SqueakyChu is going FRUITY in 2023 - 3rd Quarter

Hi Folks!

This thread is continued from here.

Here are my ongoing stats for 2023:



More Stats:
Total pages read this year: = 8,180
Reading rate: stable at 30 pages/day
Books on Mount TBR: stable at to 395
BookCrossing books in my possession: increased to 1,984

In appreciation of our very own pawpaw tree that started fruiting well in 2022, this thread continues to be dedicated to FRUIT! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

JULY:


Photo of plums by Pussreboots - Flickr CC/A

BOOKISH EVENTS
1. BookCrossing (BCinDC) meetup at MOD Pizza, 12027 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, at 1pm on Saturday, July 15, 2023. It was fun...as always.

COMPLETED:
27. Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson - TIOLI #1: Read a book whose author has a first name which is the same as that of someone in your family (granddaughter) - 496 pages

AUGUST:


Photo of lemons by Jeffry - Flickr CC/A

BOOKISH EVENTS
1. BookCrossing meetup at Potbelly in Alexandria on 8/20/23 from 1-3pm. It was fun - once again!

COMPLETED:
28. Waiter Rant - Steve Dublanica - TIOLI #5: Read a book with a profession in the title or author's name (waiter) - 302 pages
29. Gender Queer: A Memoir - Maia Kobabe - TIOLI #9: Read a book with one or more wings on the cover - 256 pages
30. My Life: Growing Up Asian in America - SuChin Pak - TIOLI #9: Read a book with one or more wings on the cover (wing in title) - 250 pages

SEPTEMBER:


Photo of cherries by Rhian - Flickr CC/A

BOOKISH EVENTS
1. BookCrossing meetup in Maryland - 9/23/23 at 1 pm at MOD Pizza in Rockville, Maryland. It was fun!

COMPLETED:
31. The Daily Dad - Ryan Holiday - TIOLI #2: Read a book with a headline character count of 23 or less (12.5) - 407 pages
32. The Ultimate Guide to iPhone Photography - Yasseen Tasabehji - TIOLI #13: Read a book where you can make a word, with at least three letters, with the first letters of title and/or author (PIG) - 165 pages
33. Don’t Let Them Bury My Story - Viola Ford Fletcher - TIOLI #9: Read a book with a place name in the title - 115 pages
34. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores - Jen Campbell TIOLI #4: Read a book whose author's either first or last name has only 3 letters in it (Jen) - 188 pages
35. I Have Something to Tell You--For Young Adults - Chasten Buttegieg - TIOLI #11: Read a book with 5 or more words in the title, at least two of them the same length (have, tell, you, for) - 208 pages

Wishing you a good quarter 3. And hoping to follow along with your fruity reading a little further. I have a plum tree, but it won't be producing fruit in July.

>5 Helenliz: Thanks. Nice! I don't know anyone else with a plum tree. Two of my kids have fig trees. My own pawpaw tree is now bearing fruit, but they won't be ripe until this fall.

Happy new thread Madeline!

Happy new thread!

>7 quondame: >8 Kristelh: Thanks, Susan and Kristel.

Happy third quarter, Madeline!

>10 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. This year is speeding by quickly!

Happy new thread, Madeline!

We have a plum tree in the garden, and in most years it produces well. Sadly this year we suddenly had some freezing weather when it was in bloom, so no plums this year. Next year again, I hope.

Happy new thread, Madeline!

>12 FAMeulstee: That is so disappointing, Anita. Better luck next year.

>13 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. Hope to see you one of these days now that pandemic is winding down.

>14 SqueakyChu: Absolutely! We need to have another DC area meetup sometime.

>15 drneutron: Yes!!

Happy new thread!
I've had to move all my outside container plants to shade as we're in the 108-113 range. My tomatoes are still green, but my pepper plants have just started to bud. My little watermelon vine keeps stretching further and further with one flower on the end. And I have one pretty peach colored zinnia that strangled a small squash to get the pot all to itself.

>17 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer. Yikes! That heat!! Poor plants (and people)! My pepper plants have only one tiny poblano pepper, although my husband harvested over two pounds of green beans, two Japanese cucumbers and several cherry tomatoes. I picked a few of my parsley springs. Does that count?! :D

HAppy new one!

Happy new thread, Madeline!

>19 figsfromthistle: >20 atozgrl: Thanks, Figs and Irene.

Hi, Madeline. How far are you from Baltimore? Jim and I will be attending a conference there this weekend, but I think there will be some downtime. Any possibility of a meetup, or is it too far away?

>22 ffortsa: I sent you a private message, Judy.

>14 SqueakyChu: Sadly there will be no next year for the plum, Madeline. It went down in a storm yesterday. I was busy all day clearing out the remains :'(

Oh, no! I'm so sorry, Anita. Perhaps you can plant another one next spring?

>24 FAMeulstee: Oh, I hate to hear that you lost your plum tree! My condolences. I know it takes awhile for fruit trees to start bearing fruit, so I don't know if you can plant a new one or not, and get to enjoy the fruit. Maybe?

>25 SqueakyChu: >26 atozgrl: The plum tree was planted way before we came to live here, so it was over 40 years old.
You can't plant a same tree at the same place, unless you dig out very deep. With all the roots, that we won't dig out, it will take years before we can plant anything there.

I might be looking around to find an other suitable place for a fruit tree, maybe a plum again (not sure I can find the same), or an apple or pear, as I love to have fruits from my own garden. Fortunately the red currant, that grows next to the former plum, gets some more space and light now, so it will do better in the next years.

>27 FAMeulstee: Oooh! I love currant bushes, but we were never able to eat any currants when my dad had one. The birds got them all every year. However we did have a prolific gooseberry bush out of which fruit my mom made pies! :D

>27 FAMeulstee: Wow, 40 years old! In that case, I can see why you wouldn't be able to plant anything in that part of the garden.

I would love to be able to grow a fruit tree, but our yard isn't really big enough. Maybe I should look into some dwarf varieties, and something that can self-fertilize.

>29 atozgrl: Try a fruiting bush, Irene. How about blueberries? (...although I have two blueberry bushes with not one flower or berry on it!)

>30 SqueakyChu: Well, I do actually have a couple of blueberry bushes in pots. I really need to get them planted in the ground. They haven't produced so well the last couple of years. But when they did, the birds and squirrels got to most of the berries before I could.

>31 atozgrl: Here it’s almost an absolute necessity to use netting around blueberry bushes to protect the fruit from birds.

Last year, our bush produced eight blueberries. Each of us got to eat one or two blueberries. We were actually hoping for more blueberries this year, but we were out of luck. :o

>32 SqueakyChu: Yes, I think I will have to invest in some netting or some other kind of protection. I probably ought to look into getting more bushes.

Sorry to hear you didn't get any more blueberries from your bushes this year!

>28 SqueakyChu: >29 atozgrl: Most currants, and in the past 90% of the plums, are eaten by the birds. We get most of the blueberries, raspberries, and all Japanese wineberries. We share the wild strawberries with the slugs ;-)

So it is not that there is no fruit left after the plum is gone. But it was a nice tree, it provided shade on hot days (like today), and birds liked it, so we could watch the birds from the kitchen window.

Happy new one, Madeline. I am not sure why but your thread never rolls over automatically for me and I have to always go find it to star it. Done now.

I am getting lots of raspberries this year (compared to the previous 2 years, that is) but this year I pulled the plant out of the ground and potted it because it was spreading like mad and I just don't have the space in my back garden for something to spread like that. It has taken well to the pot but I am not sure what will happen over the winter. I will probably have to bring it into the garage and I guess we'll see if it survives for next year.

>33 atozgrl: Well, I guess there's always next year for blueberries, Irene.

>34 FAMeulstee: I'm even sadder now that your tree is gone, Anita. How about hanging a bird feeder in your window? I love our bird feeder, (but I have to remember to buy more seeds!)

>35 jessibud2: Shelley, my thread does not roll over automatically because I make each thread too short as I like to divide them into quarters of the year. I do have to remember to add links in the future.

Raspberries are great...especially on French vanilla ice cream! Yum!

>36 SqueakyChu: Raspberries and vanilla ice cream! Yum!! Hard to beat that!

We had to carry the big tub container that my peach sapling in to sit under the back porch. It's showing signs of sunburn. I planted this little thing six months ago, and while it has grown a couple of inches and is covered in leaves, it just hasn't thrived. Low desert problems.

>38 mstrust: My daughter has not had luck with her peach tree either. She now has some kind of bug burrowing into it. :(

Madeline, I had to tell I purchased two new puzzles from Eeboo! I'm so excited. I have been mainly reading but I could not resist these two new puzzles, https://eeboo.com/collections/shop-all-piece-love/products/lisbon-1000-piece-puz... That is Lisbon, Portugal, and the other is sea side scene. , https://eeboo.com/products/seaside-harbor-1000-piece-puzzle . I'm getting hungry reading about all the berries on your thread.

Some sad fruit news...My daughter reported that her fig tree died. I wonder if my son could give her a cutting to start a new tree? I wish I could grow one, but I have no room for another tree in our yard.

>40 vancouverdeb: Deborah, those are beautiful...and so new that I haven't even seen them yet in my grocery store (where I used to buy my Eeboo puzzles before we started renting them)! I'm guessing that I'll be able to put those two on my wishlist at Completing the Puzzle at a later date.

Look at the puzzle that's coming in the mail to us now!
https://artandfablepuzzlecompany.com/product/mantis-mantismantis/
It should arrive here in a few days! I can't wait to do it. It looks like a rather pricey puzzle! :D

>40 vancouverdeb: Omigosh, those are so pretty! Jeff and I love puzzles that are comprised of little vignettes... these suit perfectly! Thanks for posting them, Deb. :)

>41 SqueakyChu: Your puzzle that is on it's way to you looks gorgeous and challenging, Madeline. Enjoy! Glad you like the puzzles that are headed my way. The puzzles are very new, yes. I follow Eeboo on Instagram, so that way I read about there new puzzles.

>42 PlatinumWarlock: Glad you like the puzzles too, Lavina! I wish my husband would do puzzles with me too. Perhaps next year after he retires.

>41 SqueakyChu: Madeline, that's gorgeous too! I'm glad to have another good-looking puzzle site. 🥳

>43 vancouverdeb: I am so pleased with the puzzle rental service, Deborah. They have been great. They sent us a puzzle when I once reported a puzzle that we never received (although it had been delivered to a neighbor who had been out of town for a week). Last week they sent us a puzzle because they hadn't heard from us for a while as we had been out of town for almost a week and finished one of our own puzzles in the meantime. I am going to renew this service for another 6 months. We love it!

>44 PlatinumWarlock: I am definitely going to add puzzles from that Art and Fable Puzzle Company to our wishlist!

Lavinia, post your puzzles on Instagram so Deb and I can see them! :D

>45 SqueakyChu: Will do! :)

I'm about to collect a painting tonight that we're going to have converted into a jigsaw puzzle for the 100th anniversary of the organisaiton I'm secretary of. I will post when we've had them made up.

Have you ever seen or heard of a competition to complete a puzzle? Our Treasurer is a keen puzzler and has an idea to offer a prize for the fastest completion. I have no idea how that would work, or even if it would work. A small prize for finishing it faster than him, maybe? Any suggestions from those more into puzzling than me would be appreciated.

By the way folks, don't expect to get any more book reviews from me soon. One of the books I'm reading is about 500 pages; the other is 767 pages. Plus...I'm a slow reader. :D

>47 Helenliz: Helen, that sounds so cool! I often see pictures I think would make outstanding jigsaw puzzles. In addition, I used to take pictures that I thought would be excellent jigsaw puzzles. Let me know about the quality and price of the puzzle after you get/do it.

I have not heard of such a competition, but I do know that Completing the Puzzle recently hired a "speed puzzler" for her ability to win puzzling competitions. Write to them. This is the company...
https://www.completingthepuzzle.com/
https://www.completingthepuzzle.com/contact-us

I think a puzzling competition sounds like fun. The prize should be another puzzle! I once danced in a vat of grapes in Greece. My prize for doing this was a bunch of grapes! :D

>48 SqueakyChu: I once danced in a vat of grapes in Greece. My prize for doing this was a bunch of grapes!

How fitting!

>49 PlatinumWarlock: It was fun...but dancing on grapes hurt my feet! :D

27. Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson


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TIOLI #1: Read a book whose author has a first name which is the same as that of someone in your family (granddaughter)
----------------------------------------------
One of my good friends told me that this was “the best book she ever read”. I now see why. It gave me a whole new perspective on humankind and how and why we behave with cruelty to some others. I found it especially important because it was research into a global phenomenon as acted out by three different cultures (the American South, Nazi Germany, Asian Indians). As part of explaining the narrative, specific stories were used of situations that actually happened. Some of these episodes were disheartening, but others were truly appalling. Yet this is the world we live in. I doubt if we can change it, but it helps me to understand it. In this way, I think I can do my part to do right by other human beings.

This is one of the most disturbing books I have read. The castes of Nazi Germany evoke great emotion in me as I lost my maternal grandparents in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. I now was rereading about this experience from the view of caste systems and realizing this is no different than the caste systems of India and the caste systems of the American South. The idea of castes is examined by the author from many viewpoints. This work is well researched with amazing detail and clear, beautiful writing. This book should be a “must read” for everyone.

Rating - 5 stars

Caste is insidious and therefore powerful because it is not hatred, it is not necessarily personal. It is the worn grooves of comforting routines and unthinking expectations, patterns of a social order that have been in place for so long that it looks like the natural order of things.

>51 SqueakyChu: Wow! Sounds both painful and a necessary read. I'm adding this one to the TBR mountain.

>52 atozgrl: It's a terrific read, Irene. You will get so much out of it.

>51 SqueakyChu: Wow, Madeline - that sounds like an important read. Also adding it to the TBR pile. I appreciate your review!

>51 SqueakyChu: I read this... hmm, must've been 2020-2021 when I wasn't on LT because it's not marked as read... and found it really conceptually useful. She's a compelling storyteller too; as in The Warmth of Other Suns the theme plays out in many variations. And yes, once we put people into less-than categories, we do truly appalling things to keep them there.

>54 PlatinumWarlock: I agree with your assessment of it being an important work, Lavinia. One of the revues I read called it "seminal" which I think it is. It's greater than the topic of racism and takes into account the relationship of people toward one another in a global way.

>55 qebo: I hope to get a copy of The Warmth of Other Suns to read, Katherine. Wilerson's writing is so clear and beautiful.

Before, I could never fully understand the backlash to Obama's presidency. Now I think I have a better understanding of it, although that does not make me feel any better. I have little hope for our world. I need to preserve my own hope in smaller, more personal ways.

I have little hope for our world. I need to preserve my own hope in smaller, more personal ways.

Amen to that. I agree, and even then, it's sometimes a hard sell, for me...

>57 jessibud2: I don't remember being this dismayed about my country in the past. The worst time for me had to be during the Vietnam War, but I always felt that my protests could make change for the better. Maybe it's my age or even social media, but I see such negative behavior everywhere. I even had to cut off reading the news every day because it caused me such anxiety. I still glance at headlines because I need to have an idea of what's happening. I don't know how my husband can sit and watch the news programs every evening. There is no way I could ever do that!

>57 jessibud2: & >58 SqueakyChu: Same here. I can't handle the news anymore... Jeff has NPR on whenever he's in the car, which is A LOT, and I don't know how he does it. (Yes, certain shows are feel-good, but they're always interspersed with really depressing stuff.) The amount of hate and anger out there is really disconcerting.

>59 PlatinumWarlock: What really bothers me is that it's caused me to disconnect with people. I have to because I don't like being around people who disrespect others for what I now see as "caste issues". It's not always race, either. That's just part of it. This, in turn, is causing a wider division between people...which reinforces the "caste" system as we divide up even more into more separate categories. None of this is good for the future. What helps bring people together is getting to know one another so we can feel empathy for the "other" whom we get to actually know. Division is just one thing which works against that.

I'm reading a book that's fiction now. It's Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. The cruelty in it is truly gruesome, but it reflects real life in some cases. I can take horrible scenes from this book of fiction and equate it things I know happen in real life. *Sigh*

>60 SqueakyChu: What helps bring people together is getting to know one another so we can feel empathy for the "other" whom we get to actually know.

COMPLETELY agree. And yet so many people have no interest in making that effort with "others", which just leads to the vicious circle. Very sad.

>48 SqueakyChu: I once danced in a vat of grapes in Greece. My prize for doing this was a bunch of grapes! that's a story that requires more explanation. How dd you end up dancing in a vat of grapes?!

Thanks for the puzzle ideas & links. Ideas percolating...

>51 SqueakyChu: that looks worth looking out. Eta: and the library has several copies, reservation placed.

>62 Helenliz: It was at a wine festival I attended in Athens, Greece, on a trip through southern Europe in the summer and fall of 1973. My friend and I were chosen along with others to do this. We didn’t know any Greek dances so we just danced the hora (an Israeli folk dance).

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Caste after you read it.

>63 SqueakyChu:- I have a visual of you and Lucille Ball stomping around in those grapes, holding up your skirts. Lol

>64 jessibud2: Well...actually...it was I and Barbara! LOL! I think we were wearing shorts.

>65 SqueakyChu: - And Lucy was there in spirit! Did you ever see that episode with her doing that? Google it, it's hilarious

>66 jessibud2: I’m not sure if I ever saw it, but I can imagine her doing it. I’ll Google it now.

>66 jessibud2: LOL! That was great on utube!

It was a lot more fun when I did it. We were all in a circle dancing round and round and round and round to Greek music played by a band.

What a great story!

>69 Helenliz: That was only one teeny part of our two-month trip, but dancing in that vat of grapes was most memorable. :)

28. Waiter Rant - Steve Dublanica


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TIOLI #5: Read a book with a profession in the title or author's name (waiter)
---------------------------------
I enjoyed this book very much. It offers a bit of insight into what can often be a frustrating and tiring job. The author tells stories about both the good and the bad in being a waiter, but his way of recounting the latter experiences is often laugh-out-loud funny—and makes for quite the entertaining reading experience.

I’ve developed a new appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices waiters make in order to perform their jobs well. I felt that the author was being pretty honest in how he related to restaurant staff and customers in his job. I thought his writing was excellent and am happy that his career eventually turned more completely to writing. I was most sad at the end of this book where our restaurant manager (The Waiter) leaves his job at The Bistro. It reminded me of all the feelings I had when my own full time employment unexpectedly ended. I enjoyed the appendices and found them very useful. I do hope to read another book by this author in the future.

Rating = 4.5 stars

Without illegal immigrants the restaurant business in this country would come to a shuddering halt.

Order placed for 100 jigsaw puzzles. split between 500 & 1000 piece puzzles. It's called hedging our bets! Rather place a second order than have a whole pile left unsold.

Caste has arrived in the library for me.

>72 Helenliz: One hundred jigsaw puzzles?! From where did you get them? Where will you store them? What will you do with them afterwards?!

We’ve found the 500 piece puzzles too easy. We’ve been sticking to the 1,000 piece puzzles because the unfinished puzzles store easier although we also like the 1,500 and 2,000 piece puzzles.

I post pictures of completed puzzles (but only those not missing pieces) along with vancouverdeb on Instagram. Come join us there. I’m SqueakyChusssssss there. :D

Let me know what your thoughts are about Caste. I was so impressed by that book!

>73 SqueakyChu: I'm secretary of an organisation of bellringers are we are 100 years old in 2024, so they are going to be sold as commemorative fundraising items. We've had a painting done, which will now be the jigsaw puzzle.
So while in the short term they will live on my dining room table (alongside 250 calendars that are currently taking up residence on the same table), in the long run, I aim to only have 1 in my possession.

We had a long debate about what piece count to order. We're going with 50 of each on the grounds that we can place a second order rather than buy too many now and not be able to sell them.

>74 Helenliz: That sounds fabulous, Helen!

>72 Helenliz: & >74 Helenliz: Whoa, Helen!! My first reaction was that you had bought that many for your own use, and I was going to ask if I could move in, because as much as I would love to have that many puzzles around, my partner would promptly kick me out of the house. 🤣 But the fundraising approach sounds both lovely and more practical! I was in a handbell choir (which I assume is what you mean when you say "bellringers") when I was in my early teens... it was such fun. I really enjoyed it.

>71 SqueakyChu: This looks really good, Madeline - thanks for the BB!

>77 PlatinumWarlock: Waiter Rant was a fun and interesting read. I'd never heard of it before, but I picked it up from a local Little Free Library to release in my own Little Free Library. I noticed that this book had been blurbed by Anthony Bourdaine so I browsed through it, and it hooked me right away. It's ready for release once again. :)

>76 PlatinumWarlock: Not quite, I ring church bells. Video, which will make it clear how different it is.
https://youtu.be/pugRM2Nsnyo

Currently working out how to get a VERY large image file to the puzzle makers... I will post picture of the puzzles when they arrive!

>79 Helenliz: Wow... so, a handbell choir to the "Nth degree"! 😁 That's fascinating, Helen... when I've heard church bells like that in different cities, I assumed it was done through technology, rather than by humans ringing them in perfect rhythm. What an amazing experience! Thanks for the video link - very neat to see it in person.

>79 Helenliz: Wow! I bet you have great arm muscles!! Looking forward to seeing the picture!

>81 SqueakyChu: Not too bad, but only in one direction, if that makes sense. I can pull, but my push muscles are no better than anyone else's. Pushing a rope is not usually successful! It's technique rather than pure strength. And I tend to ring the little ones round the front.
Files sent, just waiting for acknowledgement that they've been received and are suitable. Then we have to agree the box artwork.

>80 PlatinumWarlock: It is a rather different scale! I'm not going to say that all church bells are rung by humans, some use a carillon, which is a different thing again, some just chimes quarters or can play tunes using clock hammers. This is a peculiarly English thing, but there are outposts in the colonies. I see you're in/near Seattle, and there is a tower there with changing ringing bells and, apparently, they practice.
https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/tower/16423

>82 Helenliz: I bet you can’t wait to see the final product (and do the puzzle!).

I'm reading a book that I could not fit into ANY of the TIOLI challenges this month so I put it into the 2023 BIG FAT BOOK CHALLENGE! :D

29. Gender Queer: A Memoir - Maia Kobabe


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TIOLI #9: Read a book with one or more wings on the cover (butterflies, dragonfly)
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I selected this book to read from my local library because I know it is a frequently banned book. I wanted to find out exactly what the content of this book was and determine for myself how appropriate it would be for teenagers to read it.

I was a bit taken aback by quite how honest this book was and how the author put aside any barrier to revealing quite intimate information. I guess this was part of the draw of the book, but the latter part of the book where the author was clearer about the meaning of genderqueer was the best for me. It not only provided information and comfort for individuals examining their own sexual identity, but it provided the same information and comfort to family and friends of those questioning individuals who also read this book.

The book was, in fact, very easy to read. I read the entire book in one sitting. The information was clearly organized, the artwork (with the coloring done by the author's sister) was attractive, and the supportive embrace of the graphic novel's content was completely there.

Rating 4.5 stars

I want to define myself by what I am instead of what I'm not.

>29 atozgrl: I really enjoyed Gender Queerlast month, Madeline. I was going to read another book that someone on LT recommend, but my local library had Gender Queer, so I read it. My 1 st cousin has a daughter who uses the pronouns they/ their. They are asexual and it helped me understand that better . It was a quick and interesting read. I went into Vancouver today and purchased some foam coreboard for a puzzle board in case I feel brave enough to try a 2000 piece puzzle. I took transit , so carrying a 40 inch by 32 inch board was just slightly awkward on transit. I own a couple of of 2000 pieces puzzles, so maybe someday I'll give one a try.

>86 vancouverdeb: I found Gender Queer so good that I am now going to seek out other banned books on the same subject. I have one friend who is not cisgender. I honestly never knew because she looks like a woman and uses female pronouns. However, she outed herself on a personal online diary. Our relationship has never changed. I appreciate knowing more about who she truly is, though. I am working this year on trying to understand more about other people different than myself. I think all of this started after reading The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph which just happened to be an LT Early Reviewer book (Thanks, LT!). Now I’m attributing this to Ibram X. Kendi after reading a couple of his books. Being truly accepting of others means looking deeply inside each of ourselves to see the hidden toxins within. This has been quite an enlightening past year or two of reading for me.

We do our puzzles on half of 48x36 foamboard that has been lightly scored so it can actually fold it in half. It measures 24x36 after we fold one half of it over the puzzle we’re currently working on to take it off our tabletop when we have visitors over for dinner (usually our kids/grandkids for Friday evening Shabbat dinner!). :)

It has been so much fun for me to see the puzzles you’ve been doing on Instagram. Thanks for sharing those pics!

LOL!! I can just picture you carrying that board. Glad you made it home okay. We have 2,000 piece puzzles we used to do at the beach each year and then during pandemic. We no longer do them since we started renting puzzles since we can’t finish them quickly enough. Our rental puzzles arrive about 8-10 days after mailing them back so we now stick to our own 1,000 piece or 1,500 piece puzzles between the rental ones.

>86 vancouverdeb: Haha! You didn't mention on my thread, Deb, that you carried the foam core home on the bus! Good for you! Jigsaw puzzle addicts unite! 😀

>87 SqueakyChu: We do our puzzles on half of 48x36 foamboard that has been lightly scored so it can actually fold it in half...

Oh, THAT'S a good idea! I never thought about that. We tried buying two piece of thin masonite board and sandwiching them together (secured with packing tape) to move an enormous puzzle... you can imagine how THAT went. 🙄 Might try your way next time, Madeline!

>89 PlatinumWarlock: This idea has actually been a godsend. We even use it for 2,000 piece puzzles by adding another 24x36 board on one half. We do the puzzle bottom on the large board, and the puzzle top on the smaller board. Then we slide the half-size piece (top) over the half with the bottom of the puzzle on it, flip the very top (cover) over it, clamp the edges with a few OXO clamps and then carry that entire puzzle to another room while we eat dinner with our family at the table. It is just narrow enough (24") to fit through any doorway! :D

This is very hard to explain, but it works! LOL!

To take a picture of the whole 2,000 piece puzzle, we just slide the puzzle top onto the larger board and put the top and bottom of the puzzle together temporarily.

>90 SqueakyChu: Brilliant!! I'm copying this conversation into a note so I can show it to Jeff. Can't wait to implement it!

>91 PlatinumWarlock: I’m glad you understood this. It was so hard to explain in mere words! LOL!!

If the scored part gets kind of loose, just top it with a long strip of packing tape, and it will never come apart!

30. My Life: Growing Up Asian in America - SuChin Pak


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TIOLI #9: Read a book with one or more wings on the cover (wing in title)
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This is a moving compilation of written works by Asian authors. Its variety of pieces is an educational, poignant and eye-opening realization of the more painful parts of the Asian immigrant experience in America. From the introductory piece by Teresa Hsiao which was a first person narrative of how people discriminated against her in many situations, to the angry piece by Yellow Rage to show the unafraid and strong Asian woman, to the piece by Moss Perricone who does a monologue about how he appeared naked in his brown school uniform, I was intrigued enough by these Asian voices to continue to read the whole book.

I then moved from piece to piece taking in the candor and the talent in all of the writing. I was struck hard by the essay, “The Question” by Mark Kramer, who addresses the bold question of “What are you?” with his remarks about “othering” because of my own personal family experience with this question. Ellen K. Pao’s essay “Working While Asian” hit me with a sucker punch as well as she discussed job loss for undeserved reasons. I appreciate each of these writers for taking the time to share their intensely personal stories with their readers. I hope all of these stories are taken to heart and used in a positive way when interacting with others.

Rating - 4.5 stars

If some stranger is asking, “What are you?” they're not actually thinking about you at all. Not as a human being at least—they've already ground you into a two-dimensional Other. It doesn't matter how you respond because they've already answered the question for themselves: You're not like me. ("The Question", Mark Kramer, Filipino-American)

31. The Daily Dad - Ryan Holiday


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TIOLI #2: Read a book with a headline character count of 23 or less (12.5)
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This is a beautiful book of daily meditations for dads. However, it is also for moms and for grandparents. Parenting is universal. The meditations in this book are a way of refocusing on family priorities at the end of each day. They help the reader look ahead to try to make the best of each day by remembering what to do with our kids to make it really be so.

Be prepared for some tears while reading these meditations because some will for sure tug at your heartstrings. The advice given is from many sources, but the message of each of them is of fundamental goodness. As I was reading each of the meditations, I reflected on how each affected me and, in turn, how my actions have affected my children and grandchildren.

I highly recommend this book which can be read either daily or (as I did as my book was a library copy) in a continuous stream as quickly or as slowly as desired.

Rating - 5 stars

You can't hold your children back. You can't resent that they're different. You can't hold them back with antiquated notions about gender or class. Their choices say nothing about your choices. They are their own people. They deserve their own lives. They deserve your support and encouragement and whatever direction that takes you or them.

Thanks for stopping by my thread, Madeline. I see you've been reading interesting and challenging topics these days. I might take a look at Caste myself.

>95 ffortsa: I can't praise Caste highly enough. It has affected my way of thinking about so much, Judy! My reading has definitely turned in a different direction these past few months.

Today's exciting news, I signed off artwork for a jigsaw puzzle for our bellringing association's 100th anniversary next year. 500 & 1000 pieces. I have a delivery of 50 of each in 4 weeks time. If anyone wants one, they're £15 for the 500 and £20 for the 1000. Get in touch. We'll have to discuss postage, but I'm sure we can help out there too.

>97 Helenliz: Very nice news. Let us know how this turns out. It looks exciting so far!

>99 SqueakyChu: I'm envious! My two oldest pawpaws (7 years) produced flowers for the first time this year, but they all dropped off without developing into fruit. I know it can take a decade, and this was an encouraging sign, and I have several younger pawpaws too, but it sure takes some patience.

They look sort of like mangoes. What does it taste like?

>100 qebo: I'm pretty sure that next year you will get a few fruit, and the following year you will get more plentiful fruit. The first few flowers on our tree dropped off without producing fruit also. Jose said about your tree, "She's closer!"

>101 jessibud2: A cross between a banana and a mango. The flavor is very mild. That's why I didn't add anything to the ice cream except pawpaw pulp, milk, cream and sugar. Other recipes have other ingredients, but they would just disguise the pawpaw taste. I made pawpaw pulp into pawpaw bread last year which was very good, but I could not taste any pawpaw at all. Later I read that heat damages the taste/flavor/smell of pawpaws...so I'm sticking to ice cream for the future! :D

>99 SqueakyChu: Looks great! I wish paw paws were more readily available because I'd love to try one.

>104 mstrust: Some people like them; others not so much! :D

32. The Ultimate Guide to iPhone Photography - Yasseen Tasabehji


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TIOLI #13: Read a book where you can make a word, with at least three letters, with the first letters of title and/or author (PIG)
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This book is fabulous! I had no intention of figuring out how to better use my iPhone camera, but I came across this book in my public library, and it looked interesting. The book turned out to be quick reading with easy-to-understand instructions and examples of everything taught. I will probably continue to avoid taking selfies, but I will use all other techniques taught in order to improve my photographs. Who knew that the iPhone had so many options to improve my picture-taking ?

Rating - 5 stars

To make someone look good, the first step is to make them the highlight of the photo.

33. Don’t Let Them Bury My Story - Viola Ford Fletcher


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TIOLI #9: Read a book with a place name in the title (Story, Wyoming)
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This book caught my eye in the public library because I recently heard of the Tulsa Massacre and was intrigued by the fact that this book was co-authored by Viola Ford Fletcher, still alive and 109 years old when this book was written. She was an actual survivor, along with a younger brother, of the Tulsa Massacre. It is one thing to read about an historical event, but quite another to read about it by someone who personally experienced it.

Although this book was subtitled "in her own words", I was not entirely sure that Ford's words weren't edited to make this book more literary in its narrative. My only other issue with this book were the pictures, some of which were too small, and others (the portraits) which were distorted to fit into ovals (for whatever reason!).

An epilogue to this book describes an attempt by family lawyers to get a Tulsa court to recognize the massacre "as a public nuisance for how it has harmed the Black community of Tulsa for decades." After the publication of this book, that court dismissed the lawsuit which is now headed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on appeal.

This book covers the author's and her brother's testimony about their suffering to the U.S.Congressional Subcomittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties chaired by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. It includes the author's description of her experiences during that frightening time of her life plus what happened to her later in life. The end of the book was about her trip to Africa, which had been a lifelong dream of hers.

I feel that books such as this one and others like it should be read by everyone to put an historical event into a real life context. I'll be watching with curiosity for the outcome of the law suit appeal.

Rating - 3.5 stars

The questions I had then remain to this day. How could you just give a mob of violent, crazed, racist people a bunch of deadly weapons and allow them-no, encourage them-to go out and kill Black folks and demolish a whole community? How much evil and pure jealousy-driven hatred do you need to have in your heart, to do the things they did?

In a touch of nostalgia, I'm posting a picture of an LT meetup I attended in DC and Alexandria, Virginia ten years ago.

Recognize anyone in this picture? :D

I recognize you, and Zoe and Nora (both of whom I have met here in Toronto)!

>108 SqueakyChu: OMG. Has it really been 10 years?!?

>110 qebo: This picture is from September, 2013.

34. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores - Jen Campbell


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TIOLI #4: Read a book whose author's either first or last name has only 3 letters in it (Jen) - 188 pages
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This book came to be written because a bookseller once blogged many of the surprising things her customers used to say while in her store. Readers of the blog convinced her to put her experiences in a book along with the experiences of other booksellers. All of the entries in this book, if not from the author’s store, are identified.

This book is great. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny. Others are just jaw-dropping in revealing how ignorant some people can be. The drawings by Greg McLeod are hilarious! This quick-to-read book makes for wonderful entertainment!

Rating 4.5 stars

Customer: (holding up a Jamie Oliver cookbook) Would you mind if I photocopied this book?
Bookseller: Yes, I would.

Customer (to her friend): What’s this literary criticism section? Is it for books that complain about other books?

>112 SqueakyChu: There are of course books that complain about other books - Joseph Andrews, not to mention Shamela. And all those Greek play about Electra over on Amber's @scaifa's thread.

>107 SqueakyChu: I read about her and her book recently, and now can't remember where.

>108 SqueakyChu: I managed to name 4 out of 5.

>115 PaulCranswick: Whom don't you know? I thought you knew everyone!

>116 SqueakyChu: Hahaha Madeline, how am I to do that from my outpost here?

>118 SqueakyChu: You certainly make lots of acquaintances from your distant outpost!

>118 SqueakyChu: And you remain (extreme right of the photo) one of my favourites. x

>112 SqueakyChu: That sounds like fun! You got me with a BB.

>119 PaulCranswick: Love you, too, Paul!
>120 atozgrl: It's a great BB, Irene.

Folks, this thread is heading over to the fourth quarter right here.

35. I Have Something to Tell You--For Young Adults - Chasten Buttegieg


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TIOLI #11: Read a book with 5 or more words in the title, at least two of them the same length (have, tell, you, for)
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Wow! This is really a beautiful book. It was written for a teenage to young adult readership, but I felt engaged in Chasten's story throughout. He talks about what his life was like growing up in a conservative small town in Michigan. He discusses his first awareness of what being gay felt like and how difficult this was for him to process. He also tells us about overcoming his reluctance to recognizing his true self and eventually finding comfort with this self-knowledge.

There is nothing in this book that I found off-putting. I found it a bit sad, but also a heartwarming and encouraging read. There should never be any reason to ban this book because young people who are questioning their sexual identity need to have books such as this one for information and support.

I know this book was written for young adults, but I did have to laugh at the part of the book where Chasten explained to his readers how paper invoices used to be sent by mail requesting paper checks in payment for a service and what a fax machine was. I feel as if I myself must have been born back in the Ice Age!

Rating - 5 stars

You never know everything your peers are going through, and sometimes all someone needs is a safe and welcoming place to eat lunch.