...

With everything that's going on I put aside my nonfiction and did a fiction marathon so have four books to report on in a bit.

Sounds like a lot of RL on your plate at the moment. Glad to read that your family has a solution for your father that has a financial positive to it... that is so rare these days. Here is hoping that the horizon is a positive one!

>52 lkernagh:

Real life hits all of us from time to time.

The weather, or at least the leading edge has arrived, but the forecast isn't for as much precipitation as originally predicted and it will end sooner. Still, lows below freezing mean that the early morning will be a good time to stay in so Jim plans to skip swimming at the Rec Center tomorrow. He did get to go this morning but really hates to miss a weekday. I've got a new video from yesterday's Amazon that is very simple yoga for people who are way out of shape. I checked it out a bit yesterday and it looks just my speed. In a little while, I'll put it in and try the breathing and stretching segments for real and see how far I get on those.

Meanwhile short book "reviews" --

1. Young Adult and younger # 1.

16. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve - Finished ~ February 12, 2015

From the public library
310 pages
far future, traveling cities, dystopian world

When I first started this it didn't really do anything for me so I put it aside for a while and read some of my nonfiction books instead. Then, giving Reeve another chance, I picked it back up and this time I got into Mortal Engines enough to finish it quickly. The traveling cities that cannibalized the smaller ones was an interesting idea and the story would hold the attention of most teens in the 12 to 15 age bracket but I may not follow up with the second book in the series for a while if at all.

8. Other Fiction #2.

17. The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer - Finished February 13, 2015

My own shelves; a fairly recent purchase
347 pages
Regency England; cover shows Georgian costume, the return of the heir, mystery, light romance

This may be my favorite Heyer and is certainly in the top five. While I still love my original copy it has been read to death so I started looking for a new reading copy months ago and a while back Amazon had this edition at a reduced price. I knew that I wouldn't like the cover, but... There are also a handful of places that show sloppy typesetting or scanning or whatever they did to get this edition but I still enjoyed my reread.

A gray day outside with rain later but warm enough that the last of the ice will probably all melt. At least this time the solid stuff is stopping just north of us. Several days of highs below freezing were enough winter for me!

I still owe a couple of reviews from last week -

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #2 and #3

18. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - Finished February 13, 2015

My own shelves - recent purchase
288 pages
urban fantasy, London, magic, police, mystery, jazz

Moon Over Soho was very enjoyable although I think I liked the first in the series better. Peter Grant is mostly alone in his magical investigations while Nightingale recuperates and has to figure out what is causing the deaths of some of London's best jazz musicians. I particularly liked the jazz references and the introduction of Peter's parents into the story. Definitely looking forward to book number three in this series.

I just realized that I could count this for a bingo square as there was a lot of classic jazz played in my house when I was a child. Have to think about that!

19. Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished February 14, 2015

My own shelves - recent purchase
470 pages
fantasy, pilgrimage, religion, war, making a new life

This was a very good sequel to The Curse of Chalion and followed the adventures of the widowed Ista as she went on a pilgrimage. She conceived the idea of a pilgrimage in order to escape from an overly protective household but it became much more than that. The story starts a bit slowly as far as action is concerned but I was immediately engrossed in Ista's mental, spiritual, and physical journeys. Most readers who enjoyed the previous book will also enjoy Paladin of Souls and the new characters and their problems.

-----

I did finish another short book this week which fits the HistoryCAT, both time and theme.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #1

20. The Gospel of Philip: Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union by Jean-Yves LeLoup and translated into English by Joseph Rowe - Finished February 20, 2015

From the public library
Foreword plus 174 pages
religion, early Christianity, the Nag Hammadi texts, Coptic translation from earlier Greek text
HistoryCAT and BingoDOG - translated from French and Coptic - I definitely don't speak or read Coptic and while I studied French I really can't get much past hello and thank you anymore, as far speaking i,t and reading even simple prose would require a dictionary and grammar book and lots of time.

An interesting essay by LeLoup introducing the document. We have here sayings and teachings attributed to 'Yeshua" and LeLoup discusses their relationship to both Jewish and New Testament teachings of the time. The translation of the text is shown opposite the actual manuscript and in a number of places he tells us to compare that saying to a particular verse in the New Testament. Those who know more about theology and the early church would probably get more from this book than I did, but I am glad I read it.

It's been snowing all day here. I hope your temperatures stay warm enough for the ice to melt and to ensure that the rain falling doesn't freeze over again! Rain in the winter is such a dicey prospect.

I have loved both The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls and I am looking forward to reading the third book, The Hallowed Hunt later on this year.

>55 rabbitprincess:

We've had a couple of days where the temperature stayed above freezing so very little ice hanging around but tonight we drop below freezing with a chance of snow. Usually South Carolina is finished with real wintry weather by now but this year has been unusual for a lot of people.

>56 DeltaQueen50:

Judy, I can definitely seeing myself rereading them at some point. But first, I need to track down the rest of the Vorkosigan books and read them.

I finished another book earlier today -

II. From the Science and Technology Shelves #1

21. Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist by Russell McCormmach - Finished February 23, 2015

My own shelves
160 pages plus Sources and Notes - the notes were very helpful
nominally fiction, history of physics, philosophy of science, classical vs. modern, World War I, Germany,some illustrations
DDC 500

This book was interesting but not really an easy page-turner. I read it slowly and consulted the Notes every few pages.
While, strictly speaking, Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist is a short novel it is more a history of the changes that were happening in the field of physics. We are in the mind of Victor Jacob, a classical physicist who is nearing retirement from his Institute in 1918. Jacob is a composite character with the thoughts and events of his life and career taken from the lives of many German physicists of the time. He reflects on his own life, remembering how he served in the Army during an earlier war with France, his early studies and career, the new theories that are supplanting those with which he is most comfortable, the course of the war, and a little about what will happen to Germany and to physics after it's over.

Not for everyone but if you are interested give it a try.

------

Now to finish the other two books I've been reading: Daily Life in Ancient Rome and Pride and Prejudice.

We've actually got sunshine today and the temperature is well above freezing which is really nice after lots of cloudy days with three ice/snow events in two weeks. At least the accumulation was just 1 to 2 inches each time with most melting in between. My husband got an interesting picture which I may post later. Meanwhile, Dad finally got moved into a new memory assisted care place that is cheaper and closer to a couple of family members. There is still some business to take care of there but he's out of rehab.

Finished one book and am nearly finished with another -

3. Classics and Award Winners #2

22. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Finished February 25, 2015

From my own shelves. A medium quality hardcover from Dutton with slipcase and a number of drawings.
comedy of manners, England society, early 1800's
410 pages

Every time I read this I really enjoy it and generally notice something new. The discussion thread has been fairly interesting as well. Do we need another review of this?

We will be watching the last part of Death Comes to Pemberley tonight as well (on Netflix). It's been interesting.

------

The book about Rome is nearly finished and I've started Becoming Charlemagne which looks to be a quick read. Later, I'll pull the next Hillerman off my shelves for that group read and I need to decide on which Asimov should come next. And, with a little luck I should get Station Eleven in a couple of weeks from the public library. There are a couple of other library books which I may or may not rea - a good chace that at least one will go back unread ...

And in the news - Leonard Nimoy died today.

As promised -



February wildlife from one of our windows.

This morning I finished my last book for February -

III. History #2.

23. Daily Life in Ancient Rome by Jerome Carcopino, edited by Henry T. Rowell, and translated by E. O. Lorimer - Finished February 28, 2015

From my own shelves.
Rome in the second century CE, everyday life
preface + 276 pages +sources +notes and index
937.6
HistoryCat for time period

Daily Life in Ancient Rome turned out to be a fairly readable book although some sections were better than others. Originally written before WWII by a French archaeologist and translated into English for publication by Yale University Press (c.1940) the language can be a bit stiff and dry at time. However, I found it worthwhile because there are a wealth of details about life in the city of Rome during the second century CE.

Part 1 covers the extent and population of the city, houses and streets, society and class, marriage and the family, education, and religion with great thoroughness. Part 2 then takes the reader through a Roman citizen's day discussing the morning routine, occupations, leisure activities such as the games and other spectacles, the baths, and finishing with dinner in the evening.

This book appears on a least one "must read" list and while fairly old there are few comprehensive books about everyday life in the city of Rome for this time period. However, Carcopino does allow his personal prejudices about the Roman's lifestyle to come through so I only cautiously recommend it.

>59 hailelib:
Ah, that's so cool!

I love your wildlife observation experience! It looks like the deer are looking right at the camera.

Deer cross through our woods fairly often and we see them mostly in the spring and fall. With a little snow on the ground they weren't as camouflaged as usual! The back of our property is bordered by a creek and there is a spring also, though the spring needs clearing out a bit, and that is probably why they come through mornings and evenings. They do usually have one eye on the house in case the humans try to catch them!

A February recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 1/5
III. History 2/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 1/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 3/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 1/5
2. My Virtual Library 1/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 2/5
4. Short Forms 2/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 1/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 2/5
7. Follow Me 3/5
8. Other Fiction 2/5
9. Leaving Home 0/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 1/5

Total for the Year - 23 books; 6784 pages
Total for the month - 13 books; 3614 pages
Public Library - month - 6; year - 10
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 5; year - 9
Owned recent - month - 2; year - 4
Fiction 17; nonfiction 6

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains

BingoDOG - 13 squares total; see >21 hailelib: hailelib:

2 HistoryCATs; 1 SFFFCAT; 2 RandomCATs; 2 AlphaKITs in February

also group reads: Asimov, Austen, Hillerman/Longmire - 1 each

------

Currently reading Dance Hall of the Dead and Becoming Charlemagne for March

Yesterday afternoon we drove over to the main library in Easley for the Friends of the Library 1st Sunday sale. The selection wasn't as good as usual but I still came home with a bag of books, seven for $9.50 US. Six hardcovers with dust jackets and one trade paperback, all in good condition with only one being a library discard although a couple of others have sellers' stickers that I need to remove.

Chasing the sun : the epic story of the star that gives us life by Richard Cohen
Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell - been on my wishlist for a while
The magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
A redbird Christmas : a novel by Fannie Flagg
Nanjing requiem by Ha Jin
The last empress by Anchee Min
Miss Buncle's book by D. E. Stevenson (paperback)

Three of them I knew nothing about but they looked interesting enough that I'm willing to take a chance at the price.

------

Dance Hall of the Dead is turning out to be fairly good so far. I actually read it in 2008 for that year's challenge but have little memory of it so it's like a new book. The nonfiction book Becoming Charlemagne is going pretty quickly as well and I've started looking at a big, heavily illustrated book called The Language of the Goddess.

I love library sales, etc that occur on a Sunday. Too many things seems to end on Saturdays, which a rather busy days in our households. Sundays are more relaxed and perfect for browsing book sales. ;-)

I can always find something at library sales that I'm willing to take a chance on but the local thrift shop is more variable since I won't buy falling apart books at any price but sometimes they have donations that are really great. It's time I tried them again ...

We're having a nice weekend so far and there are daffodils in bloom even though frost is still a distinct possibility. Even the forsythia looks almost ready to bloom and the air is even springlike today with lots of sun. Last night we had a simple celebration meal (just the two of us) and brought in a couple of the blooms for the table. Flowers are always a nice touch.

Meanwhile I've been on a fiction reading binge and finished Dance Hall of the Dead and three in Asimov's Foundation series.

IV. Mystery & Suspense #2.

24. Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman - Finished March 3, 2014

From my own shelves.
242 pages
mystery, Zuni culture, Navajo culture, archaeology dig

Dance Hall of the Dead is the second in Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn/Chee series and is a much better book. It begins when a young Zuni boy is murdered and his best friend, a young Navajo, disappears and Leaphorn is given the task of finding young George Bowlegs. He goes about the job methodically interviewing those who had had recent contact with George and his friend and along the way we learn a little about the archaeological dig taking place in the area but mostly we see Leaphorn trying to understand how Zuni traditions are involved and ruminating on the differences in Zuni and Navajo ways. When I looked back at my brief "review" from 2008 I could tell that I liked the book much better this time around and I would definitely recommend it to those interested in Western mysteries. I didn't even notice that it was over forty years old as far as feeling dated.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #4 and #5

25. Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov - Finished March 4, 2015

From my own shelves.
714 pages.
Foundation, space quest, Gaia, Earth, robots?
Asimov year-long group read

These two books are really one story. While each has an ending, each leaves room for more. In the first volume, Councilman Trevize insists that something is wrong because the Seldon Plan is working too well and he thinks that the Second Foundation must have survived after all. The Mayor of Terminus (ruler of a large part of the galaxy under the Foundation's control) thinks him dangerous and she arranges to send him, along with an older historian, off on a quest through the Galaxy to find proof of the Second Foundation's existence and to help the professor look for the mythical "oldest planet" sometimes called Earth. With each place they visit Trevize and Pelorat find questions that lead them onwards.

Both volumes caught me up in their stories and I really wanted to see how it would come out. This was space adventure that was sometimes fast moving but also had a lot of scenes where the characters filled one another in on their areas of knowledge or debated their next move for quite a while. That didn't bother me but not everyone likes that kind of story-telling. Recommended for those who enjoyed the original Foundation trilogy.

26. Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov - Finished March 5, 2015

From my own shelves.
432 pages
psychohistory, the Empire, Trantor, twist ending, pre-Foundation
Asimov year-long group read

Prelude to Foundation is the story of how Hari Seldon came to Trantor and how he was persuaded to attempt to build psychohistory into a practical discipline. There are surprises and adventures and lots of talk about the ins and outs of psychohistory and why it would be so difficult to develop. There is also a looking back into the distant past and a possible first planet and some foreshadowing of his decision to create the two Foundations. I enjoyed Seldon's adventures but the book would work best for those already intrigued by Asimov's Foundation/Robot Universe.

-----

Now back to Becoming Charlemagne.

Thanks for your reviews of the Foundation books. I read the The Foundation Trilogy ages ago and have Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth on my shelves, but not Prelude to Foundation. I plan to re-read the trilogy and then the other two at some point. Just curious - what do you think about someone reading the Prelude book first before a re-read of the trilogy?

>69 LisaMorr:

I think that if you remember the broad outline of the trilogy then reading Prelude to Foundation before your reread would work fine. Of course it was written after Asimov decided to work several of his previous books into the Foundation universe and if I hadn't at various times read a lot of Asimov I might have enjoyed it less.

Now for a little history -

5. CATS and Group Reads #2

27. Becoming Charlemagne by Jeff Sypeck - Finished March 9, 2013

From the public library.
214 pages + map + notes + bibliography
Francia, Church politics, Rome, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire, Abbasid Caliphate
944.014

Becoming Charlemagne mostly concerns the Frankish King Karl who ruled a considerable part of Europe and who was crowned Emperor in Rome by Pope Leo on Christmas morning in 800 A.D. This is not so much a biography as a snapshot of Karl and his kingdom in the years just before and after this momentous event. Also, we have similar snapshots of the other two major empires of the time and how they interacted. There is also some discussion about the way legends grew up around him so that he was remembered as Charles the Great or Charlemagne, especially in contrast to his not so great heirs.

There were a lot of interesting stories in Sypeck's narrative along with many quotes from sources contemporary to Karl. Many of the characters were ones unfamiliar to me and I particularly liked the story of Isaac's diplomatic mission to Baghdad and his return with an elephant in tow. A nice introduction for those who know little about this period in history.

A quick read for a "don't feel like doing much" day -

8. Other Fiction #3.

28. A Distant Magic by Mary Jo Putney - Finished March 11, 2015

From my own shelves.
402 pages + author's note on the actual history
Guardians series, paranormal romance, abolitionists, England, slave trade

A reread and my remarks from my 888 thread:

"The third of the Guardian series. This one tells Jean's story, how she met her mate and how her ability to access her magic blossomed. But the real main 'character' is the history of the abolitionist movement in Britain.

While I enjoyed the book, I would be more likely to reread one of the first two. However Ms. Putney did follow up on some questions raised in book two and developd her ideas about the working of African magic and how it differs from European magic in her alternate world."

I had forgotten most of the story and the time-travel involved and how Jean and Nickolai had to be present at every critical point in the development of the movement to ban the slave trade in England and using English ships. Ms. Putney was more interested in telling us the history of the movement than in developing the romance. As far as recommending it, I would say that it is only for Ms. Putney's fans who enjoyed the other two Guardians books. On the other hand it was entertaining for me.

--------

Back to nonfiction history - I'm reading 1492 by Felipe Fernandez Armesto and really enjoying it so far. Also have some library holds that have come in. Jim's going to stop while he's out in the morning and pick them up. Why do they always become available in clumps?

The heat-pump guy just left and he said that it passed its annual check-up though he is going to ask their senior technician about the error codes we were getting in February.

Yesterday we had the telephone repairman in for a very odd problem. Local calls were just fine but all long distance calls had major noise on the line - noise loud enough to make conversation just about impossible. All better now.

After a string of warm sunny days we're back to rain with much cooler temperatures. Those warm days did get all the Bradford pears in the area to blooming ... spring is definitely arriving.

Those library books that came in together rather than spread out need recording and I did finish 1492 as well.

7. Follow Me #4 and #5 - two next in series books

29. Obsession in Death by J. D. Robb - Finished March 14, 2015

From the public library.
404 pages
murder, Lt. Dallas, New York, #40 In Death, 2060

A mostly typical Dallas mystery with a number of recurring characters popping up since this case harks back to some of her earlier ones. At this point in the series, mostly for fans who have followed our detective from the beginning.

30. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs - Finished March 17, 2015

From the public library.
324 pages
Alpha and Omega, werewolves, fae, magic

Another novel by Briggs set in the world of the Marrok, Dead Heat begins with Charles and Anna traveling to Arizona to visit an old friend of Charles and to buy a horse for Anna. Joseph and his family raise and train horses, particularly Arabians and Joseph's father is also the Alpha of the local Pack although Joseph himself decided long ago to remain human and he is elderly and dying. This will be the last time Charles will be able to spend time with one he once considered to be like a brother. Of course the visit doesn't go as planned when they discover that an evil fae is at large and it is up to Charles and Anna to deal with him although it may break what is left of the Werewolf/Fae treaty. I always enjoy books by Patricia Briggs and her urban fantasy series are above average with both lots of action accompanied by relationships that feel more real than some authors in this genre manage.

5. CATS and Group Reads #3.

31. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - Finished March 16, 2015

From the public library.
333 pages.
pandemics, theater, apocalypse, survival, memory
SFFF and Random CATS

While Station Eleven is a very good book it didn't quite live up to all the hype for me. However, I suspect that a reread would give me a better opinion of Mandel's novel. That sometimes happens when I have been over-anticipating a book. Since there are already lots of reviews and descriptions, I'll just say that it will probably appeal to a wide range of readers and I an glad I read it.

9. Leaving Home #1

32. 1492 : The Year the World Began by Felipe Fernandez Armesto - Finished March 18, 2015

From my own shelves.
321 pages
history, Granada, Islam, Africa, Sephardim, Italy and Lorenzo de Medici, Russia, Columbus and the Atlantic, China, the Indian Ocean, the Americas
909.4
HistoryCAT theme

1492 was an easy and informative read in which the author looks at the civilizations of the world in the years just prior to the voyage made by Columbus. He thinks that that world was a different one from the world that we live in today and he attempts to explain how we got from there to here. The only section where I got bogged down a bit was the one that explained 15th century Italy and that was probably me and not the book. The sections on Africa and the formation of Russia were particularly good and told me a great deal that I never knew about the history of those areas. Also interesting was the way Christianity and Islam established themselves in some parts of the world but not others.

I liked the book well enough that I ordered the author's book Pathfinders from the library before even finishing this one.

Wow, that is a weird phone line problem. Did they tell you what caused it? I am hoping to read Station Eleven this month and I am a little worried about the hype and its effect on me, too. I loved two previous novels by the author, but Station Eleven takes her writing down a slightly different path.

I think that reading a book nearly everyone is praising can often disappoint! Best to pick it up expecting just OK and then one may discover that it's pretty good after all.

Another apocalyptic read -

1. Young Adult #2.

33. Ashfall by Mike Mullen - Finished March 20, 2015

From the public library.
466 pages
supervolcano, survival, older end of YA, disaster
SFFFCAT

Alex has stayed home in Cedar Falls, Iowa while the rest of his family goes to visit his uncle on the farm outside Warren, Illinois. Then the volcano under Yellowstone erupts and his world is changed forever. Soon Alex decides to travel cross-country to find his parents, hoping that they are safe and the farm and that conditions will be better there. Along the way he's joined by Darla and encounters both the best and the worst in human behavior, growing up considerably in the process. This is the kind of book that is often read in one sitting because the reader just has to know what comes next.

I really enjoyed Ashfall but, if I remember correctly, it seemed like the event had barely happened and people were already turning to cannibalism! It was quite the page turner however.

I'll definitely look for the rest of Mullen's series. I do want to know what happens next.

--------

Haven't been posting but I have read a lot since last time so only a few comments on each one.

2. My Virtual Library #2 and #3 - these were to provide leavening for the nonfiction I was reading -

34. Winter Moon by Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, C. E. Murphy - Finished March 28, 12015 - iPad

recent purchase from wishlist
384 pages
anthology,fantasy

Three stories. I liked the ones from Lackey and Murphy a lot more than the one from Tanith Lee. Overall, this anthology was pretty average.

35. The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan - Finished March 29, 2015 -iPad

recent purchase
432 pages
mystery,art theft,autistic spectrum, LT mention
BingoDOG

OK while I was reading it, with an interesting main character, but I won't be rushing to find the next in the series.

A March recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 1/5
III. History 2/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 2/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 5/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 2/5
2. My Virtual Library 3/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 2/5
4. Short Forms 2/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 3/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 2/5
7. Follow Me 5/5
8. Other Fiction 3/5
9. Leaving Home 1/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 1/5

Total for the Year - 35 books; 11,452 pages
Total for the month - 12 books; 4668 pages
Public Library - month - 5; year - 15
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 5; year - 14
Owned recent - month - 2; year - 6
Fiction 27; nonfiction 8

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began

BingoDOG - 14 squares total; see >21 hailelib:

2 HistoryCATs; 2 SFFFCAT; 1 RandomCAT; 2 AlphaKITs in March

also group reads: Asimov - 2, Hillerman/Longmire - 1

------

Currently reading The Murder of Charles the Good, Pathfinders and Ancillary Justice

April means spring and soon our woods will look like this



The dogwoods are blooming, azaleas are just starting and the trees are beginning to leaf out. Today is very warm for April - 90F (around 30C).

And I have a stack of books I need to write up!

Meanwhile we have snow here! Again! Argh. But it's supposed to get up to 15 degrees on Friday and then maybe stay in the high teens next week. So I doubt the snow will last long.

April can be quite variable here - we've had killing frosts as late as April but that's rare. Today should be cooler so maybe the AC won't run like it did yesterday. We are in a time of the year when the tree pollen is everywhere so we keep the house closed and find that on some days the heat is on in the early afternoon and the AC is on in the late afternoon. Tree pollen is my main "hay fever" allergy.

Two books finished on the same day -

3. Classics and Award Winners #3.

36. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - finished April 3, 2015

From the public library.
271 pages
murder, Wyoming, legacies, changing times
group read

In the second book of the Longmire series, Johnson has written another good novel with great characters. The death of an old lady in an assisted living facility didn't seem unusual but Lucien, the former sheriff, insists on a full investigation which finds that she was poisoned. So, who would want to kill Mari Baroja?

I'm still enjoying the Longmire books more than the Hillerman mysteries but both are interesting and worth trying.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #3.

37. Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence by Karen Armstrong - Finished April 3, 2015

From the public library.
746 pages (large type) + notes + bibliography
from prehistory to al-Qaeda, state religion, private religion, history, politics

This was a long slow read especially toward the end when I kept inserting some lighter fare between chapters. There were lots of ideas that were somewhat new to me about the interaction of religion with other aspects of human culture. Particularly interesting was the idea that the way we perceive of religion in the West is relatively new and not really in keeping with the way less Westernized peoples view it. The author shows how the religion of the rulers of a society changes over time to support their need to maintain their society. So, a religion that begins as an advocate for peace and love for all people ends up supporting war and suppression of minorities. Armstrong also is very informative about how the Middle East became such a mess; in her view Western interference, especially since 1900, has been a major factor.

Whether one agrees with Armstrong's theses or not, Fields of Blood is well worth the time. Recommended.

8. Other Fiction #4.

38. Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey - Finished April 4, 2015

From my own shelves
468 pages
reread, fairytale retelling, Cinderella, WWI. shell-shock, magic, Elemental Masters
SFFFCAT

One of my favorites from this series though I would be hard pressed to say why. The step-mother was truly evil and the step-sisters were petty and self-centered. The story begins at the end of 1914 with Eleanor feeling abandoned by her father. Shortly after his remarriage Mr. Robinson joined the army and seemingly forgot about his promise to arrange funds for Eleanor's travel to Oxford and her fees, etc. as she had been accepted as one of the women scholars there. With the newcomers pushing her out of her place and having lost her dream of attending university, Eleanor is miserable. Then news of her father's death arrives and her former misery is nothing like what happens next. Magically bound to the kitchen hearth and unable to leave the house, she becomes the least of the servants and finally the only one other than Alison's lady's maid.

Meanwhile, the aristocratic Heir to the local Manor and Eleanor's secret crush joins up to fly planes for the British. Now jumping to 1917, Reggie returns wounded after a crash and shell-shocked from horrifying experiences after his plane goes down. He is convinced that his only safety is in denying and walling off his Air magic. Down in the village, Eleanor is just beginning to realize that she could be a Master of Fire if only she can learn to control this most dangerous of magics. Can Reggie and Eleanor work together and defeat the evil plans that Alison has has put in motion with her dark magic? There is even a godmother and a ball ...

A bit cool and rainy today with several more days of the same forecast. Saw lots of flowers and green on the way into town (dentist appointment) - we are definitely in the midst of Spring around here.

One more book to report on -

IV. Mystery & Suspense #3.

39. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - Finished April 6, 2015

From my own shelves.
276 pages + map +author's note
mystery, religion, medieval, begins in 1170, King Henry of England, "doctor" of medicine and a sort of forensics, pilgrims
HistoryCAT - theme

Children are being killed and the Jews are being accused which is causing the King problems; so, he sends to Southern Italy and his brother king there for a trusted investigator and a "doctor of death".

There are numerous LT reviews for this book ... I'll just say that I enjoyed the setting and the characters and I will probably look out for the next one featuring Adelia.

--------

Still reading The Murder of Charles the Good, Pathfinders and Ancillary Justice plus Language of the Goddess. However, most of my reading over the next few days will be of the revised edition of Technical Style as my husband needs someone other than him to go through it before finalizing the text. First, I'm reading it on my laptop (pdf) and then I'll want to read it on the printout he is working from. Tomorrow's chapter should be riveting as it is all about Punctuation! I'm definitely counting this as a "someone else picked it for me" book. After all, I'll be reading it twice.

I agree with your assessment of Mistress of the Art of Death book - enjoyable setting and characters - making a nice change from more contemporary mystery series.

>84 lkernagh:

I have the third book about Adelia but I'd like to find and read the second one first.

After a week of sometimes heavy rain, today is sunny and pleasant outside. While the dogwoods and azaleas are pretty well over the rhododendron are in full bloom and I'm hoping the mountain laurel will also do well this year.

While the weather was so dismal I did a lot of reading so have a lot of books to write up ...

III. History #3.

40. The Murder of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders by Galbert of Bruges, translated by James Bruce Ross - Finished April 15, 2015

From my own shelves.
Preface, maps, 312 pages, appendix, bibliography
1127-28 C.E., murder, revenge, politics, knights, burghers, Flanders
949.3
HistoryCAT - theme and time

While this started out slowly, with a long introduction where Ross gave a great deal of background information and analysis concerning the people and events, once I came to Galbert's account that information was quite useful. This was history that was completely unfamiliar to me but turned out to be very interesting. Galbert was a notary at the court of Charles and he wrote a day by day account of the murder and its aftermath, some of which he was an eye-witness to. While the author did add some information later and reworked some of his entries, it does have a you-are-there feel. Also, I read many of the notes since they were right on the page and the extra information was sometimes very helpful, even though it slowed me down.

Originally published in 1959 and apparently meant for use as a college text in medieval studies, the editor/translator, James Bruce Ross, spent much of her academic career at Vassar. (Her students called her Miss Ross, her friends J.B.)

Hi Tricia, I just read the second Adelia book, The Serpent's Tale and it was excellent. I'm looking forward to the third in this series now.

Yesterday, we declared victory on Technical Style, Second Edition and Jim sent the file off to the printers. I did my two readings and our son also read it, while Jim did all his cross-checks and also read it a couple more times. It was amazing how much we found even though it had been through several readings at earlier stages. There were a couple of peculiarities of the type-setting software that he couldn't get around, but luckily they are subtle enough that it's unlikely anyone else will even notice. I did find one error that really stood out for me; the first edition was published before Pluto was demoted, so the reference to nine planets had to be corrected.

Close reading of a type that I hadn't done in years meant that I threw in a lot of light fiction as leavening ...

Anyway some of my completed reads that I'm behind on writing about --

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #6 and #7

41. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov - Finished April 16, 2015

From my own shelves.
216 pages.
other planets, colonies, space travel, mystery
RandomCAT

A sequel to The Caves of Steel, another mystery featuring Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw, this time on the Spacer world of Solaria. I enjoyed revisiting this book which I read a long time ago. I also just realized that it could fit the RandomCAT as Elijah had to leave earth and learn to cope another, very different, environment and society. He returned to Earth a somewhat changed man as well.

42. The Chrome Borne by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon - Finished April 19, 3015

From my own shelves.
632 pages.
urban fantasy, Mustangs, magic, Fae, 2in1, Underhill, kitsune, ghosts

The Chrome Borne was originally published as two stories, Born to Run and Chrome Circle. These are fast moving adventures with an interesting mix of characters. Not Lackey's best but a pleasant diversion.

5. CATS and Group Reads #4.

43. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished April 20, 2015

From the public library.
269 pages.
quaddies, Miles, Cetagandans

Another good adventure with some characters from earlier books reappearing. A rather unusual ending for a honeymoon but when Miles is involved ...

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #2.

44. Technical Style, 2nd Edition by J. M. Haile - Finished April 27, 2015

From my own shelves.
192 pages.

Intended for those who want to improve their skills when it comes to writing engineering and scientific papers. Actually used as a recommended text for some college courses.

And that's enough for today!

Very exciting to send the book off to the printers! I tip my editor's pen in salute :) It is so true what you say about the amount of things you can catch in a text even after multiple readings. I'm always afraid that once I deliver a finished document, it will spontaneously mutate and develop errors en route to its recipient.

One always hopes that any remaining errors are the sorts of things no one ever notices!

It's a nice spring day here; neither cold nor hot, and the mountain laurels are just before being at their peak. That's nearly the end of our blooms for the year since all the natives are spring bloomers and somehow we never got around to planting anything that blooms in the summer except for a crepe myrtle that's up by the road and we don't see it from the house.

A few more books from April --

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #8.

45. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett - Finished April 26, 2015

My own shelves - recent purchase
498 pages
fantasy, alternate history, Regency-like society, magic
RandomCAT - lots of changes for the main characters and foreshadowing of more to come

The fantasy, The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, is the first in a trilogy (?) that takes place in an island country somewhat modeled on Regency England. The author wrote the first part as though he was channeling Jane Austen, the second part in a Jane Eyre mood, and in the third pulled many of the strands together. However, there is plenty of room for further developments in the sequel.

I suspect that this novel would not be to everyone's taste but I had fun reading it and will be looking out for the next volume. A library sale find that I'm glad I took a chance on.

2. My Virtual Library #4 & #5.

46. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - Finished April 24, 2015

On my iPad
397 pages
science fiction, an Imperium, space opera, AI, distributed intelligence

I really liked this award- winning SF novel but don't plan to say more than that since there are some excellent and well thought-out review on LT. The next book, Ancillary Sword, is definitely in my future.

47. Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy - Finished April 29, 2015

On my iPad
416 pages
urban fantasy, Seattle, magic, Celtic myth, the Wild Hunt, shamanism

The first book in the series, The Walker papers. I rather liked Joanne Walker and her friends, and the story kept me interested enough that I will probably continue the series.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #4.

48. Hexed by Kevin Hearne - Finished April 30, 2015

From the public library.
estimating 300 pages
urban fantasy, witches, the Morrigan, druids
BingoDOG for Oberon

The second book in this series. I enjoyed it - perfect for the mood I've been in lately. Looking forward to the next one. Another series discovered via LT.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #3.

49. The Language of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas - Finished April 29, 2015

From the public library.
410 pages; large, oversize, with foreword, appendices
prehistory, neolithic, paleolithic, Iron Age, focused on Europe before arrival of Indo-Europeans
BingoDOG

Beginning with a short Foreword by Joseph Campbell and an Introduction by the author, this book is illustrated on nearly every page by multiple photos and drawings of the artifacts being discussed. The author believes that the symbols craved or painted on cave walls, and tomb and temple walls, and pottery, as well as the forms of the pottery and sculptures are a language of the worship of the early European Goddess. She also shows how the worship of the various forms of the Goddess went underground, so to speak, with the arrival of the Indo-European gods, and traces its survival through the ages with traces still to be found in folk customs and legends of the present.

While the subject was interesting to me, this book would only be for those with a great curiosity in this area because of the overwhelming amount of material and the repetition as she attempts to convince the reader. I did eventually start skimming in places since the information in the captions was often exactly reproduced in the text.

An April recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 1/5
III. History 3/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 3/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 8/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 2/5
2. My Virtual Library 5/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 3/5
4. Short Forms 2/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 4/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 4/5
7. Follow Me 5/5
8. Other Fiction 4/5
9. Leaving Home 1/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 3/5

Total for the Year - 49 books; 16,855 pages
Total for the month - 14 books; 5403 pages
Public Library - month - 5; year - 20
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 9; year - 23
Owned recent - month - 2; year - 6
Fiction 37; nonfiction 12

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began
Most Memorable - April - Death without Company, Mistress of the Atrt of Death, Ancillary Justice, Fields of Blood, The Murder of Charles the Good

BingoDOG - 17 squares total; see >21 hailelib: hailelib:

2 HistoryCATs; 1 SFFFCAT; 2 RandomCAT; 0 AlphaKITs

also group reads: Asimov - 1, Hillerman/Longmire - 1

------

I'm working on finishing Pathfinders at the moment. Not sure what I'll read for the CATs ...

IV. Mystery & Suspense #4.

50. Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman - Finished May 2, 2015

From my own shelves.
316 pages
mystery, Navajos, Tribal Police, curing sickness, hostages
Hillerman/Longmire group read

Listening Woman is the third in Hillerman's series and is the best so far. Leaphorn is given some "cold cases" to look into and is asked to look for an Anglo girl who has been wandering about the Reservation. He's also looking for the man who tried to run him down when stopped for speeding. These are all in the same general area so Leaphorn begins by checking out some of the places involved and by talking to the local trader, McGiness, who has a way of knowing what there is to know. I enjoyed this mystery and would recommend it.

8. Other Fiction #5.

51. Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick - Finished May 4, 2015

From the public library.
359 pages
mystery, romantic suspense, London, Late Victorian, typewriters, secretaries

Garden of Lies is fairly typical of the historical novels by Quick/Krentz that have little or no hints of the supernatural or paranormal. A light entertainment with an independent heroine and a strong, silent, but long-suffering male lead who's main fault in her eyes is a tendency to tell her what to do. Of course she ignores his advice and there's trouble ... I still enjoy these but not as much as I used to.

9. Leaving Home #2.

52. Pathfinders : A Global History of Exploration by Felipe Fernandez Armesto - Finished May 6, 2015

From the public library.
preface + 400 pages + notes & references + index
exploration, land, sea, maps, overview
910.922

Pathfinders is a slow read, 400 pages of small print, interesting illustrations, and a multitude of characters from the first hominids to venture out of Africa to those who climb Everest or explore the ocean depths today. The author follows early man as he spread out over the world and became many peoples with different languages and cultures. Then he begins following the pathfinders who left their homes to go meet other cultures, sometimes to trade with them and other times to conquer them. The last section is about the globalization that took place in the 20th Century as fewer and fewer places were unknown and any major event in one place had repercussions all over the world.

On the whole I enjoyed this book even though the author couldn't spend too many pages on any one story but had to move on to the next. Otherwise there would have been many volumes rather that just the one. The only part where I got a bit bogged down was a section about a third of the way in and I think that only happened because of recent reads in the time period which made it seem like a summary of those other books. As an overview of human history it was very good and I liked his approach.

I haven't been posting, but I have done some reading. Here are some of the books I've finished --

2. My Virtual Library #6.

53. Into the Black, The Heart of Matter, Homeworld, Out of the Black by Evan Currie - Finished May 9, 2015

From my iPad
counting pages as about 1000 though there were more
space opera, first space vessel to leave Sol system, really bad aliens

My advice: don't go for these no matter how low the price for Kindle. The story underneath the writing problems is an old-fashioned space opera. I kept thinking about the Lensman series -- lots of action, flat characters, improbable plot that drew me in anyway. However, especially after the first volume (which the author had as he put it "remastered"), long sections were skimmed or even skipped. Currie is the king of info dumps. Not only that, he repeats the same stuff multiple times. Then there is an over-reliance on his spell-checker ...
It's really too bad because a good editor could have pulled a pretty good space opera out of the mess. Looking back, I'm surprised that I actually kept on to the end.

And now it's time for lunch.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #9. & #10

54. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - Finished ~ May 10, 2015

From my own shelves.
493 pages
time-travel, woman as author, Victorian England, the Thames, the Blitz, Three Men in a Boat, reread
BingoDOG for inspired by another book

Connie Willis has written a good, humorous novel about time-travel in To Say Nothing of the Dog. I remembered very little about it other than the fact that I liked it and a trip down the river was involved. Having read Three Men in a Boat earlier this year, I found it very comical, especially the first part where we have have the trip down the Thames. Definitely recommended.

55. Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe - Finished ~ May 12, 2015

From my own shelves
289 pages
Dragons, shapeshifting, fantasy, Carpathians, late 1700s

Queen of Dragons was interesting with letters at the beginning and end and a slightly unusual romance between Kimber and Maricara, both dragons who spend most of their time in human form. Although romance is involved here, the book is largely about the mysterious threat to dragonkind and the two different dragon communities that Kimber and Maricara come from. It is also the middle book in a series but stands alone fairly well. If I come across the others I may read them, especially the ones after Queen of Dragons.

>94 hailelib: Uh-Oh, I have the first volume on my Kindle and was planning on reading it this month. I think I will push it to the bottom of the pile as I think I have overbooked myself this month anyway so this will exclude it from this month and perhaps I will get brave enough to just dump it without reading.

Judy, the first one doesn't read as bad as the others; I suppose because he did some fixing-up and reissued it. But there are better space adventures out there.

We had an unusual bit of excitement this morning. Both cars needed to go to the shop, so we went out after breakfast to drive them into town and leave the Jeep to be worked on. As I got into the other vehicle I noticed that in a dashboard depression just forward of the steering wheel there was something odd looking. On closer examination it was a baby copperhead curled up in there, so I got out of the car. Even babies may have enough venom to make a bite serious so we used a yardstick to encourage it to drop into a bucket and left the bucket at the edge of the woods. But, how did a snake get into the car? Now I'll be looking carefully every time until the local snakes finish their spring migrations.

1. Young Adult and younger #3.

56. Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker - Finished May 17, 2015

From the public library
130 pages + family trees, notes, bibliography, index
Shipping, Halifax, WWI, munitions, explosions, Canadian history, middle grades and up
971.6

When I saw this mentioned on LT it sounded really interesting and it was. Blizzard of Glass is a piece of history that I had never heard of and is not well known outside of the region in which it happened. Even though aid came from all over to help the victims, this disaster dropped out of the consciousness of most of North America as other disasters occurred. Ms. Walker presents an engrossing account of the place, the people, and the causes of the accident that led to a massive explosion that totally destroyed large areas of Halifax and Dartmouth. The aftermath is also fully covered and the text is supplemented with many photographs.. Definitely recommended for everyone.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #4.

57. Yoga for Osteoporosis by Loren Fishman and Ellen Saltonstall - Finished May 15, 2015

own - recent purchase
292 pages + helpful info at back + notes & references
health, exercise, instructions for yoga poses
616.71

This is a book to use* and not to just read. I was looking for a book that would tell me something about which poses would be safe and this mostly answers that need. The first part deals with osteoporosis, what it is and what the treatment options are and is quite informative and, I feel, valuable. The rest of the book gives the reader a routine of yoga poses appropriate to their current condition. The first variation of each pose is for osteoporosis, the second for osteopenia, and the third for prevention (for those who do not yet have a problem). There are detailed instructions and photos as well as contra-indications for each pose. The only failing I see so far is that the authors did not emphasize a mild warm-up routine as much as I would have liked.

* I may have more to say, good and bad, after actually using the book for a while. I am also looking at the Easy Yoga videos with Peggy Cappy as the instructor. I may also investigate classes at the local Rec Center -- we'll see.

OMG! Snakes in the car would just about finish me!

A small snake doesn't bother me but it was a small pit viper ...

On the reading front:

5. CATS and Group Reads #5.

58. In the Wake of the Plague by Norman F. Cantor - finished May 23, 2015

From the public library
220 pages + a good "for further reading" list
Black Death, its aftermath, England
614.5
HistoryCAT - time and theme

In the Wake of the Plague is a short, readable, and fairly rambling book about the Black Death, what it was, how it spread, and how it changed society, particularly in England. Cantor's stories about the people who died (and the ones who didn't) were interesting and I enjoyed reading them. The last section of his book where he discussed some of more debatable theories of the plague's cause and so on was less successful for me. His reading list at the end is really great, however.

I've got several books stacked up to read but the one I'm currently concentrating on is another for the HistoryCAT, The Life and Times of Chaucer by John Gardner. This started out a bit slow, partly because the author includes so many quotes from Chaucer's poetry in Chaucer's English without a lot of hints. Now that I'm over halfway through, reading those quotes is becoming easier and Gardner has me hooked on his story -- while this is a biography, he was a novelist as well as a medieval scholar and one can tell that from some sections of the book.

We've been having a slow week-end, mostly on purpose, and today is another one with an easy morning and some work on organizing cabinets later this afternoon. There are Memorial Day activities around but we tend to stay away from any place with crowds. (Jim is a veteran, but one who doesn't like to think too much about it. To this day he avoids reading about Vietnam, watching war movies about post-WWII conflicts, or even talking much about his service beyond everyday shipboard life.)

III. History #4.

59. The Life and Times of Chaucer by John Gardner - Finished May 26, 2015

From my own shelves.
314 pages + pronunciation guide + notes
Chaucer, poetry, medieval England, education, class, government, war, Edward III, Richard II, John of Gaunt
821.1 or 942
HistoryCAT - mostly time period although the plague comes in for discussion

The Life and Times of Chaucer is a mix of biography, history, and storytelling -- one that I greatly enjoyed once the bits in Middle English became easier to read. After his introductory chapter, Gardner begins with Chaucer's ancestry and some remarks on 14th century England. Then he moves on to Chaucer's early life, including the first wave of the plague and the changes in his family's circumstances due to the deaths of various relatives. While in his teens Chaucer began serving in the court of Prince Lionel and his wife, the Countess of Ulster. It was probably there that he first met John of Gaunt and began his long association with the royal family of Edward III.

Chaucer was well educated for that time and was not just a poet. He participated in military campaigns and diplomatic missions on the Continent and held several important government posts and even became a relative by marriage of John of Gaunt. Most of what is known about Chaucer is from the public records of the time although scholars have tried to deduce his thoughts and feelings from his poetry. Gardner explains what is known from the records and also the various theories that have been put forth by Chaucerian scholars and then tells the reader what he thinks and why.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those interested in the period from 1340 to 1400. After all one can skip over the quotes in Middle English and still acquire a lot of information and something of the feel of the period, even without them.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #5.

60. Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier - Finished May 27, 2015

From the public library
Character List + 434 pages
fantasy, Celtic myth, magic, healers, Irish Fey
SFFFCAT

Dreamer's Pool caught me from the first page and I raced through the chapters to see where the story was taking our characters. We start with Blackthorn and Grim in a truly horrible prison where they have barely held on to their sanity. Blackthorn receives a visitor, a Fey lord, who offers her a bargain -- put her revenge on hold for seven years, travel to Winterfalls, and help all that ask for her help and he will see that she escapes. Both Blackthorn and Grim manage to escape and they travel to Winterfalls where Prince Oran has his home. There, they will find work and magic ...

This is my first book by Marillier and it won't be my last.

2. My Virtual Library #7.

61. Youth by Isaac Asimov - short story - Finished May 28, 2015

On my iPad - recent from Project Gutenberg
20 ? pages
sff, short story, early Asimov, first contact

The sort of story I would have loved when in my teens and I got a chuckle out of it. There are two twists, one a bit more obvious than the other. I went looking because I saw it mentioned on the Asimov year-long read thread and it was only a small investment of time.

3. Classics and Award Winners including genre fiction #4.

62. Grendal by John Gardner - Finished May 28, 2015

From the public library.
174 pages
Beowulf, monsters, Northern Europe, myth

Here John Gardner tells us Grendel's side of the old story of Beowulf and his slaying of the Monster menacing Hrothgar's people. When Grendel first begins observing people he is surprised to find that they speak a language similar to his own and, at times, wants to talk with them. But, when they first see him, all they see is a monster that needs killing. So he spies on them, occasionally killing one or two, listens to the Shaper's singing of old tales in Hrothgar's hall, and finally goes to war with humans.

I was reminded a bit of the Frankenstein monster (not the movie version) as Grendel was very alone, his mother uncommunicative, and the Dragon finding it wearying to talk to a frightened Grendel who couldn't understand much of its philosophical musings. Thus Grendel found himself on his own in trying to figure out life and his place in the world; somehow, the reader wants him to succeed in finding a place where he belongs even though we know how his story must end.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #6.

63. The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - Finished May 29, 2015

From the public library.
259 pages.
Edwardian, 1912, birthday dinners, chaos, relationships, the unexpected

The Uninvited Guests isn't exactly my usual reading but it kept up way past my bedtime because I really wanted to know what happened next.

The story opens at breakfast one spring morning in 1912 with Emerald's step-father about to depart for the city to see if he can arrange for the finances necessary for the family to remain in their home. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, preparations are beginning for Emerald's birthday dinner to which a childhood friend has been invited. As the morning proceeded I was reminded a bit of the set-up for a Wodehousian country week-end but by the time the expected guests were to arrive the inhabitants of Sterne were exasperated, overworked, and the youngest was planning a Great Undertaking. Then the Uninvited Guests arrived ...

This novel was very good although I can see why it might not be to everyone's taste.

5. CATS and Group Reads #6.

64. Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - Finished May 31, 2015

From the Public Library.
288 pages
Longmire, his daughter, Philadelphia, crime, families
Group read: Hillerman/Longmire

I jumped the gun a bit on this one because yesterday I wanted fiction and I wanted something different from the fiction I had been reading lately and there was the next Longmire just sitting there ...

I'm really enjoying this series and Kindness Goes Unpunished was another good entry although I think I prefer Walt on his home ground since a lot ot the secondary characters from Absaroka County were barely mentioned. Still, we do learn something about his daughter's life even though she spends nearly the whole novel in the hospital and we get a tour of some of Philadelphia's historical outdoor sculptures. There is also the extended Moretti family which comes to Walt's aid in discovering just who was responsible for Cady's injury. I did wonder just what Walt and Henry were thinking when they brought Dog along to the big city without checking with Cady first.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

A May recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 1/5
III. History 4/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 4/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 10/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 3/5
2. My Virtual Library 7/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 4/5
4. Short Forms 2/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 6/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 6/5
7. Follow Me 5/5
8. Other Fiction 5/5
9. Leaving Home 2/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 4/5

Total for the Year - 64 books; 21,843 pages
Total for the month - 15 books; 4988 pages
Public Library - month - 8; year - 28
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 4; year - 27
Owned recent - month - 3; year - 9
Fiction 47; nonfiction 17

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began
Most Memorable - April - Death without Company, Mistress of the Atrt of Death, Ancillary Justice, Fields of Blood, The Murder of Charles the Good
Most Memorable - May - Grendal, To Say Nothing of the Dog,The Uninvited Guests, Bizzard of Glass, The Life and Times of Chaucer

BingoDOG - 18 squares total; see >21 hailelib:

2 HistoryCATs; 3 SFFFCAT; 0 RandomCAT; 3 AlphaKITs

also group reads: Asimov - 1, Hillerman/Longmire - 2

>95 hailelib:
I'm mid-way through To Say Nothing of the Dog and it's very funny.

>97 hailelib:
I don't mind snakes, but I sure don't want one in my car! Glad to hear it was possible to "encourage" it to leave. :)

>105 hailelib:
I've read Beowulf a couple of times in various classes, so I'll take a BB for this one.

>109 -Eva-:

I hope you enjoy Grendel when you get to it.

Shadow Scale came in for me at the library and I spent far too much time reading it the last three days putting my other books aside for the moment. They are My Lord John and Thinking, Fast and Slow. My Lord John is not a typical Heyer but a factual account of the life of John, Duke of Bedford, third son of Henry IV and covers the period from 1393 to 1413. Not a light read ... I'm also going to read Moby-Duck if my husband ever finishes it.

I think for June I'll just read whatever comes my way and if they fit a CAT, good, but if not, that's OK too.

>103 hailelib: I love Juliet Marillier! I'd recommend reading Daughter of the Forest next; it's probably my favorite of her books. I also really liked Heart's Blood, which has the advantage of being a standalone book.

Some books to report --

1. Young Adult # 4.

65. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman - Finished June 3, 2015

From the Public Library
594 pages + map + cast of characters
YA, fantasy, dragons, war, a bit of romance

I enjoyed this sequel to Seraphina where she travels about her world to find the other half-dragons and to acquire allies for the conflict with the dragon rebels. Not only is the traveling difficult but Seraphina finds that not all is the way she thought it would be.

7. Follow Me # 6 and # 7

66. The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished June 5, 2015

From the public library.
470 pages
fantasy, animal spirits, kings and succession, the five gods, religion, the world of the Chalion stories

The Hallowed Hunt was very good but, perhaps, not quite up to the first two "Chalion" novels. Since I had read some of the remarks of others I went into it without particularly high expectations and was pleasantly surprised. However, I will definitely reread the other two but maybe not this one.

67. The Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry - Finished June 8, 2015

From the public library.
372 pages
mystery, murder, poisoning, framing someone, family dynamics, Scotland, Monk

Another in the series featuring William Monk and Hester Latterly in which Hester is framed for murdering one of her patients while accompanying the lady from Edinburgh to London on the overnight train. Of course Monk and Oliver Rathbone rally to her defense and the book follows the investigation and trial. I'll most likely continue this series in a few months.

-----

Still reading Thinking, Fast and Slow and My Lord John.

>112 hailelib: I read The Hallowed Hunt last month and definitely felt that this book suffered when compared to the near perfection of the other two in the trilogy.

>113 DeltaQueen50: If I had read The Hallowed Hunt first, I would have liked it a lot more. But, by comparison ...

Finished a couple of books --

III. History # 4.5 (really # 5 but I only pulled it out because of reading # 4 about Chaucer. sort of a what happened next - )

68. My Lord John by Georgette Heyer - Finished June 12, 2015

From my own shelves.
Main text: 360 pages plus Contents, Preface, Character List, Historical Note, Plantagenet family tree, Glossary
Richard II, Henry IV, the sons of Henry IV (Harry, Thomas, John, Humfrey); Medieval England, everyday life of John and his brothers

While this book might not appeal to a lot of Heyer's fans, I rather enjoyed it, especially after I became used to the language the author employed. I didn't even use the Glossary as most of the archaic terms could be figured out from context. However, there were a multitude of characters with ever changing names so that the family tree and the character list were very helpful.

The book begins with Lord John at the age of four and follows him and his brothers until shortly before their father's death in 1413 when Lord John would have been about 23 and had for several years been responsible for keeping the Scots in Scotland and the Border raiding to a tolerable level on both sides. These boys had to grow up fast and hold down a man's position from their mid-teens. There was a lot of history here and a great deal about how the ruling class lived.

I think Heyer greatly admired her lead character and wanted her readers to see him as one of the most admirable of the Plantagenets. It's too bad that she felt that her manuscript had to be put aside and left unfinished in order to write the romances her fans wanted. Like the rest of us she had to pay the bills!

4. Short Forms #3.

69. Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson - Finished June 13, 2015

From the public library.
187 pages with Introduction
holidays, Christmas, Longmire, short stories, some mysteries

This small volume of stories was a quick and delightful read. I got it from the library as I wanted another dose of the Longmire series before the next group read and it was great. The later stories may contain minor spoilers for readers who are not very far into the series, however.

There is an introduction by Lou Diamond Phillips and twelve stories, mostly holiday themed, about Walt and his friends. I particularly liked Old Indian Trick but there wasn't one that I wouldn't read again. Recommended.

-----

I need to get back to Thinking, Fast and Slow and I have also started Henry V by Shakespeare as a kind of sequel to the Heyer book.

Stopping by to get caught up. Great batch of reviews!

> 116

Thanks.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #5.

70. The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis by Ben S. Bernanke - Finished June 16, 2015

From the public library.
129 pages + index
recession, global financial crisis, monetary policy, housing bubble
330.971
BingoDOG - outside of comfort zone

Our son suggested this book to his father so we requested it from the library. I took it with me Monday since it was short and a lot easier to carry around than the other things I was reading -- about an hour each way to get to the doctor I had an appointment with and Jim driving -- and I got through a little over half then and finished it yesterday. An easy and quick read on a subject that I would never have picked up otherwise so I also got a Bingo square ...

This book consists of four lectures covering the history of the Federal Reserve, the financial crisis that began with the housing bubble, how the Fed in concert with other U.S. and foreign agencies dealt with various aspects of the crisis, and finally the aftermath. These lectures were delivered in March, 2012 at George Washington University. Bernanke's lectures turned out to be more interesting than I expected and were very informative. Recommended for anyone with an interest the Federal Reserve and monetary policy and for those who would like to know how the U.S. economy got to where it is now.

III. History #4.2

71. Henry V by William Shakespeare - Finished June 17, 2015

From my own shelves in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Volume III edited by David Bevington- read because of My Lord John
with all the supplementary material about 200 pages - this set has unnumbered pages
Henry V, Agincourt, war, Middle Ages, Shakespeare, drama
HistoryCAT, Theme and time period?

Although I prefer Shakespeare's comedies this history play has some very good scenes with excellent speeches (mostly those of Henry).
It follows fairy closely the history as known to Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Part of the supplementary material features excerpts from Holinshed's Chronicles. I think I would like to see a performance of Henry V for the scenes with Henry although the "comic" scenes didn't work very well for me when reading them. Perhaps a well-done performance would make them more likable.

--------

I've decided to move away from England and have begun Copernicus : The Founder of Modern Astronomy.

The Hollow Crown miniseries does a good job with Henry V. I'll have to watch it again before reading the play.

Since there was a group read and it was short, different, and setting on my shelves ... besides it was published in 1915!

IV. Mystery & Suspense #5.

72. The 39 Steps by John Buchan - Finished June 19, 2015

from my own shelves
120 pages
suspense, spy, England and Scotland, published 1915
BingoDOG

John Buchan's The 39 Steps was quite readable and enjoyable. I had actually read it 30+ years ago when we acquired a ten book set of "great" mysteries (from some book club) that also included works by authors like Christie, Hammett, Tey, Sayers, and others. Not remembering anything about the story I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the story pulled me in. While some modern readers will finds faults with Buchan's story, I just sat back and enjoyed the fast-paced adventure.

It's amazing how quickly the Bingo card fills up without much effort. Only 5 squares to go.

4. Short Forms #4.

73. The Sandman Book of Dreams edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer - finished June 22, 2015

From my own shelves.
287 pages + biographical bits on all the contributors
anthology, Sandman universe, fantasy, short stories

About 20 pieces all from different authors that take place in the Sandman universe and featuring many of the characters in
Gaiman's stories. Each story has an introduction by the editors and there are short Biographical Notes at the end of the book.

I enjoyed this collection as a whole and would recommend it to Sandman fans. There was even one poem included. The stories varied in mood and style and length and some were rather weird but I really liked a lot of them and didn't actually dislike any of them.

2. My Virtual Library #8.

74. New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear - finished June 21, 2015

a recent purchase
272 pages (or so Kindle claims)
fantasy, alternate history with magic and vampires
SFFFCAT

Someone else was reading this for the SFFFCAT and it looked interesting. Also Amazon had it priced fairly low, so ...

New Amsterdam is set in the city that is New York in our world, in a timeline where the Colonies are still ruled by the British. One of our main characters is an old Vampire who has decided to immigrate to New Amsterdam, even though the Colonies frown on vampires, and who investigates crimes as a hobby. The other is a female forensic investigator who uses magic in her work for the Crown. In their first investigation together politics rears its ugly head and adventures and travel ensue. I enjoyed this novel enough that I will be acquiring the next one soon.

>121 hailelib:
I have been thinking about picking that one up - looks like I should put that thought into action. :)

>123 -Eva-:

The reviews on LT seem to show that not everyone liked the stories but I did and I hope you enjoy them if you do pick it up.

II. From the Science and Technology Shelves #2 and #2.1

75. Copernicus: The Founder of Modern Astronomy by Angus Armitage - Finished June 25, 2015 and
76. The World of Copernicus; originally Sun, Stand Thou Still by Angus Armitage - Finished June 26, 2015

Both from my own shelves.
book 75 - 203 pages plus preface, notes, bibliography and book 76 - 160 pages plus plates, further reading
science, history, astronomy, 1473-1543, planets, planetary theories
520.92; 925.2
HistoryCAT, also BingoDog (reminds me of elementary school where I read everything I could find on planets and stars, in middle school my heroes were people like Copernicus and Kepler)

I'm not quite sure why I had both of these books on my shelves since at first glance they seem to be the same; or, at least, one is a revision of the other. However, on reading them, I found that they are very different. The World of Copernicus was the first one that Armitage wrote (around 1950) and it is definitely for the layman, with very little math and lots of history of the area where Copernicus lived. Copernicus was highly educated, the nephew of a Bishop, and himself a Canon of Frauenberg, having studied for some years in Italy both Canon Law and Medicine. The last section of the book follows those who came after Copernicus through the many years it took for his main idea of placing the sun at the center of the solar system to be accepted, with the history being as important as the science. I found the book to be very readable and interesting even though I had just finished the other one.

Copernicus: The Founder of Modern Astronomy is a great deal heavier on the science and the math; in this case, the geometry necessary to work out the details of the planetary system. The biography and history are still there but the science is more to the fore.
Also, in this much later (by decades) book, Armitage adopts a different style and he is definitely envisioning a different audience for this book. That said, I'm glad that I read both of them as each had a great deal of information that the other lacked.

Copernicus remains in my mind as an amazing intellectual and scientist but I always tend to feel short changed with books about their wonderful accomplishments. Makes me wonder what they - being Copernicus and others - would say about books written about them. Even with that being said, these two books do sound interesting!

>126 hailelib:

Unfortunately, in a lot of cases all we know is from rather scrappy public records and, if we're lucky, a few letters. Still, some authors are pretty good at giving the reader a sense of the society they lived in and the meaning of their accomplishments. I've got some more books lined up along those lines - if I don't run out of steam!

And, one more finished in June -

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #7.

77. Moby-Duck by Donovan Hohn - Finished June 30, 2015

From the public library.
378 pages plus bibliography
oceanography, travel, quest, plastic ducks adrift
551.462
RandomCAT - on the water

Not only a change of pace, but really interesting. I loved Hohn's voice and his subject and I thought that the science was very well explained.Lots of people have recommended this book and so do I.

June recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 3/5
III. History 6/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 5/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 10/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 4/5
2. My Virtual Library 8/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 4/5
4. Short Forms 4/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 6/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 7/5
7. Follow Me 7/5
8. Other Fiction 5/5
9. Leaving Home 2/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 5/5

Total for the Year - 77 books; 25,565 pages
Total for the month - 13 books; 3722 pages
Public Library - month - 6; year - 34
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 6; year - 33
Owned recent - month - 1; year - 10
Fiction 56; nonfiction 21

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began
Most Memorable - April - Death without Company, Mistress of the Atrt of Death, Ancillary Justice, Fields of Blood, The Murder of Charles the Good
Most Memorable - May - Grendal, To Say Nothing of the Dog,The Uninvited Guests, Bizzard of Glass, The Life and Times of Chaucer
Most Memorable - June - The 39 Steps, The Sandman Book of Dreams, Moby-Duck

BingoDOG - 21 squares total; see >21 hailelib:

3 HistoryCATs; 1 SFFFCAT; 1 RandomCAT; 0 AlphaKITs

also group reads: Asimov - 0, Hillerman/Longmire - 0

Impressive stats!

Wow, 77 already! Well done!

>128 mamzel: and >129 -Eva-:

Thanks.

Haven't been to my own thread much less anyone else's for a while ... real life got crazy for a while and still is a bit ...

Several books, but minimal remarks to bring my reading up to date.

8. Other Fiction #6.

78. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey - Finished July 2, 2015

From the public library.
360 pages
fantasy, 500 Kingdoms, fairy godmothers, dragons
SFFCAT

This was actually the first of the 500 Kingdoms series that I read years ago and which sent me looking for more from Mercedes Lackey. Still a fun story with a smart and capable princess, dragons and an unusual romance. Also a retelling of the legend of Andromeda being sacrificed for the good of her people.

2. My Virtual Library #9.

79. Blindsight by Peter Watts - finished July 9, 2015 ?

Download or read free online on author's website
about 200 pages read; lots of notes, etc. after the fictional story that were skipped
science fiction, space, really alien aliens, augmented humans, vampires
SFFCAT

I read this online on my iPad which was a mistake. Everytime I had to quit, I would lose my place - I should have gone for one of the download options.

The story itself was rather interesting with some unusual aliens and some unusual people from Earth who go to check out the aliens before they get too deep into the solar system. The author is exploring questions about consciousness, sentience, and what makes a person human. Are any of the crew actually human? Why is the leader a vampire? And more. Cautiously recommended.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #6.

80. The life changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo - Finished July 10, 2015?

From the public library.
204 (small) pages.
decluttering, organizing, using categories
648

The author has some good ideas, but ...

While we will continue with the house maintenance which includes getting rid of things neither of us wants any longer, I didn't find this little book very inspiring. It's a quick read, however, and some may find it helpful.

>130 hailelib: I have One Good Knight patiently waiting on my Kindle for when I am in the mood for a fairy tale fantasy. Good to know that it's a fun read. :)

>131 DeltaQueen50:

I liked it but some people weren't very happy about parts of it. Just depends, I guess.

Meanwhile I'm behind on reviews, threads, everything.

7. Follow Me #8.

81. From a High Tower by Mercedes lackey - Finished July 11?, 2015

From the public library.
328 pages
Elemental Masters, fantasy, Germany fairy tale retelling, Rapunzel

Who knew that a 19th Century German writer of novels about the American West would be popular enough to inspire another writer to pen a novel where the author's popularity becomes a major plot point.

Giselle was raised by an Earth master who bargained with her father by offering him food for his hungry children and his pregnant wife. She is an Air Master and an expert marksman as well. When her Mother dies, Giselle joins a Wild West show for a season. Rosamund, from Blood Red also joins the show to keep an eye on these strange Americans traveling through the territory protected by the Brotherhood and the two Masters become friends. Naturally there are problems to be overcome and baddies to defeat.

I did enjoy this book but I think that I have a preference for Blood Red. I would certainly recommend reading Blood Red first.

7. Follow Me #9

82. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi - Finished July 13, 2015

From the public library.
306 pages
science fiction, war, soldiers, aliens, altered humans, consciousness
SFFFCat

The Ghost Brigades is the sequel to Old Man's War and is, in part, about the Special Forces and Jane Sagan who we met in the first book. It's also about the attempt to recover the knowledge of Charles Boutin, a traitor to the Colonial Defense Forces and therefore all humans, by growing a new body from his DNA and implanting his consciousness into the new brain. This new member of the Ghost Brigade is given the name of Jared Dirac and sent to train as a soldier when it appears that the transfer didn't take. I enjoyed returning to the universe that Scalzi created in Old Man's War and can recommend the series to those who like military SF.

You are on a great reading roll!

>135 lkernagh: Not so much the last few days -- mostly mindless Netflix as I've been too tired to concentrate on my current books. But our house guest has gone after a ten day stay and we've about returned the house and our routines to normal. I do have some fiction books to report that I finished a while back.

IV. Mystery & Suspense #6.

83. People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman - Finished July 16, 2015

From my own shelves.
185 pages
Navajo Tribal Police, Jim Chee, an old mystery and a new one
Hillerman/Longmire group read

People of Darkness features Jim Chee in an attempt to figure out just what is going on at the Vine's house at the same time he is trying to decide whether to join the FBI or to stay on the Rez and become a Singer. At the same time there is the mystery of why someone would try to murder an old man who is dying of cancer. Hillerman wrote a pretty entertaining story in People of Darkness.

8. Other Fiction #7.

84. Heart Fire by Robin D. Owens - Finished July 18, 2015

From my own shelves - recent purchase
cast of characters plus 355 pages
Celta, paranormal abilities, fantasy, descendants of colonists from Earth, romance

This is the 13th novel in the Celta series although there is also an anthology of four shorter stories. Heart Fire is about average for these stories and has Antenn and Tiana, both of whom we've met in other stories, as the hero and heroine. The Turquoise House also has an important role to play. As with any long running series, starting at the beginning is a good idea as a lot of background is assumed. While I enjoyed Heart Fire I wasn't overly fond of Tiana's newly acquired Fam, RatKiller, a feral cat who decides he wants to be part of a Family and chooses Tiana to bond with. However, his antics did shake up her orderly life.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #11.

85. Way Station by Clifford D. Simak - Finished ~July 20, 2015

From my own shelves.
182 pages
alien travelers, cold war tensions, immortality, government mucking things up, rural life, tolerance
SFFF for the many and varied aliens

Published in the early 60's, Way Station won a Hugo award in 1964. Enoch Wallace, A Civil War veteran, is approached after he returns to the family farm in Wisconsin and offered the opportunity to serve as the keeper of a way station for alien travelers who are passing through on their way elsewhere. He accepts and we find him in the 1960's, virtually un-aged and still keeping the station. The government has finally noticed that there is something odd going on and has sent an agent to watch him. One of his neighbors has also taken a dislike to him and relations in the galaxy have grown tense because of the lost of an artifact called the Talisman. With all this going on Enoch's quiet life may be coming to an end. At the very least there will be changes ...

I really enjoyed this novel. While I've had it for a very long time, for some reason I had never read it but I imagine that I will read it again some day. Recommended for fans of classic SF.

>138 hailelib: Yay! Another good review! This one is on the TBR pile. :)

>138 hailelib: Glad you enjoyed it too!

>139 rabbitprincess: I hope you enjoy it, too.
>140 AHS-Wolfy: I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did but the better 60's stuff does go over pretty well with me.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #7.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - Finished July 29, 2015
A recent purchase.
416 pages plus two journal papers in full plus notes and index - I just read the main text
153.42

There are many thoughtful and informative reviews already so just a few comments. This took a long time to read due to various interruptions. The first was my husband noticing the title of my public library copy and starting it. A few days later he ordered his own copy but continued reading mine until the new one arrived. Then I did no serious reading for a while because of Real Life stuff. However, I recently picked it up again and just finished reading it. Kahneman is very readable and gives plenty of examples of his topics, including biases in our thinking, how we actually make decisions, our experiencing shelves, and our remembering shelves. To get the most from this book would, I believe, require more than one reading, but it does give the reader a lot to consider even on the first reading.

July recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 3/5
III. History 6/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 6/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 11/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 4/5
2. My Virtual Library 9/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 4/5
4. Short Forms 4/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 6/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 7/5
7. Follow Me 9/5
8. Other Fiction 7/5
9. Leaving Home 2/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 7/5

Total for the Year - 86 books; 28,097 pages
Total for the month - 9 books; 2,532 pages
Public Library - month - 4; year - 38
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 2; year - 35
Owned recent - month - 3; year - 13
Fiction 63; nonfiction 23

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began
Most Memorable - April - Death without Company, Mistress of the Art of Death, Ancillary Justice, Fields of Blood, The Murder of Charles the Good
Most Memorable - May - Grendal, To Say Nothing of the Dog,The Uninvited Guests, Bizzard of Glass, The Life and Times of Chaucer
Most Memorable - June - The 39 Steps, The Sandman Book of Dreams, Moby-Duck
Most Memorable - July - Blindsight; Way Station; Thinking, Fast and Slow

BingoDOG - 21 squares total; see >21 hailelib: hailelib: - none this month

0 HistoryCATs; 3 SFFFCAT; 1 RandomCAT; 5 AlphaKITs

also group reads: Asimov - 0, Hillerman/Longmire -1

I finished a couple of books this week, one fiction and one nonfiction.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #8.

87. Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neurology by Stephen S. Hall - Finished August 5, 2015

From the public library.
272 pages plus Notes and Bibliography.
defining wisdom, experiments, meditation, philosophy, biology of cognitive traits
179.9

This is a very readable book for the most part even though there is extensive discussion of such things as decision making, meditation, and the brain scans that allow the neuro-scientists to look at where the action is in the brain for different activities. Hall begins by looking at the various definitions of wisdom that have been formulated over the millennia from Biblical authors to modern philosophers. Wisdom turns out to be a rather fuzzy and hard to define trait whose dimensions people have trouble agreeing on but that they recognize when they see it.

In the second section of his book, Hall discusses the Eight Neural Pillars of Wisdom and the experiments that various psychologist, behavioral economists, and neuro-scientists have carried out in an effort to pinpoint where in the brain these eight "pillars" are happening. These include such traits as emotional regulation, compassion, and patience among others. This section does require close attention to terminology at times.

Section three is entitled Becoming Wise. What are the seeds of wisdom? Is it true that older really is wiser? What is everyday wisdom in the everyday world? He concludes with a chapter "Dare to Be Wise" where he tries to put everything together and finds that a definition of exactly what wisdom is, is still elusive.

This is a good overview of what had been discovered by the many researchers that Hall interviewed and where this area of neuroscience stood as he was finishing his book (which was published in 2010). Recommended

7. Follow Me #10.

88. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished August 7, 2015

From the public library.
422 pages.
science fiction, Vorkosigan series, space adventure, romance, Ivan
Counting as BingoDog, AlphaKit for V, SFFFCAT

The story starts on Komarr where Ivan has accompanied his boss. Byerly Vorrutyer turns up at his door asking for a favor -- can Ivan help protect a young lady that Byerly thinks might be in danger? Even though Ivan knows that getting entangled with Byerly's affairs can be trouble, he reluctantly agrees. From there to Barrayar every move seems to bring more trouble ...

A good addition to the Vorkosigan series and one of the more light-hearted adventures. Although some have suggested that this novel can be read as a stand-alone, I believe that my enjoyment was enhanced by having read the others first.

-----------

I'm about half-way through Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson and about a quarter of the way in Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson.

Sitting by my computer are a few new books to catalog from Amazon. Mostly for Jim but I'll eventually read them too. However I got a couple just for me - Babylon Steel and Blood and Faith.

I've finished the two books I was working on and have started The Creating Brain but haven't picked my next fiction book yet.

Yesterday, Jim went to the library on the Clemson University campus to get a library card ($10 first year, 7 thereafter) as they have many books we are interested in that the public library doesn't have. While there he noticed a stack of books they were trying to give away and picked up one -- Machine Man by Max Barry. He thought it looked weird but interesting.

Since I want to think about the one's I just finished no review as yet. As for picking my next reading, I'm a bit stuck with several that must go back to the library soon (no more renewals). Do I read them or just return unread?

3. Classics and Award Winners including genre fiction #5.

89. Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson - Finished August 11, 2015

From the public library.
A Spur Award Winner
290 pages.
mystery, Western, Wyoming, Vietnam vets, Vietnamese people, the past affecting the present

In Another Man's Moccasins Walt and his daughter are back in Wyoming, where Cady is completing her recovery from the injuries she suffered in the previous book. Although he tries to spend as much time with Cady as possible there is still sheriffing to do. The body of a young Vietnamese woman is found near the main highway through Absaroka County and among her effects Walt finds a photo of himself as a young soldier in Vietnam. How does this young woman relate to Walt's past? And why was she murdered? Through flashbacks we learn a great deal about Walt as he was then and we get glimpses of Henry's war service as well.

Johnson does a good job of interweaving the past with the present in this mystery and I really enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to my next visit to Absaroka County.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #9.

90. Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson - Finished August 10, 2015

From the public library.
288 pages plus notes, etc.
thinking, the brain, technology, how they interact, outsourcing memory, neuroscience
303.483

Smarter Than You Think is a very readable book about the impact of technology on how we think and remember. While admitting that there are negative aspects of any new technology, Thompson focuses on the positive aspects, reminding us that other technological advances like the telegraph and the telephone had their naysayers as well. It seemed like practically every page had something interesting to say about the way people use the tools available to them and the author is enthusiastic about where our new tools for communicating and thinking are taking us. He explores the explosion of writing that has occurred online and what he calls "the new literacies" among other topics. I'll be looking at this book some more for its ideas and quotes before giving it back to the library.

There was also some light reading -- three books by Asimov which all work for Other Worlds. The first two I had owned for some time without ever reading them and the third I had forgotten everything but the last two or three pages.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #12. - 14.

91. The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov - Finished ~ August 14, 2015

From my own shelves
408 pages
Lige Baley, Aurora, Earth

Once more Elijah Baley is asked to solve a mystery on one of the Spacer worlds. A lot of discussion of the Three Laws and a reunion with R. Daneel Olivaw. This is a particularly important case for Lije to solve because the outcome will affect whether or not Earth will be able to establish it's own new colonies. I still like Asimov's books but they are probably not for everyone.

92. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov - Finished ~ August 16, 2015

From my own shelves.
383 pages
Aurora, Baley's World, Earth, space adventure

An adventure involving Gladia, who 'inherited' Daneel and another important robot called Giskard, and the Settler, DG Baley. It is a sequel to The Robots of Dawn and the book where Asimov attempts to tie his three series together. I enjoyed the book for its adventure and even for all the discussions about robotics but I'm not sure that the tying together was completely successful.

93. The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov - Finished ~ August 18, 2015

From my own shelves.
188 pages of very small print.
Earth, Rhodia, Lingane, the Nebula, secret rebellion, tyranny

Most of Earth's colonies are grown into their own societies although some prominent families still send their sons to Earth for their education. However, one planet has become dominant and rules through puppet governments over most of the others. Enter Biron and Artemesia who join forces to search for the rumored rebellion planet. The book is from the Golden Age of SF, having been first published in 1951. OK for those who enjoy that era of SF.

And two more --

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #10 and 11.

94. The Creating Brain by Nancy C. Andreasen - Finished August 18, 2015

From the public library.
Preface plus 181 pages plus bibliography
defining creativity, brain, connection to mental illness, neuroscience
612.8
all these neuroscience books can sort of fit into the theme of Medicine so ...

The Creating Brain was an easy and somewhat interesting book written by a woman who was first a university professor of Renaissance literature and it shows in her quotes and her examples of creativity. Because she wanted to understand the workings of the brain and the source of creativity, Andreasen then entered medical school and became a psychiatrist and neuroscientist.

She begins by attempting to define creativity and genius and how genius isn't quite the same as creativity. While high intelligence is often equated with genius it is neither sufficient nor necessary for "high" creativity. However, there does seem to be a lower limit for intelligence in order to be highly creative. She also explores the relationship of creativity and mental illness; there does seem to be a higher level of some mental illnesses among the most creative people and their close relatives as compared to control groups of 'normal' people.

The actual studies for these conclusions are described interspersed with anecdotal stories illustrating her points. There is also some information about how the brain actually works. For those who are really interested but haven't as yet done much reading in this area.

95. Collapse by Jared Diamond - Finished August 20,2015

From the public library.
525 pages plus Further Reading
social history, anthropology, environmental issues, use of resources, societies response to problems, farmers in the Bitterroot Valley, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, Anasazi, Maya, Vikings in Greenland, New guinea highlands, Rwanda, Dominican Republic, China, Australia
304.2

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed contains a lot of fascinating history written from an unusual perspective. He compares both past and present societies and attempts to explain why the unsuccessful ones failed and the successful ones succeeded. For each one he considers five factors that may contribute to a society's demise or success: climate change, hostile neighbors, friendly trading partners, damage to the environment, and a society's responses to any environmental problems.

Diamond seems to conclude that the Earth is in trouble and it will keep getting worse for everyone since we are so interconnected. He saw Europe and the North America as becoming the lifeboats for the global society and those lifeboats being overwhelmed by refugees if we don't start solving the world's global environmental and political problems. In the ten years since the book's publication, he doesn't seem to have been proved wrong ...

A few words about some light fiction from my latest reading binge:

IV. Mystery & Suspense #7, #8, #9

96. Sleeping Murder/The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie - Finished August 23, 2015

From my own shelves
379 pages
first Miss Marple, last Miss Marple published, typical Christie mysteries
Group read: Agatha on August

I enjoyed this reread of two Miss Marple mysteries, one concerning a murder from twenty years before and one in St. Mary Mead that is related by the Vicar.

97. The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley - Finished August 24, 2015

From my own shelves.
246 pages
c.1929, British mystery, mostly armchair detection, crime club

Roger Sheringham has organized a club he calls the Crimes Circle and as an entertainment he arranges for the six members to attempt the solving of a puzzling case that Scotland Yard has given up on bringing to a close. They are presented with the facts of the case and take a week to work out thier individual solutions. Then each in turn, on six consecutive nights, presents his or her solution. Of course, it's the sixth solution that's the correct one. A good one from the Golden Age of British mystery.

98. Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie - Finished August 25, 2015

From my own shelves.
241 pages
Poirot, Mrs. Oliver, cold case, late Christie

Mrs. Oliver is asked to find out the circumstances of two deaths from years before and enlists Poirot to help her find the answers. Not as good as the other two I just read but still interesting.

6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds #8.

99. The First Copernican by Dennis Danielson - Finished August 26, 2015

From the public library.
206 pages plus appendix and notes
science history, astronomy, mathematics, Rheticus (1514 - 1574), religious controversies, Europe
510.92

I saw a reference to this book on LT at about the time I was finishing the books on Copernicus and my local library had it, so ...
Next month I'll be starting on one about Tycho Brahe, then move on to Kepler and finally some books on Galileo, all books I've had for a long time without reading them.

The First Copernican begins with a little information about the early life of Rheticus and his education at the University of Wittenberg where he enrolled in 1532. Wittenberg was a stronghold of Lutheranism as well as learning in mathematics. Rheticus did well there and became a professor of Mathematics on obtaining his degree. For several years he traveled as often as he could and met a number of people who helped shape his career. Having heard of an elderly astronomer in the far north who had some new astronomical ideas, and, securing a leave of absence, he set off to visit Copernicus. The two evidently worked well together and when Rheticus finally left he took a copy of the new theory with the intent of seeing it published. That publication influenced the rest of Rheticus' life through all sorts of difficulties and even changes of career. This eventually led in the end to the publication of the first trigonometry tables which made all sorts of calculations much easier.

There was some interesting history, both of science and of the Reformation, in this short book .The many illustrations were also great but I would have liked a map that showed all the places with unfamiliar names that Rheticus visited. Since there was so much information some sections required careful reading; nevertheless, I would recommend this to anyone interested in the subject and period.

2. My Virtual Library #10.

100. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - Finished August 28, 2015

Was free download this year - iPad
324 pages
space opera, spies, aliens
SFFFCAT

A fast moving space opera that was fun to read. My only problem is deciding which Liaden book to read next.

8. Other Fiction #8.
101. The Wake Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Finished August 29, 2015

From the public library
183 pages
fantasy, Morpheus, Shakespeare, graphic novel

When the Sandman group read was in progress a couple of years ago my local library didn't have this volume but at some point they acquired a copy and I decided to read it now. The Wake is very good but I suspect that I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been so long since I read the other volumes. I particularly liked the story with Shakespeare about his writing of The Tempest.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #12.

102. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell - Finished August 28, 2015

From the public library
410 pages
essays, almost current events, dogs, authors, creativity, and more
RandomCAT

Gladwell wrote these essays for the New Yorker over a period of about ten years and they cover a wide variety of topics. While I liked some better than others he was able to made all sorts of things interesting and even caused me to add a book to the list of ones I want to read someday. Even though some of the essays are a bit dated I would still recommend this collection.

August recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 3/5
III. History 6/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 9/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 14/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 4/5
2. My Virtual Library 10/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 5/5
4. Short Forms 4/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 6/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 8/5
7. Follow Me 10/5
8. Other Fiction 8/5
9. Leaving Home 2/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 12/5

Total for the Year - 102 books; 33,045 pages
Total for the month - 16 books; 4,948 pages
Public Library - month - 9; year - 47
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 6; year - 41
Owned recent - month - 1; year - 14
Fiction 73; nonfiction 29

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began
Most Memorable - April - Death without Company, Mistress of the Art of Death, Ancillary Justice, Fields of Blood, The Murder of Charles the Good
Most Memorable - May - Grendal, To Say Nothing of the Dog,The Uninvited Guests, Bizzard of Glass, The Life and Times of Chaucer
Most Memorable - June - The 39 Steps, The Sandman Book of Dreams, Moby-Duck
Most Memorable - July - Blindsight; Way Station; Thinking, Fast and Slow
Most Memorable - August - Another Man's Moccasins, Sandman: The Wake, Wisdom, Collapse

BingoDOG - 22 squares total; see >21 hailelib: hailelib: - one this month

1 - sort of HistoryCATs; 5 SFFFCAT; 1 RandomCAT; 1 AlphaKITs

also group reads: Asimov - 3, Hillerman/Longmire -1

4. Short Forms #5.

103. The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne - finished September 3, 2015

recent download to iPad
33 pages
fantasy, Druids, the original Grail

The Chapel Perilous is a short story in the Iron Druid series and takes place while Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile are sitting around a campfire. Atticus is asked to tell a story from his past and he chooses to relate the time he was given a quest by Ogma; a Pictish magician stole Dagda's cauldron and Ogma's people want it back. At that time Atticus was calling himself Gawain and the cauldron was being hidden in the land that later became Wales. A fun adventure with a talking horse and some background on Atticus for fans of the series.

-------------

Currently reading some nonfiction: The Secret History of Wonder Woman, A Deadly Wandering and Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest. The next fiction book will probably be The Dark Wind.

And an Amazon order should be showing up later today with one of the books being Cryoburn.

A few more books finished -

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #13.

104. A Deadly Wandering by Matt Richtel - Finished September 4, 2015

From the public library
387 pages
distracted driving, texting, multitasking, neuroscience, inattention blindness
153.42

This is the story of Reggie, who caused a deadly accident while texting and driving, and Terryl, who was determined to get justice for the victim's families. It is also the story of the scientists who are researching multi-tasking, attention, and inattention. Very readable once one gets used to the back and forth narration. Recommended.

5. CATS and Group Reads #7.

105. The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman - Finished September 5, 2015

From my own shelves.
214 pages
mystery, Navajo, Hopi, police, smuggling, murder, Arizona
RandomCAT for weather words (wind) and Hillerman group read

I enjoyed this book featuring Jim Chee as he tried to solve the mystery of the sabotaged windmill and the disappearance of a Navajo man after robbing his boss, as well as the identity of a body discovered too damaged for recognition. Into the middle of these mysteries comes the crash of a airplane thought to be involved in drug smuggling. I enjoyed reading about Chee's investigations and I liked his handling of the windmill problem once he figured out exactly why it was being sabotaged.

I went into the book knowing the main story-lines since we had recently seen the movie made from the book. It starred a rather young Lou Diamond Phillips as Chee and followed the book reasonably well with some OK changes. I recommend both book and movie.

8. Other Fiction #9.

106. Deceptions: A Cainsville Novel by Kelly Armstrong - Finished September 7, 2015

From the public library
453 pages
suspense, spirits, visions, not quite reincarnation
AlphaKit for Armstrong

The third in the series about Olivia, her visions and her relationship to the denizens of Cainsville. She discovers more about herself and her parents and about the two men in her life. Deceptions won't make much sense if one hasn't also read the first two books but for those already familiar with Olivia's story it is a nice diversion without being more than that.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #14.

107. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lapore - Finished September 9, 2014

From the public library
Intro plus 297 pages text plus sources, comics index, numerous notes, index
biography, 20th century, suffrage, women's rights, psychology, lie detectors, Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood, early comics, genesis of Wonder Woman

I found this to be a rather interesting but hard to describe book taking place mostly in the first half of the 20th Century. Some of the most interesting material was before we even got to Wonder Woman's first appearance in a comic book. Certainly William Moulton Marston and his 'family' were unusual for the time (or for most any time) and one quite sees why there were secrets. There was also a great deal of information about the quest for equal rights for women and for the legal availability of birth control. While Marston was an advocate for rights for women, his way of going about it and his ideas about bondage were rather strange. I did learn a lot about several topics by reading The Secret History of Wonder Woman.

>156 hailelib: - Completely agree with you about the Wonder Woman book - interesting and strange. For someone who really supported women's rights he sure showed it in an unusual way!

>158 hailelib:

I'm glad I read it but Marston wasn't my kind of guy!

------

We're in a period with lots of showers with the occasional thunder to enliven things and fall is definitely coming. With the shorter days and cooler temperatures there are even a few yellow and reddish leaves showing in some of the trees around here. And, among the deer that visit us from time to time there is a young buck, still much smaller than the mature one that we saw a lot of in July, who has been growing what is probably his first set of antlers.

Temporarily put the rain forest on hold and reading an older book on Tycho Brahe. Maybe after than I'll leave the 16th century for a while and read something for the time period of the HistoryCat. Unexpectedly, the Tycho book has a lot, so far, about travel and other everyday things. Might fit the everyday life aspect if I stretch a point.

I realized this week that I have read books which would count for two more Bingo squares so now I only have one to go. There was a book earlier in the year by Mary Jo Putney and Mary was my mothers name. Also the book about Rheticus counts as he was homosexual even though he tried to hide it. He was in trouble more than once over a relationship with another man.

Since last posting I've finished several books. Here they are in no particular order --

7. Follow Me #11.

108. Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold - Finished ~September 13, 2015

From my own shelves, recent purchase
406 pages + chronology
space adventure, cryogenics, Miles

A good adventure that starts with a disoriented Miles in a dark labyrinth of an old cryo facility on the planet Kibou-daini. There are old and new friends and I had great fun reading this late into the night.

2. My Virtual Library #11. & #12.

109. A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber - Finished September ~14, 2015

recent purchase - iPad
368 pages
colony on newish planet, first contact, nominally YA

Something of a prequel to the Honor Harrington series, being the story of one of Honor's ancestors and the first encounter with treecats. The main character is a smart and usually capable teenage girl. It's the first in a trilogy and I may look for the next one at some point.

110. Emily Fox-Seton by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Finished September ~13, 2015

recent purchase - iPad
234 pages
spinster finding husband, black sheep relatives

A rather old-fashioned story which was first published in 1901. Not my usual reading but it suited my mood at the time. Naturally virtue triumphed in the end.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #15.

111. Genesis by Bernard Beckett - Finished ~ September 15, 2015

From my own shelves.
150 pages
sf, philosophy, examinations, post-apocalyptic, artificial intelligence, Plato
SFFFCAT - doesn't really belong anywhere else, a little 'odd'

To say too much would be to use mega-spoilers. The framework of the story is the long four hour oral examination that the main character has to take to be admitted to The Academy. An odd but memorable story that will have me thinking both about the contents and the structure of the story for some time. Not a perfect fit for this CAT but I'm using it here anyway ...

II. From the Science and Technology Shelves #3.

112. The Life and Times of Tycho Brahe by John Allyne Gade - Finished ~ September 13, 2015

From my own shelves.
Preface +192 pages + appendix and Bibliography
biography, 1500's, science, Denmark, Prague, travel, correspondence
HistoryCAT for everyday life
925.2

Written shortly after WWII by a non-scientist, there is more about 'the life and times' than there is about the work of Tycho although we do get a description of the building of his observatory on the island of Hveen. There's the politics, financing, and plans as well as the actual construction. The detail here is a reflection of the author's early career as an architect. While this is a fairly old-fashioned biography and, perhaps, a little dry, it was interesting to me.

Just as interesting was the life of the author who has a nice bio on Wikipedia. He had dual citizenship (US and Norwegian), attended Harvard, and served in the US Navy in Intelligence in WWI. He again served in WWII and retired from the Navy after the war. Between the wars he worked in a banking firm which sent him to various places in Europe and also became the Naval Attache to the US Embassy in Brussels in 1933 and later served in other embassies. In 1929 he had proposed that the US should establish a Central Intelligence Agency. And he managed to write several books on assorted subjects.

III. History #5.

113. The Peabody Sisters of Salem by Louise Hall Tharp - Finished September 21, 2015

From my own shelves.
339 pages plus notes, sources, and index
biography, 1800's, Salem, Concord, Boston, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Horace Mann, abolition, education, literary society
929.20
HistoryCAT - theme and time period

Another biography written in mid-20th century that turned out to be surprisingly interesting. Mrs. Tharp has written a detailed biography of three sisters - Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia Peabody - that covers most of the 1800's, with the eldest, Elizabeth, being born in 1804 and dying in 1894. About two-thirds of the book covers the first half of the century and the fortunes of three very different women. Frequent moves from place to place from childhood throughout their entire lives brought them many friends and acquaintances that included Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, Horace Mann, and Margaret Fuller, among others.

Elizabeth was so busy writing, publishing, running a bookshop, starting schools, and meddling in the affairs of family and friends that she never married. However, she traveled widely to lecture in later years and was instrumental in establishing kindergartens in the States. Mary, after a long period of loving him from afar, married Horace Mann and traveled West to help him establish Antioch College. Perhaps the happiest of the sisters was the youngest, Sophia, who adored her husband Nathaniel Hawthorne and encouraged his writing.

The author of The Peabody Sisters of Salem used the letters and journals of her subjects extensively and was also able to interview a couple of people who remembered the sisters, one being a grandson of the Mann's, and the other, the 93 year-old Maud Howe Elliott who remembered Miss Peabody's first kindergarten.

While not my usual style of book, this biography was so full of fascinating information that I really enjoyed it.

2. My Virtual Library #13.

114. On Basilisk Station by David Weber - Finished ~September 23, 2015

recent purchase - iPad
432 pages
sff, space opera, treecats, space battles

The first book in the Honor Harrington series with lots of space maneuvering, battles, and less treecats then I would have liked. But, since I like this sort of fiction from time to time I'll be reading more of the series.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #16.

115. Babylon Steel by Gaie Sebold - Finished September 22, 2015

recent purchase
539 pages
fantasy, worlds on different planes, gates, adventure, gods and demigods, magic

Babylon Steel is a better than average fantasy featuring a former mercenary turned madam living in a plane that consists of the city of Scalentine which has more than one of the gates to other planes. She's been here a while, long enough to gather some friends and feel herself safe but Babylon's past is about to catch up to her. I really enjoyed the story and would read more about Babylon.

7. Follow Me #12.

116. The Honor of the Queen by David Weber - Finished September 28, 2015

From the public library
422 pages
sff, space opera with politics

In the second book featuring Honor Harrington, her squadron of ships is to be part of a diplomatic mission to the planet Grayson; however, Honor doesn't really do diplomacy. Naturally, there are plenty of space battles mixed in with the political maneuvering. OK if you like these sorts of books. (I'll be reading the next one soon...)

II. From the Science and Technology Shelves #4.

117. Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest by John Terborgh - Finished September 29, 2015

From my own shelves
preface + 232 pages
Scientific American Library, photos, tropics, mostly trees, other plants and animals, biodiversity
574.5
RandomCAT for rain

Published in 1992 as part of the Scientific American Library series, Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest is Terbargh's summary of the research, both his and his colleagues, on the tropical rain forests. In the first chapter the author introduces the unusual diversity of the tropics, especially the forests and the relation of the forests to climate, as well as the classification of the differing tropical regions. Then he explains how this tropical exuberance can exist on some of the most infertile soils in the world and why deforestation is such a problem. The tropical ecosystems are delicately balanced and require centuries to renew and restore to their original diversity. Although the book is over twenty years old we are still losing tropical forests at a great rate and his dire predictions of the lost of entire ecosystems are even more likely to happen.

Well illustrated with photographs, charts and graphs, and a readable text, I would recommend Terborgh's book to anyone with a keen interest in the subject.

September recap:

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program 1/5
II. From the Science and Technology Shelves 5/5
III. History 7/5
IV. Mystery & Suspense 9/5
V. Science Fiction and Fantasy 16/5
---
1. Young Adult and younger 4/5
2. My Virtual Library 13/5
3. Classics and Award Winners 5/5
4. Short Forms 5/5
5. CATS and Group Reads 7/5
6. Book Bullets and Other LT Finds 8/5
7. Follow Me 12/5
8. Other Fiction 9/5
9. Leaving Home 2/5
10. A Miscellany of Facts 14/5

Total for the Year - 117 books; 37,743 pages
Total for the month - 15 books; 4,689 pages
Public Library - month - 4; year - 51
Owned prior to Jan 1 -month - 5; year - 46
Owned recent - month - 6; year - 20
Fiction 83; nonfiction 34

Most memorable - Jan - Three Men in a Boat, Territory, 1177 B.C., and The Amazons.
Most memorable - Feb - Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist, Paladin of Souls, Pride and Prejudice, The Quiet Gentleman, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Most Memorable - Mar - Station Eleven, Ashfall, Becoming Charlemagne, 1492: The Year the World Began
Most Memorable - April - Death without Company, Mistress of the Art of Death, Ancillary Justice, Fields of Blood, The Murder of Charles the Good
Most Memorable - May - Grendal, To Say Nothing of the Dog,The Uninvited Guests, Bizzard of Glass, The Life and Times of Chaucer
Most Memorable - June - The 39 Steps, The Sandman Book of Dreams, Moby-Duck
Most Memorable - July - Blindsight; Way Station; Thinking, Fast and Slow
Most Memorable - August - Another Man's Moccasins, Sandman: The Wake, Wisdom, Collapse
most memorable - September - Genesis, Babylon Steele, A Deadly Wandering, The Peabody Sisters of Salem

BingoDOG - 24 squares total; see >21 hailelib: - two this month

2 - HistoryCATs; 1 SFFFCAT; 2 RandomCATs; 2 AlphaKITs

also group reads: Asimov - 0, Hillerman/Longmire -1

At last, a day of sunshine after long, rainy days that didn't want to stop.

Actually the sun did try to peek out a little yesterday and the rain for us was essentially over Sunday evening. Here in Upstate South Carolina we were just on the edge of the storm with only (!) about six inches of precipitation on top of our already wet ground. Luckily, where I was there were periods of little rain between the bouts of heavy rain and so the creeks were able to absorb a lot of the water on its way to the lakes. However, all that water is now headed downstate where is is NOT wanted ... Even here we were supposed to stay home and not attempt travel on Sunday and Jim waited til today to do errands although he didn't really have to. As for me, I did a lot of reading.

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #15.

118. At Home by Bill Bryson - Finished October 2, 2015

From the public library
452 pages + bibliography
private life, rooms, associations, history, mostly British
643.1

In At Home, Bryson ruminates on how people lived in the past, inspired by the rooms in his home which was built in 1851 in a small village in Norfolk to serve as the village parsonage. The narrative is somewhat rambling and the topics he explores are often somewhat tangential to the room that inspired them but this style did not at all detract from my enjoyment. One comes away convived that everything is indeed connected - something I already know but confirmation is always nice. Recommended.

We've been seeing some horrific pictures of the flooding in the Carolinas, so glad to hear you are not directly affected.

Judy, we were really lucky.

A number of local churches and other organizations are sending rental trucks filled with bottled water, mostly to Columbia at the moment. Some are also starting to collect baby supplies, cleaning supplies, etc. to send. So many people have lost everything. Even with disaster assistance a lot of help is going to be needed.

5. CATS and Group Reads #8.

119. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch - Finished October 2, 2015

From my own shelves - recent purchase
303 pages
urban fantasy, Peter Grant series, London police, murder mystery, subways and sewers
SFFFCAT

For those who have read the first two in the series but also for those who would like an entertaining urban fantasy set in London. (But start with the first book where Peter is introduced.)

Peter Grant is a young police constable and apprentice wizard who investigates the odd and even weird crimes that baffle the regular police force. In his third outing, Peter must investigate the murder of a U.S. citizen that doesn't feel right to the detective in charge. And the murdered man is the son of a U.S. Senator so the FBI wants an observer on the team. With both new and old acquaintances helping him Peter investigates the crime and spends a lot of time in the subways and sewers of London. I enjoyed Whispers Under Ground and look forward to the next book in this series.

>170 hailelib: It seems like this is the outcome of Hurricane Joaquin coming in and meeting with other storms and creating one super storm. Mother Nature has a way of showing us how quickly things can get out of control.

Stay safe.

>171 hailelib: This ended up being my first Peter Grant book, flying in the face of warnings that I should really start at the beginning. Couldn't resist the lure of the Underground! It is a fun series.

>172 DeltaQueen50: I was watching how they were interacting all weekend. It was probably a good thing that the hurricane stood out to sea or an even bigger area would have been affected.

>173 rabbitprincess: Have you read the first ones yet? I've really liked all three.

1. Young Adult #5.

120. Eona by Alison Goodman - Finished October 4, 2015

From my own shelves - recent purchase
637 pages
dragons, vaguely oriental setting, fantasy, YA, civil war, magic, traitors

This is a sequel to Eon which I read some time ago. While I enjoyed the book, I do feel that the first one was a bit stronger. The dragons and setting are a bit different from most YA fantasy that I have read which is a plus. Mildly recommended for readers of this genre.

5. CATS and Group Reads #9.

121. The Witches of Wenshar by Barbara Hambly - Finished October 6, 2015

From my own shelves.
339 pages
fantasy, magic, witches
SFFFCAT

This is a sequel to The Ladies of Mandrigyn in which the former mercenary, Sun Wolf, discovers that he has magic powers. Since untrained magic is very dangerous, he is traveling with his companion Starhawk on a quest to find a teacher. In Wenshar they discover magic, danger and demons aplenty. I found this to be a moderately entertaining book of the sword and sorcery type.

>174 hailelib: I've now read all of the books that are currently in print. Now I have to wait for the sixth book to come out! And one of these days I should do a proper reread of the whole series.

>176 rabbitprincess: Unfortunately, my local library only has the first one. I acquired both Moon Over Soho and Whispers Under Ground when Jim told me to add something to an Amazon order to bring it up to the free shipping limit. That's how I get a lot of my new print books although most "new" books are from library sales and occasionally the thrift shop. So I don't really know when I'll get the next one.

At the moment my reading has slowed down a bit, but I do have two nonfiction books going - Tycho and Kepler and a Time-Life book, Apes, Angels, and Victorians which is about Darwin and Thomas Huxley. And both work for the HistoryCAT, with the second fitting one of my two neglected categories. I'll be back to fictional fluff soon enough but these are more entertaining than I expected.

Fall is definitely here as the trees have shown an amazing amount of color change in the last two days. The rain that was forecast for the Carolinas is coming down and has been since about 3:00 A.M. but it's supposed to taper off over the next few hours where we are.

I'm behind on reviews so thought I'd do a little catching up.

8. Other Fiction #10.

122. Siren's Call by Jayne Castle - Finished October 11, 2015 -

From the public library
323 pages
paranormal powers, colony planet, romance

This novel is part of Castle's Harmony series. The story is about average for the series. The plot is pretty standard - Woman in trouble is helped by dust bunny, man needs woman's help on a project, potentially fatal trouble ensues, dust bunny scampers to the rescue. Sometimes I think the dust bunnies are the true heroes of the series. Good when a light but predictable story is wanted.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #17.

123. The Short Victorious War by David Weber - Finished October 13, 2015

recent purchase
360 pages
space opera, interplanetary politics, space battles, Honor Harrington series

I enjoyed this one enough to continue with the series. Lots of political intrigue, details of ships and crew, and brutal space battles. But, Honor gets a boyfriend ...

10. A Miscellany of Mostly Facts #16.

124. Tycho and Kepler by Kitty Ferguson - Finished October 16, 2015

From the public library
357 pages + maps, appendices, notes, bibliography
science, history, biography, Europe,astronomy
520.92

While Ferguson's book covers much of the same territory as the Tycho book by Gade it has quite a bit more science and also much more about Kepler both before and after his association with Tycho Brahe. She has also included some wonderful illustrations and diagrams. I came away with a slightly different picture of the two men and, in part because of the repetition, a better understanding of the era in which they lived. The religious and political upheavals of the Reformation and Counter-reformation need more than one look to get straight in my head apparently. Anyway, I would recommend Tycho and Kepler.

4. Short Forms #6.

125. Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection by Isaac Asimov - finished October 16, 2015

From my own shelves.
271 pages
short stories and essays, Fantas, anthologyy

This particular collection is divided into three sections: Part One - The Final Fantasy Stories (mostly Azazel stories); Part Two _ On Fantasy (short essays); Part Three - Beyond Fantasy (more essays).

While the Azazel stories are OK, they start seeming all the same when read one after the other so I tended to just read one or two a day. I actually preferred the non-Azazel stories that were included here - the two fairy tales being my favorite stories from Part One. The essays were generally interesting and made the book as a whole worthwhile for me.

1. Young Adult and younger #6.

126. Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman - Finished October 18, 2015

From the public library.
261 pages
young adult, Australian author, Australian award winner, SF, unusual aliens, time-travel

Joss Aaronson, although a rebel in her own way, has been given one of the coveted slots in the Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. It's time for the first-year students to be assigned partners but there is a twist - this year one of the Chorian aliens has been accepted in the first year class and Joss is assigned to be its partner. Joss is an interesting heroine and MavKel is a very interesting alien. As well as figuring out how to live and work together, the two must solve the mystery of Joss' parentage and why an assassin is scoping out the school. Singing the Dogstar Blues was a fast and entertaining read.

5. CATS and Group Reads #10.

127. The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson - Finished October 20, 2015

From the public library
318 pages
mystery, Longmire, Wyoming, undercover
group read - Hillerman/Longmire

This is Walt without much of his usual backup as he is spending some time in the next county over investigating somewhat unofficially a murder. Walt was pulled into this as he has the alleged murderer in his jail since there isn't room in the lock-up of the county where she was arrested. The story moves back and forth in time but it is an effective way of narrating the story. As a bonus we do get some back story about Walt. Another good Longmire mystery.

V. Science Fiction and Fantasy #18.

128. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds - Finished October 25, 2015

recent purchase
585 pages
SF, colony world, archaeology, an assassin, a strange disease, super-weapons, not quite human ship crew

A complex story with lots of weird/strange elements that do come together, more or less, and leaving me with the urge to read more about this universe.

Still catching up ...

I. Inspired by the Time Reading Program #2.

129. Apes, Angels, and Victorians : Darwin, Huxley, and Evolution by William Irvine - finished October 26, 2015

From my own shelves.
preface + introduction =440 pages + notes
science, history, biography, evolution, impact of the theory in Victorian society
575.01
HistoryCAT: theme and time period

This dual biography of Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley was very informative and mostly an interesting narrative although there were a few places that were slow going when the discussion turned to theology and philosophy. Over all, I enjoyed Irvine's book and didn't find the prose as old-fashioned as others from the '50's. Irvine was looking back from 100 years after the famous Wallace/Darwin paper was presented and attempting to show the world in which it was conceived and the far-reaching consequences it had. Of course, evolution was "in the air" so to speak, but Darwin had the decade's of meticulous data on which to base his version. While Daewin was the stay at home scientist hiding in his study, Huxley was the vocal defender of what he saw as truth.

The introduction to this edition of Irvine's book was written by Julian Huxley, the grandson of Thomas Huxley. I definitely recommend this edition of Irvine's book.

1. Young Adult and younger #7.

130. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey - Finished October 27, 2015

From the public library
374 pages
YA, post-apocalyptic, Otherworld monsters, Hounds

Although Hunter is nominally a young adult novel it is a good adventure story for Lackey's older readers as well. Joy has been well trained by the Masters of her mountain community in all the arts she will need to fight the various monsters that came into the world from elsewhere at the time of the Diseray. While civilization has been somewhat restored, especially in the protected cities, Hunters are all that stand between the humans and the Otherworld creatures. Luckily magic and helpers in the form of Hounds also appeared at the same time. When the story opens Joy is on her way to Apex City to join the Hunters there, along with the seven hounds she can call. The novel follows her journey to the city and her settling in to her duties there.

I enjoyed this book and hope to see more of the society that Lackey created in Hunter.

It's been a really long time since I was here - not only have I neglected my own thread but all the others as well! Anyway, rather than trying to fill in all of of the missing posts, I'll pretty much start with where I am now.

Apparently I only finished a few books in November but that put me at 138 books so far this year. So far I've finished 2 books in December and I have started two others. For December I've read Junkyard Dogs for the Hillerman/Longmire group read and A Crack in the Edge of the World which is primarily about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and finishes the last square for my BingoDog challenge. so my next book will be 141. I think ... While a couple of my categories will come up a bit light I'm fairly satisfied with the way my reading went this year.

138 books read is a nice number to be proud of!

Great to see you back. Junkyard Dogs will be my next Longmire and I am looking forward to it. I have now hooked my husband on this series and I've loaded a few on his Kindle that he's getting for Christmas.

>185 lkernagh: and >186 DeltaQueen50:, thanks for visiting.

Judy, I hope you are enjoying Junkyard Dogs. I really liked it.

A few more finished for December with short comments:

141. A classic SF novel from the fifties, Brain Wave by Poul Anderson which is in the anthology A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Vol II. The concept is that the earth leaves a region of space where the laws of physics are slightly different from the rest of the galaxy. The sun had been in this region for at least 60 million years which meant that man had evolved under those different laws. The consequence was that suddenly every man and animal became mush smarter. Anderson then explored how that affected different elements of society. An SFFFCAT.

142. A book for one of my neglected categories was Frontier Tales of Tennessee by Louise Littleton Davis which was first published in 1976 and was a collection of essays that had appeared in a local newspaper Sunday magazine. I learned a lot of interesting facts about a diverse group of people and Davis used a number of primary sources in researching the people she profiled.

143. Dark Tide about the Boston molasses flood of 1919. It was meant to be for the November HistoryCAT but got pushed into December. This was a Christmas present to myself a couple of years ago and I'm glad I finally read it. Very interesting and a very unusual disaster.

144. Last, there was No Dark Place by Joan Wolf which I picked up at a library bag sale in October. I liked the cover so took a chance on this medieval story set at the beginning of the war between Stephen and Matilda. I probably won't look for the sequel but the story did hold my interest while reading it.

Dark Tide keeps popping up here and I keep thinking it sounds so interesting! Got to borrow it from the library soon.

Also wishing you a happy holiday season! May 2016 be filled with more great books.

Wishing you the very best this holiday season!

>189 lkernagh: Thanks for the holiday wishes. Hope your own holiday season is going well.

I've read what may be my last book to be finished this year ...

145. I, Asimov by Isaac Asimov which won a Hugo in 1995 as Best Related Book. At over 560 pages, I thought that it would take me into the new year to finish but it was so interesting that I didn't want to put the book down and read every minute that I could. This memoir read very much as though the author was sitting in the room with me and telling interesting stories about himself, other authors, publishing, public speaking, and more. A good choice for someone interested in the history of American science fiction.

While I may come back and do an end of the year summary, I think that that will be my last finished book of 2015. I have started reading The Fifties by David Halberstam but it is slow going. It was meant to be for the December HistoryCAT but with over 500 pages to go and only reading a few at a time I almost certainly won't finish before New Year's Day. There will be another book only if I decide to read some short fiction - maybe a mystery?

Still, I'm pretty happy with my reading this year and 145 books has been about average for me during the eight years the category challenge has been running. I even read a lot of my own books that were pre-2015 acquisitions - a feat that I hope to repeat in 2016. Now to actually set up a thread for next year!

145 is something to be proud of! I'll look for your thread in the 2016 challenge group. Happy New Year!

Great reading year! And lots of book bullets for me; and more to come in 2016, I'm sure.