bell7's (Mary's) Ridiculous Reading List for 2016 - the unbelievable 6th thread

So thanks to all of you for the fun conversation contributing to a fantastic year of reading. This year marks the first time I've had more than four threads in a year, and unbelievable I'm starting a sixth with one month left!

Here is a Thanksgiving selfie with Mia (photo courtesy my mom - forgive the graininess as it's from her cell phone):


I don't quite have the energy today to put up all the book lists of my reading for the year, but you'll find it on the openings to all my previous threads. I will, however, post a November in review.

Currently reading:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee

December
134. Ruined by Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz
135. God With Us: Themes from Matthew by D.A. Carson
136. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller - mine
137. San Miguel by T.C. Boyle
138. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - mine
139. Books for Living by Will Schwalbe - mine and e-book ARC
140. Word by Word by Kory Stamper - mine and e-book ARC (comes out March 2017)
141. A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor

2017 Work Books:

Book Club
January - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
February - Daughters of the Samurai by Janice P. Nimura
March - Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx
April - H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
May - The House Girl by Tara Conklin
June - The Outermost House by Henry Beston
July - A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
August - The Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut
September - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
October - A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
November - The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
December - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

RA Round Table (aka Librarian Book Club) -
January - Historical Fiction, Tudor to WW2
Benchmark, everyone reads: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
2nd title, my choice: Regeneration by Pat Barker

March - Historical fiction vs. biography -
Two books about the same person
I'm contemplating Cleopatra, perhaps the Stacy Schiff biography and Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer? Throw in some thoughts!

May - Alternate History
Benchmark: TBD
2nd title, my choice: TBD

November in review:
120. Pompeii by Robert Harris
121. Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger
122. The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis - audio and reread and book is mine
123. Literary Starbucks by Nora Katz el al.
124. Switch by Ingrid Law - audio
125. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
126. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - mine
127. City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte
128. Countdown City by Ben H. Winters
129. The Giver by Lois Lowry - audio and reread and book is mine
130. How to Pray: The Best of John Wesley on Prayer by John Wesley - mine
131. The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell
132. The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie
133. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - mine (since donated to the library)

Books read: 11
Audiobooks listened to: 3
Graphic novels/Manga: 0
Picture books: 0
Adult/Teen/Children's: 10/1/3
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 12/2/0/0 - I'm counting Literary Starbucks as nonfiction (humor? satire?)
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 10/4/0

Standouts: Literary Starbucks for pure fun.

Thoughts: I attempted a TIOLI sweep this month, so I read an interesting mix of books that I might have attempted to read for one reason or another, but several that I wouldn't have necessarily chosen except that they fit a challenge and probably wouldn't have read all at once. So my ratings are a little lower, but other than City of Dark Magic there wasn't really one that I was sorry to have bothered. As I glance over my publication dates read this year, I'm not at all surprised to find it "top heavy" with over half of my total reading being written in the last five years, as per usual. I'm surprised that I managed six books published in 2006 of all random years. Rereading several children's classics over the year gives me a nice spread of books read from the 50s and 60s.

Original publication dates read (year-to-date):
2016 - 25
2015 - 20
2014 - 10
2013 - 11
2012 - 5
2011 - 2
2010 - 3

2009 - 2
2008 - 2
2007 - 2
2006 - 6
2005 - 1
2004 - 2
2003 - 3
2002 - 1
2001 - 3
2000 - 1

1999 - 3
1998 - 1
1997 - 1
1996 - 2
1995 - 2
1993 - 1
1990 - 2

1986 - 1
1985 - 1
1980 - 1

1978 - 1
1971 - 1

1969 - 1
1968 - 1
1967 - 1
1963 - 1
1962 - 1
1960 - 1

1957 - 2
1956 - 1
1955 - 1
1954 - 1
1953 - 1
1952 - 1
1951 - 2

1920 - 1

1908 - 1

I'm in the middle of reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time--currently reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I think it is a great series so far, so I'm glad to see you think it is worth rereading. It seems like a fun series to read on audio too--all the battles would be fun to hear.

And it is a nice contrast to all the newer books--I have your same problem of reading a vast majority of newer books!

*Waves* Hi Mary!

>3 emilyesears: Thanks for visiting, Emily! The Chronicles of Narnia are childhood favorites of mine and I like revisiting them every so often. The HarperCollins audio productions are the ones I'm most familiar with, and each book has a different reader so I have my favorites of those as well (Derek Jacobi and Patrick Stewart, hands down). Oddly enough, the only one I didn't get to was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

>4 Ape: Hi, Stephen!

Well, I've decided to give up on Heartless by Marissa Meyer. It's my own fault - I loved her Cinder series and I borrowed the book without really knowing what it was about.

It's essentially the backstory of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, where 16-year-old Cath just wants to own a bakery with her friend Mary Ann, but the pressure of her mother's expectations and the king's affection seem destined to keep her from that. Also, there's a Jester new in town who attracts her interest...

The main deal is... well, it's Wonderland. Based on my reading, you'd think I love Wonderland, right? Well, I don't. I found it confusing and an okay read, but I was so very annoyed that it all turned into Alice's dreams. I've read retellings that I enjoyed, but it was a reimagined, different place. This one has the same feel as Wonderland, just told from a different perspective. So I don't love it either. And I keep bracing myself for a sad ending because how on earth is Cath going to end up the Queen of Hearts? Anyway... in the author's note, Marissa Meyer said the idea for the book came when she was talking with someone and expressed her wish that Gregory Maguire write about the Queen of Hearts like he did for the Wicked Witch in Wicked. If you think that would interest you, then I recommend it. And that's why I'm spending time talking about a book I'm abandoning. Because I do think it's the perfect book for the right audience - just not me.

Oh, and I finished season 1 of Gilmore Girls this afternoon and am officially hooked. One of the things that completely cracked me up was in an episode where this guy is on the street corner just randomly singing and playing a guitar. He showed up once, and then in a second episode later on and I was wondering what on earth is this guy doing? Well, lo and behold, my question was answered because in a town meeting, he declared himself the town's troubadour and he refused to give his name or address because it would be "breaking the code." So at least now I know what he was doing there... sort of. Anyway, it made me laugh out loud when he stood up at town meeting. The show is clever and smart and shows a lot of heart while still being real, if quirky.

Happy new thread, Mary.

First time that you have made it to 1,000 posts on your thread too. Your previous best total was 897 posts in 2013. I have enjoyed as always following your reading and posting adventures in 2016 and long may it continue. xx

Happy new thread, Mary!

>6 bell7: Oh, yay for Gilmore Girls!! I love that show so much! You'll be happy, I think, to know that that troubadour is in the show for all of the seasons, and he's in the new Year in the Life episodes, too!

Happy New Thread, Mary!

I loved Cinder, too - guilty pleasures! - but think I'll skip Heartless. I've never been a fan of Wonderland, either.

I'm midway through season 3 of The Gilmore Girls. I think I said before that I can request them through the library's ILL, but can only keep a season for two weeks since there is always a line. Binge watching at its finest!

Happy New Thread, Mary!

Ditto for me - loved Cinder and the others in that series, but will skip Heartless.

Happy new thread Mary. Great to see the Gilmore love here.

Happy New Thread, Mary! I had already decided not to pick up Heartless based on its description--your experience makes me glad I did.

Happy new one, Mary! Mia is as cute as ever, and I love your topper of the two of you. Abby is reading Heartless and loving it, so it will be interesting to see what her thoughts are once she has finished it. And City of Dark Magic was also a bust for me - read about half of it and then abandoned it a few years ago.

>7 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul, and thanks for stopping by! I am amazed to know that I've so far outstripped my most prolific posting and that it was 2013 - I would have expected a slow and steady growth each year or else a prolific year to be before I was working full-time. I'll be looking forward to seeing what 2017 brings.

>8 scaifea: Amber, our tastes overlap in interesting ways and I know I haven't always loved the same shows you do *cough*Arrested Development*cough*, but yep I'm definitely enjoying Gilmore Girls! And I'm super excited to know the mini-spoiler you shared haha.

>9 streamsong: That's exactly what I do, too, Janet! It took me a renewal and a second hold to be able to watch season 1, and I have a request in for season 2 that probably won't come in until early next week at this rate. I've been knitting Christmas gifts while I watch and it helps me feel like my binge-watching is also productive!

>10 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! Glad you stopped in.

>11 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I'm definitely enjoying it and wondering where on earth I was when the show was on and popular.

>12 ronincats: I probably should've looked at the description at least a little rather than just grabbing the newest book by author alone. I do admire her ability to try something completely different, however.

>13 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, and thanks! I like to think I'm entirely unbiased in saying Mia is adorable and smart as a whip. You would've gotten a kick out of her pointing at the Christmas tree lights and repeating the colors after my mother. She didn't try with "purple" but her attempt at the tongue-twisting "yellow" was very cute. "Red" and "blue" were a bit easier.

Janet, Joe, and Roni - It's interesting to me to see how many people have that reaction to Heartless, as I rather thought it might be just me. I wonder if it will fall flat or be popular with a whole new audience for being so different from Cinder. Mamie, I'll definitely look forward to seeing Abby's response. It was definitely a case of book/reader not matching up, not the book's fault at all (the writing and characters were interesting, and it's certainly not Meyer's fault I'm not a Wonderland fan).

I've updated my first post with books currently reading and when I finally finish a book in December I'll add it there too. I seem to be in a bit of a funk with abandoning that book and not being able to capture my interest with the audiobooks that I've tried lately. I've been falling asleep too fast and listening to the same 15-30 minutes over and over with little progress made.

Other than the two I'm reading alongside my Bible reading, I'm furthest along in No Fond Return of Love. It's a warm sort of story with humor, and unlike some books I'm not really sure what turn the relationships are going to take so I'm looking forward to reading further.

Happy new thread Mary! Netflix UK has the Gilmore Girls now and I've added it to my list but as I'm midway through a rewatch of Star Trek: The Next Generation and have just started a rewatch of Doctor Who (Christopher Eccleston Billie Piper) it might be a while.....

>16 souloftherose: Ooooh... Doctor Who was my binge-watch a couple of years ago and I've been thinking I should go through and rewatch someday. When I have time? :)

>14 bell7: Ha! Funny that you remember about the Arrested Development thing! Honestly I'm a bit surprised I like that one, too, as usually that sort of uncomfortable humor isn't my thing. Something about that one, though, strikes me as hilarious. I think it has a lot to do with loving Will Arnett.

>18 scaifea: Oh, I fully admit to being in the minority with disliking it; my brothers, for example, both think I'm nuts. I'm sure it didn't help that the person who'd borrowed the library DVD before me had put the discs back in the wrong order so I, blissfully unaware, plunged in with Disc 3 or 4 instead of the very beginning and floundered confusedly through a few episodes before I'd realized what happened.

My sense of humor is fairly dry and can be silly but much of the stupider side of American humor (think "Dumb and Dumber" or even "A Christmas Story") doesn't appeal to me. On the other hand, I love "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and Terry Pratchett. Go figure.

Lol. I love British humor like Mony Python too.

>20 The_Hibernator: Yay! My sense of humor is really different from the rest of my family's so it's nice to know it's not just me ;)

Okay, I know some of you following my thread are accomplished knitters and I have a question to throw out there. I'm working on a sweater and it looks like I got my gauge right for the width and not the length. So I have an armhole with the right size by inches and only can pick up 86 stitches instead of 112.

The pattern for 112 stitches says to knit 3 rows, then decrease every 4th row 'til I get to 46. Since my width gauge is okay, I don't want to decrease more than that but I want to end up with that in approximately the same number of rows. So I'm thinking I'll be okay if I knit 11 rows, then decrease every 6th row.

As far as size, I think I'll be okay because my friend tells me he's a large to extra large, it's already a loose pattern and I'm using the extra large size. So I think there's plenty of give, but it's the first time I've done a sweater and I'm a little nervous about my math. Thoughts?

>22 bell7: This sounds terrifying and it's why I'm scared to knit sweaters. =-O

>23 norabelle414: I have a whole host of people who were like, "Oh, you're knitting a sweater will you knit me one too?" (where do these people come from? lol) But I think I'm going to knit one for Mia and then I can tweak comfortably without being *quite* so off on the math. And then apparently I'm knitting a few more adult-sized sweaters, eventually. I want a sweater/wrap in there for myself too so we'll see how the projects go. Hats! Everyone's getting hats from here on out.

No, it actually worked out pretty well, I just measured carefully and adjusted as I went with the first arm and now I'll duplicate it with the second. I went stockinette for 11 rows, decreased every sixth and measured when I was halfway down (to 66). I was already at twelve inches and knitting six stitches per inch vertically so knew that would not quite work for ten more decreases. I switched to every 4th row (which is what the pattern called for anyways) and estimated I'd get to 20 inches and have 12 more rows of stockinette with 46 stitches on, before knitting the cuff. These are the measurements the sweater called for.

Eyeballing the completed arm, it looks pretty good so I think I'm a-okay as long as I do exactly the same thing for arm #2. I already measured across rows from one armhole to the other and also managed to pick up 86 stitches and stitched about 4 rows down the shoulder yesterday and will work on it more tonight (I'm aiming to mail this out to Minnesota on Monday). I will try to take some pictures, but it's a dark, dark navy blue so it's really hard to see the actual stitching but I'll try to at least give some indication of how the sizing turned out.

A few quick reports on books I've read so far this month -

134. Ruined by Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz
Why now? I kept striking out on the books I was choosing and decided to try one of my go-to genres, books about books

Author Lynne Sharon Schwartz offers this short book, or extended essay, describing her lifelong love of the written word.

I always enjoy getting a glimpse into another's reading life, and this slim offering was no exception. Though Schwartz and I have different backgrounds, types of books we love, and are a generation or two apart, we have the love of reading in common. I really enjoyed her meandering memoir and tangential account of life and reading. 4.5 stars.

135. God With Us: Themes from Matthew by D.A. Carson
Why now? I reached Matthew in my Bible reading and figured it would be useful

D.A. Carson offers a short, informative introduction to Matthew for the layperson. A few chapters at a time, each chapter explores themes and highlights, such as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' miracles, or the arguments with the Pharisees in broad strokes. Notes in the end suggest more in-depth commentaries should the reader be interested, and Carson himself has written more on the topic. Solid and useful for my purposes.

136. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller
Why now? Ongoing study I've been doing on (Christian) prayer

Prayer seems such a simple concept, yet there are so many books written about how to do it. Timothy Keller first discusses prayer broadly and conceptually; then uses the Lord's Prayer and the writings of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Augustine to interpret ways of using that prayer as a guide; and finally addresses each portion of the Lord's Prayer (adoration, thanksgiving, petition...) and gives practical application for all types of prayer and beginning or growing the spiritual discipline. I found this really practical and challenging, and I was just about ready to turn around and read it all over again.

I have been in a weird reading mood and unable to finish all but a few books, as you can see, two of which I've been reading a chapter at a time as part of my devotions. The other was 119 pages long and all about reading. I've abandoned several books, including audios that I got sick of or couldn't concentrate on (Liar & Spy, A Wind in the Door, and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library). And Heartless, which I mentioned earlier. I'm thinking about abandoning both These Shallow Graves and No Fond Return of Love, which would bring my total up to six.

I'm currently reading San Miguel for book club and that's the only one I'm definitely finishing, by next week mind you.

Part of the reason I haven't been able to concentrate on books, of course, is the finishing of Christmas gifts. I bought everything that was left to buy on Monday and have a few things left to make. The main one is the sweater I've been mentioning. Here's some photos:


From the front - you can see where I'm holding stitches for the neck


The sleeve that I had to modify. It came out well, if I do say so myself, and it really looks like it shouldn't end up too small once it's sewn together, which was my biggest concern.


A close up of the 86 "picked up" stitches along the shoulder.

To give you a sense of size, because it's tough in these shots, the back of the sweater is 30" and the sleeve (including cuff) 25", according to measurements for the Adult XL. The sleeve alone took me a day of football (when I had time on Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and in between Giants' plays on Sunday night, then finished the cuffs Monday morning - but who's counting?), so you can imagine how many hours have been put into this all told. I'm aiming to be finished on Monday, but I really have until Wednesday if I ship it out Priority to get it to my friend in time for Christmas.

Wow. That jumper looks great! You must be really pleased. My aunt and cousin made me huge jumpers when I was a student - so warm in our cold rented place. I completely agree with all the people asking you to make them one.

Ruined by Reading sounds like my cup of tea, will see if the library can order it for me. I think they will laugh at the title :-)

Lovely sweater, Mary! All of the knitting info reads like Greek to me, but it is fascinating, none the less. Heh. Wishing you luck in getting it finished.

>27 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I am pretty pleased with it, though I won't be 100% certain how even the sleeves are till I sew it all up. I can be a bit of a perfectionist which isn't really fair to myself working on a project like this. I'm nervous as heck the thing's going to fall apart the first time it's washed. Hope you can scare up a copy of Ruined by Reading. It hit the spot, for sure.

>28 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I'm hoping to finish off the rest of the sleeve and the neck over the weekend and possibly get some of the sewing-together done, leaving me Monday to finish it and ship it off.

I did end up abandoning These Shallow Graves and No Fond Return of Love. That makes twice as many books abandoned this month as books read. Yikes!

Yesterday, I started both San Miguel for book group and A Christmas Carol for my annual reread. Happily I received the audio for San Miguel today so I expect I'll be listening and knitting quite a bit over the weekend.

It looks like my planned program on Saturday may have to be canceled, as we'll be getting a tad of winter weather. Ugh. Also, it's going to be so cold tonight that the weather alerts are going crazy in my inbox with temps tonight in the single digits and windchills in the 20 below range. We've got a staff holiday party tonight but I'll be bundling up when I get home, and tomorrow is supposed to be pretty cold too. I will be sick of winter before Christmas at this rate.

>26 bell7: Such talent!

>30 bell7: I know it sounds crazy, but I really miss living in a place with cold weather. I grew up in the snow, but the last several places I've lived have all been really warm. It never puts me in the mood for the holidays, and I get very wistful hearing about the cold in other places.

The grass is always greener, amiright?

impressive job with the knitting.

I actually quite like the maths involved in some knitting patterns.... I may be on my own there though

>31 rosylibrarian: Aw, thanks, Marie! I'm enjoying it.
I don't mind the prettiness of snow, but I hate hate hate driving in it. We had an overnight low in the single digits and a windchill of -20 (F). I'd be perfectly happy living somewhere it gets the occasional snowfall that melts right away and doesn't dip much below 30 degrees Fahrenheit ;)

>32 eclecticdodo: Thanks, Jo! Generally once I get going I can "see" a pattern pretty well and understand the math, even if I'm not strictly speaking counting. It took me two full days to figure out math that would work (and double checking with a more experienced knitter that I wasn't completely crazy) but I'm very happy with the result. So far the second sleeve looks good and then all I'll have to do is watch some videos of mattress stitch to finish up all the seaming.

>25 bell7: I think Timothy Keller is one of my favorite Christian authors. I haven't read that one, but I'm sure it is worthwhile. I read his new Christmas book recently. It's really good too!

>25 bell7: I don't read as many faith or theology related books these days but the Timothy Keller book looks interesting. In islam, I fear that there is too much emphasis on the ritual of prayer and in the discipline of having the experience as a communal (in the sense of community) one, rather than focusing on the actual communing (in the sense of communication).

Have a lovely weekend.

Hi, Mary! I'm impressed with the sweater you knitted.

BTW, I'm having trouble finishing books these days too. I've abandoned quite a few this year, and am dawdling with some others.

Lovely sweater! (I almost wrote lovely weather....but it's not.)

Soup's on, Mary!

What a beautiful sweater!

Our library book club has decided on the selections for next year. Our December meeting is always a potluck with book nominations and voting. It looks like a good list - and I also plan on reading several of the nominations that weren't voted in. I posted the list on my thread if you're interested.

>34 thornton37814: This is the first book I've read by him, Lori, and I definitely recommend it. I'll have to look up his Christmas book.

>35 PaulCranswick: Thanks for your thoughts, Paul! If anything, I think the (western) Christian church is the opposite, putting more emphasis on the individual than the community. I've been reading a fairly high number of them this year with my Bible studies and have been interested in prayer as a discipline lately. The book was interesting in that it was about individual prayer but also stressed that there should be corporate prayer and that one informed the other.

>36 tymfos: Thanks, Terri! I finished it over the weekend and have yet to post the picture I took of the completed sweater but I am super proud of myself. I had my brother try it on just to make sure it would fit an XL man, and it looked pretty good. We'll see how it fits my friend!

>37 The_Hibernator: Ha! Thanks, Rachel. It's not lovely weather, and did I hear you had record lows (and windchills) a few days ago? I have been fighting what I thought was athlete's foot and discovered yesterday it's chilblains. My feet got cold and reacted with itchy red bumps. I have been told to invest in silk ski socks...

>38 kidzdoc: Thanks for the head's up, Darryl! I like your idea of tracking the budget as well. I'm starting a financial course through my church next month and while I'm already pretty good with money I'm looking forward to learning more and will be extra-budget conscious I'm sure.

>39 streamsong: Thank you, Janet! Oh, I'll have fun following what your book group thinks of the choices. A Man Called Ove and Orphan Train were super popular book club picks locally. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was one of my personal favorite book club choices we've had, though I can see how some of the responses might get old to someone who knows a heck of a lot more about it than I do. As a non-scientist, I thought the medical ethics aspects was fascinating, and as I'd just had some genetic testing done it was pertinent to know that my cells aren't "my own" anymore, which I had never thought about.

Okay folks, I finished the sweater over the weekend! I only have one picture and it's not a great one, but I'll post it when I have time.

I am soon to finish my book club book, San Miguel, and will finish A Christmas Carol soonish too (yay for short books!). After that, no idea what I'm reading yet.

My car's in the shop and I had an adventure getting in to work today, as the key to the truck I was borrowing was missing. Turns out the handyman who'd been taking the truck for trash runs took it with him and he ended up coming out about a half hour after I was supposed to be at work to give it to me. So I ended up taking a little bit of unexpected personal time, but I am in safe and sound and have a (borrowed) car to get home tonight.

>38 kidzdoc: Daryl's soup looks so tasty! I'm wishing I'd had a bowl of it instead of the fish fillet I ate.

>40 bell7: You're welcome, Mary. And thank you for giving me the idea to pay attention to the cost of recipes that I make.

BTW, do you follow the website Budget Bytes? It's run by a microbiologist from New Orleans who is on a tight budget, and she lists the costs of the ingredients of the recipes that she posts. Several of my favorite recipes come from her page.

>42 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori!

>42 thornton37814: I highly recommend Darryl's thread for drool-worthy recipes, Lori! :)

>43 kidzdoc: I have not been following it, but I recognize the name of it from some of the recipes you've posted. I'll have to check it out.

137. San Miguel by T.C. Boyle
Why now? This month's book club book

Three women, three experiences, one island: San Miguel. Told from the perspectives of Marantha "Minnie" Waters, a consumptive in the 1880s; her daughter Edith, who wants to go back to living on the mainland and dreams of being an actress; and a librarian lately married Elise who comes to the island in the 1930s with her husband, San Miguel explores life at its most isolated and, for much of the book, its most bleak.

This book, I gather, is much different from T.C. Boyle's sometimes humorous work and short stories. It's historical fiction that, from what I looked up, sticks pretty close to the record, while exploring the isolation and experiences that three women on one of the California Channel Islands may have felt when they picked up everything and moved. Marantha and Edith's sections are incredibly desolate and hard to read. Elise is joyful in comparison, though she too is not without suffering. I would have rather the book was all about her, and it's mainly because of her and the lyrically descriptive writing that I'm rating the book as high as I am. 3 stars.

Why oh why can I never find a light book to read in December with my book club? One year it was true crime and I thought I'd never find one harder to get through. This one may be it.

138. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Why now? It's time for the annual reread!

I have read this so many times I can't properly review it. It's one of my favorite go-to December books, even if I get no other seasonal reading in.

Somehow I lost you between the last and this thread. The shame!

I also lost you but I'm here now. :)

>40 bell7: Yes, the weather here was terribly cold, but not the coldest I've ever seen. I was expecting something like the Polar Vortex that hit a few years ago with -40 to -60 (not counting windchill) weather. But this was "just" -20. My car started and everything!

Silk ski socks? I've never heard of such a thing. I guess I don't ski enough.

>47 Morphidae: and >48 MickyFine: I'm glad you both found me!

>49 The_Hibernator: "Just" -20 huh? We had a windchill of -20 last week and I've had enough of winter, I tell you ;) - Obviously, I don't have a great tolerance for cold. Yeah, so what I found was silk ski liners and I'm thinking they're sort of like putting nylons on under socks to keep the heat in? I also don't ski, so your guess is as good as mine. I've been wearing nice warm things and sometimes doubling up on socks and doing what I can to keep my feet warm in the meantime.

>44 bell7: I love Daryl's thread! You are correct about the drooling.

>22 bell7: Um, I'm stumped I'm afraid. I'm also trying to knit my first cardigan and realising that I really should have chosen an all-in-one pattern because I don't know how to join and that I have made a really, really silly mistake with one section. Now trying to decide whether to redo that whole section or not....

I've started with a baby cardigan (or rather two baby cardigans) for my friend's twins so I'm hoping any mistakes will be forgiven (they're babies - they won't care!).

>26 bell7: It's looking good! That's the other thing that scares me with adult sized garments - just how long it must take to get through that much knitting!

>51 thornton37814: :)

>52 souloftherose: Thanks! Yeah, I'm okay with knitting a sweater for my one and almost-a-half-year-old niece and the baby-to-come, but I'm a little intimidated by the sheer amount of work I now know that adult-sized garments are. Plus, mistakes in a smaller size are smaller mistakes, no? It did come out pretty okay if I do say so myself though:


Not a great background, but you can see both sleeves and the color is actually pretty accurate of the navy blue and gold. I had my youngest brother, who's also an XL, try it on and he said the arms were long but not too tight so I'm hoping now just that the fit is good and he likes it!

In other news, it's been the week of car issues.

My mechanic came out to my parents a couple of times to take a look at my car over a week ago, and when it turned out the work he had to do was more extensive than initially thought (I have a coolant leak), we ended up dropping it off Tuesday morning. I've been borrowing a car from my landlord (for lack of a better term - I have an in-law apartment living with family friends and they're an older couple more like a second family or aunt & uncle than anything else) while he's away on vacation. Tuesday was a fiasco getting to work, as the car keys were nowhere to be found and someone had to drive out and give me the keys they'd been using doing some work for him with the truck. Then Wednesday morning I had trouble starting it, finally got it to go and got to work (on time, thankfully). Then yesterday, leaving work... it wouldn't start. At all. The heat would come on, the lights were fine, the radio would play, but the engine would.not.turn.over.

One of my co-workers gave me a ride to my parents, who live in town close to where I work. I watched the (sad) Giants/Eagles game and slept over. I'm borrowing one of my sister's blouses for the day, called Triple A to have them bring the truck back home, and one of my co-workers will (probably) give me a ride to my parents again tonight, where I'll figure out a way to get my car or get home for the night. There are a few options, thankfully.

The excellent news of the morning is that my mechanic called and he'll have the car ready for me today, and is calling this afternoon to figure out getting it back to me. I'll be able to decide about tonight/tomorrow morning based on what he says, and worst case scenario I borrow one of my parent's cars to sleep at my house tonight and pick it up with my dad tomorrow morning. So not a huge crisis, but a lot of running around and oh-my-gosh-are-you-kidding-me moments. Christmas will be relaxing by comparison!

Wow, that makes me out of breath just reading about it... :)

>54 bell7: yikes! hope you have the car back soon

>55 drneutron: it's been a whirlwind of a week! Fortunately I have Monday off and I'll be dog and catsitting the next couple weeks so I'll get a little relaxation and reading in.

>56 eclecticdodo: I got it back today! My mechanic is really good to my whole family, and he and a guy that works for him came out to my parents' house to give it to me. So I'm a little poorer but very glad to be driving my own car again and sleep in my own bed tonight.

>57 bell7: yay! we've been very fortunate with our current car - we've had it nearly 5 years and no major issues. But the last one had no end of trouble. We were actually grateful when it got written off in an accident.

Sorry to hear about the car woes, Mary. Hopefully it'll be happier over the holidays.

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

>58 eclecticdodo: I have been very happy with my little car and my mechanic's service. I am even more happy to have it back!

>59 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! It made for a more stressful week than I'd been anticipating - especially when the car I was borrowing went kaput! - but all in all it could've been so much worse, and I am very grateful for people who could help out a little bit here and there so that I could get where I needed to be each day. I also have a family with lots of love and little drama, so the holidays will be very enjoyable and, dare I say, somewhat relaxing in comparison.

>60 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! Best wishes to you and yours and a Happy New Year to you! May 2017 bring you peace as well.

Merry Christmas, Mary! And hooray for getting your car back!

wishing you a merry Christmas

This is the Christmas tree at the end of the Pacific Beach Pier here in San Diego, a Christmas tradition.

To all my friends here at Library Thing, I want you to know how much I value you and how much I wish you a very happy holiday, whatever one you celebrate, and the very best of New Years!

>62 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! A Merry Christmas to you as well!

>63 eclecticdodo: Thank you, Jo! I love the LEGO Santa :)

>64 ronincats: Roni, that's beautiful, thanks for sharing. The best of holidays and Happy New Year to you, too!

Merry Christmas, one and all, I'm checking in before heading out for a fun-filled day hanging at my parents and then dogsitting.

I won't be able to check out the individual threads, but hopefully next week being fairly quiet I'll get a chance to set up my 2017 thread and get caught up with everyone during the madness of the transition! :)

I have one book in need of reviewing, Books for Living by Will Schwalbe. I received an ARC on my Kindle and it was really fabulous. It comes out on Tuesday should you be looking for an after-holiday purchase.

>67 Kassilem: Thanks, Melissa! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

139. Books for Living by Will Schwalbe - mine and e-book ARC
Why now? Basically I was giving myself a break with a fun book and wanting to feel accomplished by reading an ARC off my Kindle

*Free e-book ARC provided by the publisher through Edelweiss/Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review. No money or other goods were exchanged, and all views are my own.*

Will Schwalbe, the author of The End of Your Life Book Club, returns with another book about books: this one focuses on books that, while they may not be his favorites, have in some way influenced Schwalbe's life and philosophy.

There is something warm and comforting in reading a book by a fellow booklover, a recognition of a like-minded soul and a voyeuristic joy in peeking into someone else's reading brain. This one was no exception. I enjoyed the author's descriptions of books, his general way of dealing with spoilers (usually eschewing them except in the case of classics that most people would know the story even if they had not read it, but on one occasion warning those who still wanted to read a book that they should probably not read the rest of the chapter), and the way the most influential books would make connections and find their way into other chapters. While the idea of "books for living" sounds instructive, Schwalbe's style is more confessional than preachy. He's also not a book snob, and his list of influential books includes children's books and popular fiction as well as classics and less well-known texts. Some of the essays were heart-wrenching and others made me laugh, making for delightful reading from beginning to end. 5 stars.

The book comes out tomorrow. If you haven't already pre-ordered it, I highly recommend doing so.

>69 bell7: POW! One book bullet. I gave The End of Your Life Book Club an 8/10 stars, so I'll need to check this one out, too.

140. Word by Word by Kory Stamper - mine and e-book ARC
Why now? Because, it seems, the way to get myself out of a bit of a book slump is to read non-fiction books about subjects I love, namely, books and words. Also an ARC on my Kindle in need of review.

*Free e-book ARC provided by the publisher through Edelweiss/Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review. No money or other goods were exchanged, and all views are my own.*

The English language can be sprawling, illogical and sometimes downright nonsensical, yet it is the work of lexicographers like Kory Stamper to research and define words for inclusion in the dictionary. Kory works for Merriam-Webster, and in this unique memoir describes for the layperson and logophile the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a dictionary definition.

I collect dictionaries. I have a collegiate dictionary, I have Webster's Third, and I have the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. I am the kind of person who delights in encountering a new word and would say "perfidious" just for the sound of it or enjoy the word "quiddle" entirely because it's hard to find and, as it starts with "q," is much more happifying to my ears than "dawdle" or "trifle." So a book like this, giving me a behind-the-scenes look into dictionary making and word defining, is just about perfect. Chapters cover the rigorous work to define a word, "grammar" and the dictionary, how that date is determined, why the phonetic pronunciation guide has all those weird symbols in it. Each chapter heading covers one piece of the puzzle and uses a word to illustrate it, with examples from Stamper's own work and that of her colleagues. She writes in an engaging, conversational style sprinkled with weird and wonderful vocabulary and phrases, and I had to turn to a dictionary more than once myself. Her chapter on "take" convinced me that I wanted to pay more attention to those small words like "do" and "run" that we barely look up but give lexicographers the most trouble. She gives a window into a job that most of us either don't think about or think just anybody can do, and shows what kind of science and art go into dictionary making, while staying respectful of those who may be just a little confused about what it is that actually goes on in those hallowed halls. People often tell me that I should write a book about my job as a librarian - the weird reference questions we get, the day-to-da, behind the scenes stuff that no one realizes w do. Basically, Stamper writes about lexicography the sort of book I would aspire to write about librarianship. She writes with a lot of humor and acknowledgement of the absurd while still showing respect for the people who write in to the dictionary with their questions or rants about particular words, and her love for the job shines through. For that reason, I think it would not only interest logophiles like me, but also people who enjoy memoirs of specialized professions. 4.5 stars.

This book is due to come out in March of next year.

>70 Morphidae: Oh, excellent! Hope you like it, Morphy. By the way, I am not ignoring our Trivia Crack game - I left my phone and purse at the church after the late night Christmas Eve service and the office won't be open 'til tomorrow for me to get it back.

PS on the sweater -

the package arrived *just* in time, the afternoon of Dec. 24. He loves the sweater, it fits, and I am incredibly happy! (Based on the picture he sent me, it looks like the sleeves are a little long on him, too, but of all the fits that could've gone wrong, I'm okay with that one.)

Oops, looks like TWO nonfiction book bullets for me, Mary. You are dangerous!

>74 ronincats: Always willing to oblige :) Hope you enjoy them both, Roni!

I love your tip about getting out of the book slump. Will have to give that a go. Have added both to my wishlist - thanks!

>76 charl08: I hope you enjoy them both, Charlotte! I once had very good advice from fellow LTer richardderus for getting out of a book slump: read a book that has been receiving really high praise. You'll fall in love with it too or you'll hate it and you can write a review that totally pans it. Either way, book slump averted. Other methods I use are the one I mentioned of reading about a topic I love or rereading an old favorite.

Happy Holidays! May your books take you on incredible journeys.

>78 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda! I hope you had wonderful holidays and have a pain-free (or at least less!) 2017.

I may finish another book or two this year, but I have set up my 2017 thread, so feel free to stop by and say hello!

A short update on what I'm currently reading:

A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor - the fourth book in the madcap adventures of Madeleine Maxwell, time-travelling historian extraordinaire. The most likely book to be finished in 2016.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt - the audio I'm listening to before bed. I also checked out the library e-book so I think I'll make progress in this one, unlike the rest of the audios I've been listening to all month.

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee - finally getting around to a book I've had as an ARC on my Kindle for awhile, and reading along in the book for good measure. I'm only as far as Mendel, but I love genetics so I'm looking forward to this one.

I've slowly been making my way through Season 2 of Gilmore Girls as I have time. I'm not sure what I'll be in the mood for tonight, watching/knitting or reading, but dogsitting and catsitting over the next few weeks, I should have time for plenty of both (except maybe not knitting while catsitting...).

>81 bell7: It depends on the cat. Some days Smee will completely ignore my yarn while I'm crocheting and other days I have to guard it from him. However, I would recommend hiding balls of yarn out of reach when not in use. Take it from the girl who had to unwind a small ball of leftover yarn from around her kitchen table and chairs. :P

>82 MickyFine: Seconded. Rory is easily discouraged while I am actually knitting, but woe unto me if I leave some yarn within his reach when I'm out of the house.

>81 bell7: Re: Gilmore Girls, have you met Jess yet????????????

>81 bell7: I'll probably get around to the one on genetics. It's receiving a lot of hype.

I look forward to your thoughts about The Gene, Mary. I loved his first book, The Emperor of All Maladies.

>82 MickyFine: and >83 norabelle414: Good to know re: cats and yarn. I might be able to get some knitting in over the weekend if the cats are like they were last year, when it took them a few days to warm up to me. But one or two of them like sitting on me while I read (and sitting on the laptop when I'm on the computer), so I don't think I'll be able to work on the baby blanket once they want a lap.

>83 norabelle414: Yes! I'm only about 8 episodes in, though, so far we've established that he has light fingers and Taylor Doose doesn't like him for making a chalk outline outside the store.

>84 thornton37814: and >85 kidzdoc: I should have some time to read it over the weekend. Now that I finished A Trail Through Time, I started Wolf Hall for work and thus have a couple of chunksters going.

>85 kidzdoc: I haven't read The Emperor of All Maladies yet, but it's been on my list for awhile now too.

>86 bell7: That is probably my favourite of Jess's pranks.

>87 MickyFine: It was pretty hilarious. I liked "Well, did you find it funny?" Rory: "That's not the point!"

141. A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor
Why now? The busiest time of the year is pretty much perfect for the entertainment that is the St. Mary's Chronicles of time-traveling historians.

The fourth book in the St. Mary's Chronicles picks up right where the third book left off, with Madeleine "Max" Maxwell in an alternate dimension with Chief Leon Farrell still living and her the one who died. They are immediately on the run from the Time Police, who - no matter when Max and Leon jump to - find them within the hour and are pursuing them for reasons unknown.

I have been highly enjoying this madcap, adventurous, humorous, time-traveling romp. My town doesn't love science fiction as a rule, but this genre bending tale hits the spot with a lot of people and I enlisted a few fellow librarians to help me recommend it to others so the whole series has been flying off the shelves. This book is more of the same, and really was fun to read right after the holidays when I'm about as brain dead as could be. 4.5 stars.

>89 bell7: I've been meaning to pick up that series. One of these days...

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Mary

>90 MickyFine: It's a lot of fun, and they're very quick reads when you do get to them.

>91 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul, and happy new year to you too!

December in Review
134. Ruined by Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz - mine
135. God With Us: Themes from Matthew by D.A. Carson
136. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller - mine
137. San Miguel by T.C. Boyle
138. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - mine
139. Books for Living by Will Schwalbe - mine and e-book ARC
140. Word by Word by Kory Stamper - mine and e-book ARC (comes out March 2017)
141. A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor

Books read: 8
Audiobooks listened to: 0
Graphic novels/Manga: 0
Picture books: 0
Adult/Teen/Children's: 8/0/0
Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry/Plays: 3/5/0/0
Library/Mine/Borrowed: 2/5/1

Standouts: Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Books for Living and Word by Word

Thoughts: An odd reading month for me in many ways, as I couldn't seem to get through an audiobook and it took me about 12 days into the month before I finished a book. Of course, things were busy trying to finish up knitting projects and Christmas shopping and getting my car fixed. Oddly, the books I did finish were all for adults and over half were nonfiction. Also over half were mine, a ratio I doubt I'll carry into the new year but can always hope!

Original publication dates read in 2016:
2017 - 1
2016 - 26
2015 - 21
2014 - 11
2013 - 11
2012 - 6
2011 - 2
2010 - 3

2009 - 2
2008 - 2
2007 - 2
2006 - 6
2005 - 1
2004 - 2
2003 - 3
2002 - 1
2001 - 3
2000 - 1

1999 - 3
1998 - 1
1997 - 1
1996 - 3
1995 - 2
1993 - 1
1990 - 2

1986 - 1
1985 - 2
1980 - 1

1978 - 1
1971 - 1

1969 - 1
1968 - 1
1967 - 1
1963 - 1
1962 - 1
1960 - 1

1957 - 2
1956 - 1
1955 - 1
1954 - 1
1953 - 1
1952 - 1
1951 - 2

1920 - 1

1908 - 1

1843 - 1

That will do it for 2016! Join me over on my 2017 thread, where I will very shortly be reviewing my first book of the year.