Mamie's 2021 Madness, page 7

Late Night Thriller - Cat Reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Lucia Hefferna

Keeping this topper because I love it so much.

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September Reads:
79. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warren, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/feminism - 3 stars
80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars
81. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars
82. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars
83. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy
84. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 4) - 4.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
85. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 5) (Castles Ever After, book 4) - 4 stars
86. Hickory, Dickory, Dock by Agatha Christie, trade paperback, acquired in 2012, crime fiction/mystery (Hercule Poirot, book 29) - 3.5 stars, read this with Birdy

January:
1. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth, trade paperback acquired in 2014, crime fiction (John Madden, book 1) - 4 stars
2. The Yellow Wallpaper: a graphic novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, illustrated by Sara Barkat, paperback acquired in 2020, horror - 4.5 stars
3. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins, trade paperback acquired in 2014, literary fiction (Virago) - 4 stars
4. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, Kindle, acquired in 2020, humor - 3.25 stars
5. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator) - paperback acquired in 2013, GN, horror - 4.5 stars
6. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, audiobook narrated by James Marsters, acquired in 2020, urban fantasy (Dresden Files, Book 17) - 4 stars
7. Medieval People by Eileen Powers, Kindle, acquired in 2020, non-fiction/social history/Middle Ages - 4.25 stars
8. Bloody January by Alan Parks, Kindle, acquired in 2020, crime fiction (Harry McCoy, book 1) - 2.5 stars
9. Paper Girls Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Artist), Kindle, borrowed, GN, time travel - 3.5 stars
10. The Weirdies by Michael Buckley, borrowed audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, juvenile fiction/humor - 5 stars
11. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Kindle, acquired in 2020, gothic horror - 3.5 stars
12. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/grief - 4 stars
13. Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen, Kindle, acquired in 2020, short story/food - 4.5 stars
14. Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, Hardback, acquired in 2021, graphic biography in verse/books about books - 5 stars

February Reads:
15. Paper Girls: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), Jared K. Fletcher (letters), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 4 stars
16. Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren, acquired in 2021, YA/historical mystery (Enola Holmes, book 1) - 4 stars
17. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Megan Backus, Kindle, acquired in 2020, novellas/grief - 2 stars
18. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Kindle, acquired in 2020, Polish fiction/animal rights - 4 stars
19. Summerwater by Sarah Moss, Kindle, acquired in 2021, contemporary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars

March Reads:
20. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, paperback (with deckled edge pages!), acquired in 2016, travel writing/Nepal/Tibet/Buddhism/grief - 4 stars
21. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical mystery (Veronica Speedwell, book 1) - 4 stars - recommended by Chelle
22. Paper Girls: Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan (writer), Cliff Chiang (artist), Matt Wilson (colors), paperback, acquired in 2021, GN/time travel - 3 stars
23. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni, translated by Anne Milano Appel, police procedural/Naples/1930s - 4 stars (Commisario Riccardi, book 1)
24. Death in August by Marco Vichi, translated by Stephen Sartarelli, Kindle, acquired in 2018, police procedural/Florence (Inspector Bordelli, book 1) - 3 stars
25. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon, Kindle, acquired in 2019, police procedural/Venice (Commissario Brunetti, book 1) - 3 stars
26. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/Florence/ just pre-WWII - 3 stars
27. West by Carys Davies, Kindle, acquired in 2020, historical fiction/western/novella - 4.5 stars - Katie's Dirty Dozen
28. Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, translated by ?, audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classic - 3 stars

April Reads:
29. Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, mystery/amateur sleuth - 4 stars (Anna Treadway, book 1) - recommended by Charlotte
30. Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/infidelity/dark comedy - 3.5 stars
31. Passing by Nella Larson, hardback, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/race/1920s - 4 stars
32. Destroyer by Victor LaValle (writer), Micaela Dawn (cover art), Smith Dietrich (artist), Joana Lafuente (colorist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/sci fi/Frankenstein retelling - 4.5 stars - recommended by Roberta
33. Descender Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars - recommended by Joe
34. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal, Kindle, acquired in 2020, literary fiction/linked vignettes - 4.5 stars - recommended by Helen
35. Descender Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire (author), Dustin Nguyen (artist), Kindle Fire, borrowed, GN/space opera/AI - 4.5 stars - recommended by Joe
36. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, Kindle, acquired in 2019, literary fiction/Catholicism/religious persecution - 4 stars
37. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/coming of age/1930a - 3.5 stars

May Reads:
38. Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, hardback, library book, literary fiction/mother-daughter relationships/dementia - 3 stars
39. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/relationships/infidelity/grief - 4.5 stars
40. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion, Hardback, library book, non-fiction/essays
41. All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Kindle, acquired in 2018, sci fi/AI/space opera - reread
42. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, Hardback, library book, sci fi/death - 4 stars
43. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding, hardback and audio narrated by Kenneth Danzinger, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/classics/humor
44. Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/gothic/psychological thriller - 3.75 stars
45. Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker, trade paperback, acquired in 2020, police procedural/France (Bruno Courrèges, book 12) - 4 stars
46. The Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker, trade paperback, acquired in 2021, police procedural/France (Bruno Courrèges, book 13) - 3.5 stars
47. The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator), Malcolm Jones Iii (Illustrator), paperback acquired in 2013, GN/horror - 3.5 stars
48. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry, Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/noir/private detective - 4.5 stars - recommended by Jennifer (mstrust)
49. The Man with the Golden Typewriter edited by Fergus Fleming, narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt, audiobook, acquired on 2018, non-fiction/letters/Ian Fleming/James Bond - 5 stars
50. Restless by William Boyd, audiobook narrated by Rosamund Pike, acquired in 2015, thriller/espionage/WWII - 4 stars - recommended by Bonnie and Donna
51. Descender Vol. 3: Singularities by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars

June Reads:
52. Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country buy Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones (illustrator/artist), borrowed, GN/horror/mythology - 3 stars
53. The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire by Molly Harper, Kindle, acquired in 2016, paranormal mystery/romance (Half Moon Hollow, book 3) - 3 stars
54. Mediterranean Mood Food by Paula See, hardback, library book, cookbook
55. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths, hardback, acquired in 2018, police procedural (Harbinder Kaur, book 1) - reread
56. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural (Harbinder Kaur, book 2) - 4 stars

July Reads:
57. The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths, Kindle, acquired in 2021, police procedural/forensic anthropology (Ruth Galloway, book 13) - 3.5 stars
58. The Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical fiction/WWII - 4 stars
59. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, hardback, library book, literary fiction/poverty/grief
60. Descender Vol. 4 Orbital Mechanics by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
61. Up in Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard, Kindle, acquired in 2021, crime fiction/WWII/humor - 3 stars
62. Dead Man in a Ditch by Luke Arnold, 2021 acquired audiobook narrated by Luke Arnold, fantasy/private detective/noir - 3.5 stars

August Reads:
63. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, library hardback, translation, literary fiction/linked vignettes/solitude - 4 stars
64. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, acquired in 2020, classic/shipwreck/survival - 3.5 stars
65. Ankomst by Gøhril Gabrielsen, translated by Deborah Dawkin, Kindle, acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/novella - 3 stars, recommended by Helen
66. The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, biographical novel/journalism/Puerto Rico - 3 stars
67. A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Kindle, acquired in 2021, Children's literature/fantasy/wizards - 4 stars - recommended by Richard
68. Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/horror/mermaids - 4 stars
69. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, translated by ?, Kindle, acquired in 2021, linked vignettes/Marco Polo/Kublai Khan - 2.5 stars
70. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Kindle, acquired in 2021, memoir/books about books - 4 stars - recommended by Helen
71. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, classic/literary fiction/industrialism - 5 stars
72. Remake by Connie Willis, Audiobook narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, acquired in 2021, sf/Hollywood/futuristic - 4.5 stars
73. Essential Welty by Eudora Welty, Audiobook narrated by Eudora Welty, acquired in 2017, short stories/Southern fiction - 4.5 stars
74. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Kindle, acquired in 2013, crime fiction/classic - 4 stars
75. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, library hardback, fantasy/steampunk/1912 Cairo - 4 stars
76. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar, acquired in 2013, historical fiction/alternate lives - 4.5 stars
77. Descender Vol. 5: Rise Of The Robots by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
78. Descender Vol. 6: The Machine War by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars

The List: (this is a list LT book bullets from this year)

1. A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill - Shannon (sturlington)
2. Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire by Alex von Tunzelmann - Susan
3. Cove by Cynan Jones - Richard - "...this is the book I wish The Old Man and the Sea had been, but was not."
4. The Riddle of the Third Mile by Colin Dexter - Jennifer (6th in the series)
5. A Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev - Paul
6. Summerwater by Sarah Moss - Caroline - "Moss communicates the dark undertow of the ordinary through a group of characters confined by weather to their cabins in a Scottish forest." (acquired 1/11/21) read Feb. 2021
7. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell - Ellen gave this the full 5 stars
8. Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli - Charlotte
9. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon - Judy (ffortsa)
10. The War Widow by Tara Moss - Meg
11. Blood and Oil by Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck - Susan
12. Childhood by Tove Ditlevsen - Käthe
13. A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler - Luanne (clue)
14. Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls - Karen, and Richard liked this one, too (acquired 1/11/21) read Jan. 2021
14. The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman - Charlotte - travel writing
15. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar - Mark
16. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry - Jennifer read May 2021
17. Those Who Knew by Idra Novey - Beth
18. The Steam Pig by James McClure - Kerry - crime fiction series set in apartheid-era South Africa
19. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines - Richard
20. Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins - Rhian
21. Unfinished Business: notes of a chronic rereader by Vivian Gornick - Charlotte
22. The Historians: Poems by Eavan Boland - Charlotte again
23. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris - Linda (laytonwoman3rd)
24. Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut - Julia
25. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - because Ellen because Richard

The List, continued:

26. A World Beneath the Sands by Toby Wilkinson - Erik
27. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - Charlotte "...really clever (and funny) way of making a powerful point about stereotypes..."
28. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell - Leslie (leslie.98)
29. Milkman by Anna Burns - Richard
30. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw - Chelle (YA)
31. The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer - Mark - memoir
32. Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe - Jim (acquired 1/26/21)
33. Mystery, Inc. by Joyce Carol Oates - Jennifer
34. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton - Jennifer (jpaul22)
35. The Man Who Walked Through Walls by Marcel Aymé - Pam
36. Telephone by Percival Everett - Kay
37. Monogamy by Sue Miller - Kay again
38. Destroyer by Victor LaValle - Roberta read April 2021
39. A Little London Scandal by Miranda Emmerson - Charlotte (this is the second in the series)
40. Written in Bone by Sue Black - Susan
41. The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville - Laura on Katie's thread!
42. A Natural History of Hell by Jeffrey Ford - Richard
43. Shooting Midnight Cowboy by Glenn Frankel - Mark
44. Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes - Helen
45. Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink - Helen again read 8/2021
46. Sicily by John Julius Norwich - Helen is on a roll!
47. The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith - because Richard said so
48. Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So - Richard again
49. Know My Name by Chantel Miller - Susan
50. The Good Lord Bird - Mark said so

The List continues:

51. The Eternal Audience of One by Rémy Ngamije - Richard
52. Lust and Forbidden Fruit Tomato Rhapsody: A Fable of Love by Adam Schell - Judy
53. The Changeling by Victor LaValle - Richard again
54. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - VictoriaPL
55. Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente - Richard says this is a similar theme to Remake
56. Madness is Better than Defeat by Ned Beauman - Richard again
57. Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman - Richard is on a roll
58. Medusa's Web by Tim Powers - Susan (quondame)
59. Experimental Film by Lewis Jacobs - Susan (quondame) again
60. Hot Money by Dick Francis - Karen
61. Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams - Beth
62. Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins - Beth again
63. Twenty-Five to Life by R.W.W. Greene - Richard
64. Adrift by Rob Boffard
65. My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones - Richard
66. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint - Beth

This should do it - next one's yours!

Katie’s Dirty Dozen - That’s right, folks, KAK’s reserved spot is back for a seventh year, let’s see what she hits me with this time.

1. Siracusa by Delia Ephron
2. Blessings by Anna Quindlen
3. When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
4. Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
5. The Plot by Jean Hand Korelitz
6. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
7. You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik
8. A Burning by Megha Majumdar
9. I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
10. Falling by T.J. Newman
11. Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly (Eloisa James)
12. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare read 9/2021 4.5 stars
13. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
14. Bookmarked: Reading My Way from Hollywood to Brooklyn by Wendy W. Fairey (daughter of Sheila Graham)

Happy new one, Mamie. I'm first! I'm glad you kept the topper. I smile every time I see it. You are on fire in August!

Happy new thread, Mamie! I just started a new one, too. Great minds.... #twinning

>10 BLBera: Thank you, Beth! Nicely done with snagging first place. I love the topper - I'm just going to let it ride the year out up there. I am very happy with my August reading - making up for some slower months.

>11 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Over 300 is too long, so it was time, and I am thrilled to be twins with you.

Happy new thread, Mamie!

>8 Crazymamie: I love the corgi with the book :-)

Thanks, Anita! Isn't that Corgi so funny?

Happy new one, Mamie! >8 Crazymamie: - my friend has 2 corgis, Myles and Olivia. Not sure if they read, though...;-)

Thank you, Shelley! Corgis always make me think of Lucy, who was my very first friend here on LT and helped me get my first thread started. Hard to believe that is almost ten years ago.

Happy new thread!

>17 quondame: Thanks, Susan!

Happy New Thread, Mamie! You haven't read Life After Life? You are in for a treat and her next novel, A God in Ruins was even better.

Hi Mamie!

Don't mind us, the workmen are almost finished with installing the porch swing...

...so I brought some desserty stuff to nosh on...

...but I couldn't decide between champers...

...or coffee drinks...

...so I brought 'em all.

Happy new one, Mamie! You're really steaming along this time.

Happy new one!

Happy new one, Mamie!

Happy new thread, Mamie and love to all at the Pecan Paradisio.

Happy new thread, Mamie.
I'm going to be interested to see what you make of Life after Life.

>19 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I have only read the first four of her Jackson Brodie books, and I absolutely love those. The audio of Life After Life is excellent. It's narrated by Fenella Woolgar, and it's a lovely so far. I wanted to listen to it now because it was one of the books mentioned in Dear Reader - she talks about how it made her head spin:

Sometimes I would go pleasantly crazy. After reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, in which Ursula Todd keeps dying and then having another chance at life, I felt spaced out but had to go shopping. The young man at the counter asked me how I was. 'I fell a bit peculiar, actually,' I said.'I've been reading too many books and the one I've just finished invites you to think of the untraveled roads, the paths not taken, so I've been considering my own life and all the different ways everything might have worked out. It's quite disorienting, isn't it? I feel quite strange.'

He looked at me for a moment and then said, 'Do you want a bag?' which was the perfect response, really. I told Erwyn (her husband) about it and then and then he too would quite often listen as I went off on a flight of fancy, pause, and then say, 'Do you want a bag?'"

Good to know that the follow-up book is even better. It will be interesting to see how she does it when I get there.

>20 Carmenere: Hello, Lynda!

>21 richardderus: That is some porch swing, BigDaddy! I can't wait to take it for a spin. That is such a beautiful little nook - elegant yet simple and inviting. And lovely treats and beverages, too!! You have outdone yourself. Thank you kindly, good sir!! *smooch* Let's dig in!

>22 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba! It looks like it's all or nothing. Apparently, I don't know how to just keep up like a normal person.

>23 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! The good doctor is IN!

>24 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen!

>25 PaulCranswick: Thanks for that, Paul!

>26 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen! I don't know if it would work for me in print, but I am loving the audio of it so far. It was really hard to listen to the life that includes rape and abortion and and domestic abuse. I have five hours left to go.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday. Going to see Jackson later today. Yah!!

>27 Crazymamie: I like the Dear Reader quote! I hope you can get back and read more of the Brodie books too. They are terrific.

Morning, Mark! Happy Friday! Have fun soaking up some Jackson time.

I thought you would like that quote. I have read all of the Jackson Brodie books except for the last one - I am hoarding that. I want to reread through the first four and then read it - I have it on audio narrated by Jason Isaacs! How cool is that?!

Life after Life is one of my favorite books. I don't know if I could listen to it, though.

>32 BLBera: Hello, Beth! Interesting - why? I am really impressed with how she begins the story again and again and yet somehow manages to not make it feel repetitive. You know where you are at with the mention of snow or a silver hair or a sentence that repeats but she keeps changing the focus as she reweaves the story.

*edited to fix a typo

Morning, Mamie!

I am also hoarding the latest JAckson Brodie book. And I still have not gotten to any of Atkinson's other novels. Bad Katie.

Have a great Friday! Mexican for lunch?

Morning, Katie! Same! We are twins again, which is happy making. I have Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Transcription, and Not the End of the World in the stacks. And I recently used some Audible credits to acquire Jackson Brodie books 2-4 on audio. I have the first one on audio and have listened to it several times. Audio is such a great way to revisit books.

Thanks for the Friday wishes. Happy Fridaying to you. We are doing burgers from a local burger joint today, as Abby has requested that instead of Mexican. I am getting the bacon cheeseburger with onion rings.

>35 Crazymamie: - Ha! I had a bacon cheeseburger at trivia last night (but with steak fries).

I have Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Human Croquet, Life After Life, and Not the End of the World in my stacks :)

>36 katiekrug: *grin*

Human Croquet sounds good! Ima add it to my Amazon list in case it goes on sale for cheap.

Happy New Thread, Mamie, and Happy Friday!

How’d you like The Dictionary of Lost Words? I enjoyed that one.

Thank you, Joe! Happy Friday to you! I have not yet read The Dictionary of Lost Words - it's a book bullet from Beth. Posts >5 Crazymamie: through >8 Crazymamie: are book bullets from other LTers. I need to add a qualifier to the posts to make that clear. The books I have read this year are listed by month in >2 Crazymamie: through>4 Crazymamie:, Sorry for the confusion.

I'm not very good at always paying attention to audiobooks, Mamie, and I think it would have been hard to keep my attention focused with all the repetition.

Gotcha. I think paying attention to audiobooks is a learned thing. When I first started, I found myself suddenly realizing that I wasn't paying attention, treating it more like music that you can fade in and out of with no repercussions. Then I would have to figure out where I had stopped listening and go back - very tedious, but my practice paid off, and now I can actively listen and do other things like laundry or cooking. Very convenient for me, but I get that it doesn't work for everyone.

I think you're probably right, Mamie. I don't listen to many audiobooks although I have found some that work well for me, so I might continue with them. I expect I will get better with time.

I'm reading through The Window Seat, a collection of essays by Aminatta Forna, and I loved this:

"The Arctic winds that blow across the Shetlands flatten everything in their path, leaving a landscape that is stark and treeless. We passed a single strand of trees, enclosed by stone walls, that had grown their crowns all bent in the same direction, like a crowd of old men holding up broken umbrellas. Though it was halfway through May, their branches were bare. The winter winds reach seventy miles an hour. Life survives by hugging the earth: tiny Shetland ponies and Highland cattle."

>42 BLBera: That's what it took for me anyway, time and practice. It is very cool when you find a book that is elevated by the talents of the narrator - it feels like magic. I am very picky about the narrator, and I usually speed them up a bit. As I mentioned to Katie above, audio is an excellent way to revisit a book - I love doing that. And a lot of books that I worried would not hold my attention - like War and Peace I began by listening to the audiobook with the print book in front of me. It was a kind of immersion that I really like for books that I want to read but need help sinking into.

>43 Crazymamie: This sounds wonderful!

>44 Crazymamie: I agree that a good reader is key, Mamie. I recently got some audiobooks from the library and the readers grated so much, I returned them.

>45 BLBera: It's excellent so far, Beth. My favorite of the ones I have completed is 1979 - her father worked for the UN and their family was posted in Tehran at the time, so they had a front row seat for the events:

"I was fourteen, and about to see a part of somebody else's history being made. I wish I had been older, wiser. I wish I could remember more, had paid more attention, understood more - but then I remind myself that I was not alone. What happened in 1979 has happened many times before and many times since, in places where people have set themselves free and believed with all their hearts that the freedom they had fought for was real and lasting, only to be recaptured."

Yep - the narrator makes or breaks the book.

*raises hand*
Another Kate Atkinson fan here! I thought Life After Life was brilliantly done. Mamie, I enjoyed reading your posts about the book because they brought back all the joy I felt when I read it.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Saturday. Had some quality time with Jackson yesterday and got to see him with his eyes open for a few minutes too. Mom is doing good too. Enjoy your weekend.

>43 Crazymamie: I like this Forna quote.

>47 lauralkeet: I just love how she writes, Laura. She has a unique way of telling a story - I feel like you could read something out to me and I would know if it was her voice or not. She weaves the humorous and the bittersweet together so deftly. Thank you for your kind words - I'm glad you enjoyed my posts.

>48 msf59: Morning, Mark! Saturday already - the weekend needs to slow down. I wasn't done with Friday yet. Hooray for time with Jackson - soak it up because they grow SO quickly.

The essays are very good and very interesting - I think you would like this collection. The only other thing I have read by her is Happiness, and I loved that.

Yesterday was very stormy here, so I indulged myself with quieter pursuits. Read some more out of Forna's essays, read some of the letters in Counting One's Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, which was recommended by Susan, and worked on catching up some more on the threads. Rae and I started watching North and South, the miniseries that everyone was talking about over on my category thread - the one with Richard Armitage. He is perfect in this role. I am not quite halfway through it. I was surprised by how much of the beginning of the book is missing here - they really just wanted to get the Hales established in Milton, and I though it was a mistake to leave out the fact that Margaret's father left it to her to tell her mother that he had given up his living and that they were moving. What I thought was a brilliant addition was Margaret writing a letter and stating, "I wish I could tell you how lonely I am. How cold and harsh it is here. Everywhere there is conflict and unkindness. I think God has forsaken this place. I believe I have seen hell and it's white, it's snow-white."



Later, Abby, Rae and I watched several episodes of the new Netflix series The Chair. Anyone else watching this? We are really liking it so far - the casting is brilliant.



In the wee small hours of the morning, my insomnia read was the sample of Lolly Willowes that I had sent to my Paperwhite. We were discussing this author over on Paul's thread, and he and Richard mentioned that this is her most popular novel. I liked the sample, so I purchased the Kindle book and continued reading - not very far in, but I like the writing style and the story so far.

Oy. Saturnsday. And it's almost the end of 2021 (240/365ths done).

...what...how...huh?

>51 richardderus: Right?!

Second cup of coffee and bright sunshine that is supposed to turn to storms later - I'll take it. Hoping your Saturday is behaving itself. *smooch*

Happy Saturday, Mamie! I saw there was a new series on Netflix but I'm not ready to start The Chair till I finish Virgin River. A few more episodes to go. I thought The Chair might be good but your remarks seal the deal.

Happy Saturday to you, Lynda! Rae and I binged through Virgin River as soon as it was available. I think you will really like The Chair when you get to it. I am always on the lookout for my next watch, and that one called to me right away because I love Sandra Oh.

Yes! Sandra Oh in a starring role should be fantastic!

She is, and the young actress that plays her daughter is full of fabulous.

Morning, Mamie!

I've heard really good things about The Chair, but I've also heard that it's crazy-accurate and I'm not sure I want to dive back into the hell of academia at that level...

>57 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I totally get that.

'Morning, Mamie! Happy coffee, books, and etc. to you.

Morning, Karen! Thank you. I am wishing you happy, too.

Sunday? September on Wednesday? Waitwaitwait, 1997's moving too fast for me...

>57 scaifea: No TV or movie would go for crazy accurate for staff meetings - they last forever and leave everybody aching to leave. Much more likely to be full of what people wished they could say.

Morning, Mamie. I hope you had a good weekend at the Pecan Paradiso, even though it probably flew by. We have a bit of a cool down coming so I am looking forward to hitting the trails each day. I also NEED to get over and get my Jackson fix.

>61 richardderus: Oh, dear! Please tell me we didn't time travel back to 1997 - Birdy was not born until 1998. I love that my children are all adults now - I refuse to go back. Just wake me up when we get back to the future.

>62 quondame: *waves at Susan*

>63 msf59: Morning, Mark! It did go quickly, but it was indeed a good one. I would love a cool down - it's still gross here.

Addicted already?! Of course you are. Please give Jackson our love.

Morning, Mamie!

Morning, Katie!

Good morning, Mamie! Have a spectacular day!

Hey there. It sounds in >64 Crazymamie: above as though you've fallen for the peculiar mass delusion that it's 2021. This is on its face absurd as that would mean I am almost 62. As this is a notion so risible as to need no further debunking, I shall pass to the happy, sunny uplands of Denial and wish you a happy...um...diurnal anomaly.

>67 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda! Hoping your day is full of spectacular, too. Honestly, it's Monday, so I would settle for not horrible. Heh.

>68 richardderus: *belly laugh*

Morning, Mamie. One year into retirement and still loving every minute of it and now I have a grandson to make life even sweeter. Have a great day, my friend.

Morning, Mark! Your utter happiness is very happy making. Thanks for sharing your joy.

1997? That's almost half a lifetime ago, how did that happen!!

Hoping Tuesday is treating you well. It's pseudo Monday here, with a bank holiday yesterday. It seems to be combining the worst elements of both days and being generally unpleasant.

>72 Helenliz: Weird how it sneaks up on you, isn't it, Helen?

So far so good with the Tuesdaying. The house is very quiet this morning as Griffin and the cats are napping. It's raining here and supposed to go to only 82F today (28C), which would be lovely except the humidity is 90%, so it's still kinda gross. I have to pick up a prescription for Rae today and stop by the library, but other than that my schedule is free. Oof to your pseudo Monday. Hoping that Wednesday behaves itself for you.

Any time there's a chance of humidity around 90% it is awful. Dank. Grisly.

Coffee. Need more. Yes.

Hi Mamie. Yay for a mostly free schedule, yay for the quiet and rain.

>74 richardderus: Yep - you just described Georgia currently. And yes to more coffee.



>75 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! I love me a lazy rainy day.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Wednesday. I hope the week is going well. Mine is, and it will only be 78F today. Sorry, to rub it in but yippee!!

How are those current reads treating you.

Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday. OH, man, only 78F! *sob* Well it's only going to 91F here with 93% humidity, so I can't wait to get out there and soak it up. And I do mean soak. *hysterical sobbing*

Current reads are good - I'm about to put together an August summary. August was very good to me.

Hi Mamie!

You'll be hotter than we'll be today, but we're getting remnants of Ida, which includes potentially heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes.

It's always a crap shoot in the South in the summer, isn't it?

I hope you're imbibing coffee to take the sting out of the day.

76. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar, acquired in 2013, historical fiction/alternate lives - 4.5 stars

This was full of fabulous, and the narration by Fenella Woolgar was perfection. What if when you died, you started life over again from the beginning? Not reincarnation but your own life - same parents, same birthdate, same weather. This is what happens to Ursula Todd, and the different roads her life takes depending on what choices she and others around her make is fascinating. And how Atkinson handles the narrative is brilliant - restarting from the beginning until just the word "snow" is enough for the reader to signal Ursula's birth. The premise is tricky and would be so easy to mismanage, but Atkinson makes it a journey worthy of the reader's time.

.
77. Descender Vol. 5: Rise Of The Robots by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
78. Descender Vol. 6: The Machine War by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars

The final two entries in this space opera series by the talented team of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. I cannot believe how perfect the ending was, and highly recommend this series to anyone who loves science fiction and the graphic novel format. The illustrations are gorgeous and really bring this story to life.

>79 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! We had storms all last night.

"It's always a crap shoot in the South in the summer, isn't it?" This is so accurate that you made me snort my coffee. We get such a mixed bag and the forecast can change every minute it seems like. Being located between the Gulf and the Atlantic means you never quite know what you are gonna get.

Yes to the coffee - still on my first cup. It's Maple Pecan again as it tasted so good to both Abby and myself yesterday that we are having an encore.

>78 Crazymamie: Oh gross! 93%?! YOICKS.

It's drizzly and chilly - yes, chilly! - here this morning. First day of September and the first day I've put a sweater on. Woot!

>82 scaifea: Exactly.

I envy you your weather - please soak some of it up for me, Amber. A sweater! I miss sweaters.

>83 Crazymamie: Sorry - I thought after I typed that that it sounded like I was rubbing it in! What I mean to convey was that I wish I could send you the same, cool, fall sweater weather!

August was an excellent reading month for me. I read a total of 16 books, making it my best reading month so far this year.

August Reads:
63. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, library hardback, translation, literary fiction/linked vignettes/solitude - 4 stars
64. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, acquired in 2020, classic/shipwreck/survival - 3.5 stars
65. Ankomst by Gøhril Gabrielsen, translated by Deborah Dawkin, Kindle, acquired in 2021, psychological thriller/novella - 3 stars, recommended by Helen
66. The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, Kindle, acquired in 2021, biographical novel/journalism/Puerto Rico - 3 stars
67. A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Kindle, acquired in 2021, Children's literature/fantasy/wizards - 3.5 stars - recommended by Richard
68. Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant, Kindle, acquired in 2021, novella/horror/mermaids - 4 stars
69. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, translated by ?, Kindle, acquired in 2021, linked vignettes/Marco Polo/Kublai Khan - 2.5 stars
70. Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Kindle, acquired in 2021, memoir/books about books - 4 stars - recommended by Helen
71. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, Audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson, classic/literary fiction/industrialism - 5 stars
72. Remake by Connie Willis, Audiobook narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, acquired in 2021, sf/Hollywood/futuristic - 4.5 stars
73. Essential Welty by Eudora Welty, Audiobook narrated by Eudora Welty, acquired in 2017, short stories/Southern fiction - 4.5 stars
74. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Kindle, acquired in 2013, crime fiction/classic - 4 stars
75. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, library hardback, fantasy/steampunk/1912 Cairo - 4 stars
76. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, Audiobook narrated by Fenella Woolgar, acquired in 2013, historical fiction/alternate lives - 4.5 stars
77. Descender Vol. 5: Rise Of The Robots by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 4 stars
78. Descender Vol. 6: The Machine War by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Artist), Kindle Fire, acquired in 2021, GN/space opera/AI - 5 stars

My favorite was North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and the worst one was Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. I listened to five audiobooks, so I have finally gotten back into my audio grove, which is happy making.

Translations: 3 (2 from Italian, 1 from Norwegian)

Authors that are new to me: 6 (Gøhril Gabrielsen, Hunter S. Thompson, T. Kingfisher, Italo Calvino, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Connie Willis)

Female/Male author: 10/6

Dead/Living author: 6/10

Nonfiction: 1

Borrowed/Mine: 3/12

>84 scaifea: No worries - I didn't think you were rubbing it in. I thought you were joyous at the cooler temps and sharing your joy with me.

>80 Crazymamie: the only fly in the ointment of Life after life was I couldn't decide what made that the "right" ending. It was a fabulously inventive idea, brilliantly written. I just was left feeling like she'd stopped writing, not that she'd written the ending.

>Hello, Helen. I didn't think that it was the "right" ending - I thought she did just stop writing because there could be no ending, and I loved that idea.

>88 Crazymamie:, >87 Helenliz: What y'all're describing is exactly the response I tend to have to recursive stories, eg Invisible Man, in general. It's not conclusive, it's not *ended*, it's just stopped.

What I'm trying to find is the key to appreciating that, as in saying to myself, "this is meant to be like this and I don't hate it I just..." but I still can't finish that sentence with anything except "...dislike it intensely."

(Really? I hate it. But that makes people mad.)

Hi Mamie! *smooch*

>89 richardderus: Well, but it's YOUR opinion, right? Whether it's meant to be that way or not, you are entitled to your opinion of it. I don't always like an open ending, but I felt it worked perfectly in this particular novel. It depends on what I feel about the entire experience of the book - do I feel cheated? Do I feel unsatisfied? Or did it hit all the right notes before the open ending which leaves me happily contemplating what might come next.

Hello, darling! *smooch back*

>90 Crazymamie: Yes, it is indeed my opinion. But in case you didn't know, a man who has an opinion about a book written by a woman is Wrong (if the woman reading his opinion disagrees with him) because obviously She Is Right.

Uteruses are infallibility granters, you see.

Ahem. I think it depends on the woman. THIS woman thinks you have a right to your opinion regardless of the sex of the author or yourself.

See, I mean. Dammit! I read 11 books in August and have been chuffed at that achievement. Then you deflate my balloon. Well... That's a really great stat on your end, reading 16 books. (I think your record must have an asterisk, pointing to listening as opposed to actually reading them in the way God intended when he created the printing press and book binding machinery and trained minions to operate them. Well. Never mind, never mind.)

On the other hand, I liked every one of the eleven I read. When one's lowest rated books are by Wendell Berry and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, you see how fierce the competition was. Best of the month: Piranesi.

It's in the mid-60s here right now. Nanny nanny foo foo.

Of course the humidity is 120% and it's raining steadily, reaching for the projected 4 to 8 inches. Thanks, Ida. Have a potato.

>92 Crazymamie: Indeed you do, Mamie my dear, but you're a woman. Not a Woman. One of those whose response to the reality of being belittled, oppressed, repressed, and ignored is to do the same thing to those who've done dirt to womankind since time immemorial.

Not that I don't get the impulse, but what quicker way is there to perpetuate hostility and unpleasantness than to return it?

Your post made me laugh out loud, Bill! Right. If you only count the ones that I read as God intended, then we tied for August.

SO true that I did have a loser in there, but just one. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I want you weather. *envy eyes* I would take 60s even with 120% humidity and loads of rain. Rain, I like. Humidity, not so much. Perhaps a very dry martini to help you stay unwet?

>94 richardderus: "Not that I don't get the impulse, but what quicker way is there to perpetuate hostility and unpleasantness than to return it?" Exactly. And I like to treat individuals as um...individuals.

>96 Crazymamie: I wish I was as good a person as you. I think of them as Them *lip-curl* I'm sad to say.

>80 Crazymamie: I have not heard of Descender. It sound like I should have. I'm a little confused over Descender (2015) vol 1 vs Descender vol 1, and it seems as if there is both a 6 vol version and a 2 vol version.

>91 richardderus: Does that make women who don't like books by men out of line? Well, that won't fly and the other shouldn't either, but then I've never been in line and it seems cracked to expect others to happily wait there.

Happy Tuesday, it is Tuesday, right? Oh no, it's Wednesday.
I finished Virgin River this morning before I even got out of bed. Such a lovely place which unfortunately has big world problems. *sigh*
Tonight, I'll begin The Chair. The previews had me rolling.

>99 quondame: The issues are with the concept "get/stay in line" in my observation. Those who want neat lines are usually angry/upset because there aren't lots of neat lines out there in the world.

>101 richardderus: Oh yeah.

Happy Sept - um...Thursday, Mamie! I started All The President's Men last night, and already I've read two chapters (out of 17). I thought it was huge but maybe not, or maybe the later chapters are longer. I've also been listening to the first series of the Slow Burn podcast, which is about Watergate, and it's very good. After all these years I finally know what happened and why it was such a thing.

>97 richardderus: I'm not sure goodness has anything to do with it. I always try kindness first. I believe in kindness - it's what my Dad taught me, showed me, gave me, and I have seen it work magic. That being said, I know there is a whole lotta ugly out there.

>98 quondame: Susan, it IS confusing. The issues were released as small individual issues originally - Descender #1 is the first issue; altogether there are 32 of these. Then later multiple issues are gathered together in a larger volume - Descender Vol. 1: Tin Stars contains issues 1-6; altogether there are six of these. Finally, they are released in an omnibus edition - Descender: The Deluxe Edition, Volume 1 contains issues 1-16; altogether there are two of these. I read them in that middle format type, so there were six volumes of multiple issues.

>100 Carmenere: Hello, Lynda! Yes, and today is Thursday. We gobbled up Virgin River each time as soon as the season was released. I cannot wait to see what you think of The Chair.

‘Morning, Mamie!

>81 Crazymamie: Sorry about the coffee snorting, glad you concur with my assessment.

>85 Crazymamie: Congrats on 16 books for the month.

>90 Crazymamie: You nailed it – open endings work sometimes and sometimes don’t. I do get angry if I feel the book was deliberately cut off in order to set up for the next book.

Generalizations make me crazy. I succumb occasionally, usually regarding political and Covid-y things, but really try to avoid ‘em. And, while I'm grumbling, I actively dislike cutesy SWMBO relationship power dynamic stuff.

Back to positivity - I do hope you’re enjoying another fabulous coffee morning.

Morning, Mamie. Sweet Thursday. Sorry to hear about the hysterical sobbing. I hope things begin to cool off there, so you can at least sit outside now and then.

>101 richardderus:, >102 quondame: I really only manage to stay in line at places like the grocery store.

>103 susanj67: Hello, Susan! I did not start it yet, but I have my trade paperback copy ready to go - it's 361 pages including the Afterword and the index. I will look for that Slow Burn podcast. I know the basics but not all the details, so I am looking forward to finally sorting it all out.

>105 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! No worries - I know that coffee snorting can occur at any time if I am drinking while perusing the threads. Thank you on the 16 books - I was most pleased.

I also hate when a book ends on a big ole cliffhanger.

I also dislike generalizations - my mom used to put everyone in a box, and one of the huge problems with that is that she would never go back and reevaluate. Once you were in the box, there you stayed. She was very judgey.

The coffee at the Pecan Paradisio today is Maple Bourbon. Delicious.

>106 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday. Going to 89F here today with 85% humidity, so an improvement over yesterday. I'm hoping by the end of the month to resume some major porching time, but we'll see. Right now, I can only take about an hour on the screened-in porch, and that's with the overhead fan running to create some air movement. I do appreciate the good wishes, so thank you.

79. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warren, Kindle, acquired in 2021, literary fiction/feminism - 3 stars

"Time went faster that the embroidery did. She had actually a sensation that she was stitching herself into a piece of embroidery with a good deal of background."

This was a quick read suggested by Paul when I asked about an entry point into Warner's writing. It's a strange little novel that finds its voice at the end. Laura Willowes, called Lolly by her family, is a single woman in want of "a room of her own". Written in 1926, this novel precedes Virginia Woolf's famous essay that so eloquently elaborates on why it is important for women to be able to claim and to make their own way. When Laura's father dies, she is 28 and unmarried, so she is told that she will live with her brother Henry and his wife. She is given the smaller spare room as her own, and is forced to leave all that she has known behind as she moves from Lady Place, her childhood home in Somerset, to London. Now instead of rambling walks and puttering in the greenhouse and deciding for herself what each day holds, she will help to care for her brother's children and keep her sister-in-law company in exchange for room and board. And she does this for many years. When her nieces and nephews are finally grown, she sees an opening and finally takes control by announcing she is moving to Great Mop in the Chilterns. This is where the story starts to take off, and we see Laura just begin to find her own happiness when her nephew descends on her and decides to stay - he is writing a book. What happens next is obvious from the book's cover - Laura becomes a witch. I don't want to spoil the book, so I will stop there. I am of two minds about the ending, and I feel like I need to let that marinate a bit more...

>109 Crazymamie: It's definitely an ending to polarize, isn't it. The book was very, very strange considering when it was written. She should be grateful there is a place for her at all!

Snort.

Anyway, may this second-Monday-ish Thursday leave you unmolested.

>110 richardderus: Hello there, dearest! You are incorrigible. I am so very thankful for that. *grin*

Thank you for those good wishes - I like that you didn't set the bar too high. You have to be very careful with days that give off that Monday vibe.

*edited to fix the post reference

Hi, Mamie. Life After Life was one of my rare audio book readings (a long car trip), and I loved it, too. Great book and narration.

Thanks for the nudge on The Chair. I’ve read positive comments about it and will give it a go. I loved the dark, twisty “Brand New cherry Flavor” but it’s not for the fainthearted. It had the most warnings across the top of the screen I’ve ever seen, including gore, violence and smoking. Of course, I recommended it to our friend Mark.

>104 Crazymamie: I think I found the right volume - after I downloaded a Spanish version. Mike subscribes to a comic/graphic novel service and if I could pry his iPod Pro from him I'm sure it would look better there than my standard iPod.

>112 jnwelch: I watched "Brand New Cherry Flavor" with Rob and concur...every warning imaginable, and not one out of place. Y.O.W.

But it was really well-made, and it left us thinking about how much we hate kittens. Eight episodes, about six hours, and it's based on a novel by a guy who had these episodes as dreams after MS struck him down....

I'm stopping by to wish you well and to say hello.

Normally I am a person who Knows My Own Mind. Startling, I realize, for you to hear this...as I've always been such a soft-spoken crowd-goer-alonger.

Stop laughing.

Anyway. I need help. The wisdom of the crowd is sought to help be decide between two equally strong contenders for Read of the Month. I am simply incapable to unparalyzing myself from the FOMO I get thinking about this problem.

Please vote on the poll or you will be directly responsible for my re-admission to the Goofy Garage this birthmonth.

>112 jnwelch: Hello, Joe! Did you read A God in Ruins? I want to get to that one soonish, but I can't decide if I want to read it in print or listen to the audio.

I think you would enjoy The Chair. I had not heard of Brand New Cherry Flavor, but I think Ima give it a pass based on your comments and Richards. Rae and I just watched the first episode of season 11 of Vera - very twisty. I can't wait for the next one to drop.

>113 quondame: Oh dear about the Spanish version! That sounds like something I would do. I read them on my Kindle Fire. Birdy has a subscription to Comixology, so I could read the first one for free on there.

>114 richardderus: Just the phrase "...and it left us thinking about how much we hate kittens." lets me know that this show is not for me.

>115 Whisper1: Linda thanks for stopping in and wishing me well - most appreciated. I need to come catch up with you. I hope life is being kind to you.

>116 richardderus: It's so good to see you finally coming out of your shell, darling, and finding your voice.

I hope I'm not too late to vote.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday. Birding in the AM. Getting my Jackson fix in the PM. Life is good, plus are weather is gorgeous. Sorry, to keep rubbing it in...you can have your revenge in January.

>119 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Friday. Sounds like you have the perfect day planned for yourself. I'm glad someone is having gorgeous weather - I mean, why should we all suffer? Going to 88F today with 87% humidity, so still soup. I'm taking Abby to her Pain Clinic this morning, and I need to go the bank, the post office, and the grocery. After that I plan to read - Birdy and I are reading All the President's Men with Susan this month.

'Morning, Mamie!

It sounds like a very busy morning with the Pain Clinic and errands. I hope Abby has a good appointment.

Although 8 is my lucky number, I'm sorry you're plagued with them today weather-wise. Here it's 57F with low humidity. I even have the window-with-the-screen opened in the Sunroom.

I read All the President's Men when it came out AND saw the movie with my newspaper reporter boyfriend in the theater when IT came out. It's a riveting story, and I still pay attention when any of the players show up in the news, although now it's mostly obituaries.

>121 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I am back from the pain clinic - it went well. Finally getting to my first cup of coffee, and then I will be off the run my errands and get Abby's prescriptions filled.

Hooray for your lovely weather - that is so full of fabulous, and I am happy for you that you can have the windows open. I love when we can have the French doors to the screened-in porch open, so I am looking forward to when things finally cool off down here, and we can experience that again.

Birdy and I watched the movie together a couple of years ago. We read the first two chapters yesterday, and it is so good. riveting is just the right word for it.

>114 richardderus: There’s a lot of hope for a second season of Brand New Cherry Flavor. IIRC, I read that what we’ve seen is only the first 66 pages of the 344 page book. In other words, all the weirdness we’ve seen is just the set-up for the rest of the story.

I’m glad you and Rob watched it and liked it, too, RD.

>123 jnwelch: ...how did I miss this book in the 1990s...

>122 Crazymamie: It's a good thing the appointment went well, Mamie dearest. And would you believe? The voting is...tied!!

>117 Crazymamie:. Yeah, I’m not surprised, Mamie. My lovely bride isn’t going to watch Brand New Cherry Flavor either. I suspected it wouldn’t be on the menu at the Pecan Paradisio.

I’m excited to hear a new season of Vera is upon us. Great show.

I have not read A God In Ruins. If you do, let me know if I should.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Saturday. I hope you got all those errands taking care of yesterday and can enjoy some R & R , the rest of the weekend.

>125 jnwelch: I will put my own 2 cents in here- A God In Ruins is excellent. Even better than Life After Life, IMHO.

Hello Mamie. I hope all is well with you. I'm in and out of her on a very irregular schedule but wanted to say hi. Maybe not your things, but I have had a lot of fun reading an indie series called Freaky Florida Mysteries by Margaret Lindsey. enough fun, that I am now reading the third in a row, which is something I haven't done in decades.

Mamie dear...it's Labor Day...time to come do your labors here. And I have a new thread.

Hi Mamie! I hope you and your family are enjoying the holiday.

Morning, Mamie. I had a good holiday weekend- birding, biking and socializing. I did manage some book time too. About halfway done with Cerulean Sea. I hope you had a relaxing one at the Pecan Paradiso.

It's Tuesday. That's "Monday" this week. Today I've got to do some mowing, and also some reading. A murder is about to be performed in my current read. The chapter that's next is titled "The Murder". Hmmm.

Hey Mamie! Is all the President's Men similar to the movie? Better? When you read it do you imagine Hoffman and Redford saying the lines?

Hi Crazy--Wishing you a happy Tuesday!!

>124 richardderus: Tied?! Oh, dear. Now what?

>125 jnwelch: Sounds like something that Craig might watch, Joe, but the rest of us would give it a hard pass. I like when they leave something to the imagination - I don't need to see every thing.

Episode 2 of Vera just dropped last night.

I will let you know about A God In Ruins - I will get to it at some point because Mark said so. I have it on Kindle picked up in a sale ages ago, but I am seriously contemplating the audio. I need to listen to the sample and decide.

>126 msf59: Morning, Mark. I missed Saturday, so Happy Wednesday! The errands took FOREVER and then I had to go pick up Craig at the Toyoto dealership because we have having work done of the van - unfortunately it's all the way on the other side of town, so not a short trip. SO Friday was a wash, but Saturday, Sunday and Monday were mostly lovely and lazy.

>127 brodiew2: Hello, Brodie! Mostly all is well. I will check out those mysteries. Hooray for finding something that works for you enough to read three in a row - I love when that happens. Thanks for stopping in.

>128 richardderus: Whoops. I missed Labor Day. It was so gross here that I only lasted in the screened-in porch for about 10 minutes. And yesterday I got my hair color touched up and a haircut, then came home and read through the afternoon. Today I have planned...nothing. I am dragging a bit, if I am honest. I need to find my mojo. The weather is not helping - it is very soupy and it's going to storm later, which makes me just want to crawl back into bed. Must. Have. Coffee.

I will come check out the new thread which probably has a hundred or so posts by now....

>129 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! It was a mixed bag - a bit of the lazy and a bit of hard work. I can't complain.

'Morning, Mamie! I hope the coffee's brewing and that you get a bit of mojo going.

We're supposed to get some weather today, too. I have to go out for one errand, but other than that and bringing in the hummingbird feeder around 6:30 or so, don't plan on being out in it at all.

>130 msf59: Morning, Mark! Craig and Rae were off Friday, giving them a four day weekend, so we had some lazy but also got some stuff done that we had been putting off. I need to come see if you have new photos of the adorable Jack on your thread.

>131 weird_O: I am guessing that the murder didn't sneak up on you with that chapter heading. I am always looking for murder - I have read so much crime fiction, that I kind of feel cheated if someone doesn't get bumped off. SO I was just telling myself that my current read was literary fiction and there would not be a murder, and guess what?! There was a murder!!!

Hoping Wednesday is kind to you, Oh Weird One.

>132 Carmenere: Hi, Lynda! Yes, very similar but with much more detail, and excellent question - yes, I do imagine Hoffman and Redford saying the lines. Birdy and I love that movie. We also found that the podcast Susan mentioned, Slow Burn, was made into a six part documentary which is very good. We have watched the first three parts so far.

>133 Berly: Hello, Kim!!! SO lovely to see you here! Thank you for those good wishes. Happy Tuesdaying to you!

>136 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I have not yet started the coffee - I really need to do that. I feel like I have brain sludge this morning. All I have managed is to get caught up on my thread and to put int. load of laundry. I'm not going out today. And there might be napping. I hope your errand goes quickly and smoothly, my friend.

Happy Hump Day, smoochling! There was a clear plurality for Under Color of Law in the end, so I'll be reading that one this month. (It's only fair, having put it to public vote.)

I think you'll be in the top 75 if you scooch on over today....

>139 richardderus: Hello there, dear one! Happy Wednesdaying! Was that the first one or the second - I voted for the first. I'll come check.

Yes, I'm coming - I was on my way and then my laptop died, so I had to charge it up. While it was charging, I also charged myownself up with three cups of coffee. *smooch*

>140 Crazymamie: *chuckle* I myownself just downed an extra jolt, as well. Somehow not feelin' the rampagin' gogogo I need....

>141 richardderus: Right?! Must be something in the air.

Hurricanes, most likely. Y'all're not gettin' the worst of Mindy, are you? Too far west, I'd think.

Here, let's have some nice coffee to get the world going:

>143 richardderus: Right. Too far west. But thank you for thinking of me.

This image is charming. I have a beverage center set up in what is supposed to be our dining room. It takes up an entire buffet. We LOVE it. I am on my second cup and trying to such myself up into going out to the market and a Target run.

Hi Mamie! Your beverage center in the dining room sounds lovely. Of course you need it with the crowd you've got there. Bill and I make do with one coffee grinder and two coffee pots in the kitchen. *smile*

Good luck with the market and Tar-zhay run.

>145 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Everyone who has been in there comments on it, and one of Daniel's friends has now made her own version of it in her home - the highest form of complement. I wish I had more kitchen counter space, but I just don't, and I NEED to have my KitchenAide stand mixer, the toaster, the blender, and the Wolf oven out, so...

I am back from the running of the errands - it is so yuck out there even though we are not going to 90F today. The humidity just sucks all the energy right out of you, leaving you feeling drained and sweaty. Such a lovely combination. Heh. But, I don't have to go out again, so hooray for that.

Ugh on drained and sweaty without good reason to be so. In fact, ugh on Georgia. Just...all of it.

>147 richardderus: I concur.

On the bright side, I bought the Garlic Loaf bread from the Publix bakery, and snagged a Mardi Gras rotisserie chicken, and I have made most excellent chicken salad which Birdy, Abby, and I are eating on the toasted Garlic Loaf as I type.

>149 Crazymamie: All the yum!

It was SO good! Now I can be human again.

>149 Crazymamie: - Mmmmm. I discovered our Stop & Shop makes a decent rotisserie chicken salad, so when I am especially lazy and unable to mix 3 or 4 things together myself, I can still get a fix :)

I'm hoping a coffee bar can be integrated into my kitchen remodel, whenever that happens. *sigh*

Your kitchen accessorizing sounds a bit like my older son's. He's got a rack for all their various cooker gizmos, 'cause they haven't enough counter space. His family got him a mucho deluxo DeLonghi caffeine machine, which is about 1/2" too tall to fit under the wall cabinet. (So, why would you design an expensive machine like that?) So it's taking up counter space; too big to lug around.

I got some new-to-me books yesterday. I'm happy.

>144 Crazymamie: Have you ever posted a picture of your beverage center? Because it sounds delightful. Also —

>149 Crazymamie: That bread looks yummy!

>149 Crazymamie: OMG that sounds wonderful!!

I guess it's too late for me to wish you a happy new thread, but your meal in >149 Crazymamie: sounds full of fabulous.

Hi Mamie, just catching up here. Congrats on a successful reading August. I had my worst reading month in August but I did get to go to the Island and visit my Mom finally so that made August a great month!

I have a plan for when we redo the kitchen, I want a tall cupboard that slides all the way out with shelves in it, so that you can put all those appliances that you want occasionally, but are too difficult to lug in and out of a cupboard, so take up worktop space. Food mixer, air fryer, bread maker, that kind of thing. When...

Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday. I have been having a good week- getting out on my walks every day. I just need to get over and see Jackson. I hope you have a nice weekend.

I *love* the idea of a coffee/tea bar in the dining room and I'm planning on creating one when we remodel in there. Like you, my counter space in the kitchen is at a premium, but I also need my coffee machine and electric kettle and tea cabinet box thing accessible at all times. I'm thinking I'll repurpose the counter top of my Hoosier cabinet for the bar...

>152 katiekrug: I have not found a pre-made version that I like down here yet - they either put grapes or nuts into it, or both, and just no. I like to add adobo sauce to mine to give it a bit of a kick - I usually have chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the fridge, so I started adding about a tablespoon of the sauce to my chicken salad and YUM. I made two batches - one with Hellman's for us and one with Duke's for Daniel and Kaitlyn.

>153 Carmenere: Oh, Lynda, so make it happen! We love ours and it gets used multiple times a day. Sorry that you have to wait - I am so not good with waiting.

>154 weird_O: Toital bummer about the height of that fancy caffeine machine. I run into that sometimes with my Kitchen Aide stand mixer - I have the giant professional one, and it is taller than the other models:



Mine is just like the mixer on the right, so it doesn't fit under a lot of cabinets. In my current kitchen, it fits on the countertop that runs on either side of our stove/oven, but not on my other countertops. Same with the giant Vitamix blender that Craig recently bought me - it's gorgeous, but BIG. I have a rack in my pantry area that holds some of my bigger Staub and Le Creuset pans, which is nice because I do like looking at them. What can I say, I have a deep and abiding sickness for any kind of kitchen gadget. On the bright side, I do use them all, and everyone benefits. I like to think of it as community service.

I will come see your book haul! Most exciting!

>155 rosalita: Julia, I don't think I have. I'll try to get one later today or tomorrow - my phone is very old, and the camera on it sucks, so I need Daniel or Abby's phone as theirs are much newer.

That garlic loaf is absolutely delicious. Perfect companion to chicken salad.

>156 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, it was SO good. We all love it except for Rae who wants plain white bread lightly toasted, thank you very much.

>157 bell7: It's never too late to wish someone happy, Mary. The meal was indeed full of fabulous!

>158 DeltaQueen50: Hello, Judy! Lovely to see you here! I think a visit to your Mom far outweighs a terrific reading month. I'm so glad you got to spend time with her. I love how close your family is - my extended family has kind of drifted apart.

>159 Helenliz: A most excellent idea, Helen. We had custom cabinetry in our last kitchens and I LOVED it. We had a big cabinet that had doors that folded back inside of it when you were using it - you pulled them open and then they pushed back into the cabinet like pocket doors. I had my giant mixer and the toaster inside of it, and underneath the shelf where they sat all plugged in and ready to go, there was a drawer that held all of the mixer attachments and my baking stones. Underneath of that were four filing cabinet drawers that could either be used to hold files or to hold kitchen items. I loved that when you were not using the appliances, you could just close up the cabinet. I'll have to see if I can find a photo somewhere.

>160 msf59: Morning, Mark! Hooray for Friday!! Good for you with the walking. I need to get back to that, but admit I have been nervous about it since The Fall. Have fun with your visit with Jack!

Thanks for those good wishes - hoping your weekend is full of fabulous!

>161 scaifea: Amber, I think your Hoosier cabinet would be perfect for that. And it will make you happy every time you look at it - mine does.

>162 Crazymamie: - I agree on no to nuts and grapes and such in chicken salad. I don't mind a little bit of celery, which is in the store-made version I have found I like. But that adobo sauce trick is genius. I will definitely try that next time! We usually have those chipotle peppers hanging around, too, as the Wayne likes to put them in... um... everything?

>165 katiekrug: I put onion and celery in mine, but to take away the bite of the raw onion, I sauté the onion and celery very briefly with the garlic and spices. I use a mayo/sour cream mix (a 2:1 ratio) as the base and add corse ground mustard, dill relish, and the adobo sauce. Then the chicken and diced up boiled eggs. I started adding the adobo sauce when I was using the Publix Fiery Cranberry Orange rotisserie chicken and wanted to kick up the heat, but now I always add it because it makes such a huge difference in the flavor profile. I am guessing you and The Wayne are going to love it.

Abby's photo

I would just like to say that the weather this morning is really awesome - started out at only 63F when I got up, and it is now still only 68F. Going to 88F today. Humidity is 75%, so lower than it has been. It was a treat this morning to throw open the windows and the French doors, and let some fresh air in.

Also, in breaking news, yesterday I went to the market and the lady who bagged my groceries did it perfectly. I thanked her for the care and precision that she packed my bags with. It was an amazing experience.

*edited to fix photo

>166 Crazymamie: - I just like celery, and lots of black pepper. I'm boring. The Wayne won't touch anyhting he deems "white and gloppy," so the chicken salad is mine, all mine!

>167 Crazymamie: - Lovely photo! And the morning weather sounds perfect. We are sunny and breezy and 65F right now. I think the high is only going to be in the 70s - so nice...

>167 Crazymamie: I love that! Really gorgeous.

Happy Friday, Sweetiedarling.

‘Morning, Mamie!

>162 Crazymamie: In addition to our both having the Kitchenaid Coffee Mill, we both have the Kitchenaid giant professional stand mixer too. Mine’s black. I leave it out on one of my out-of-the-way counters, next to the Cuisinart toaster oven and Cuisinart 12-cup food processor. Yay for kitchen gadgets.

>163 Crazymamie: my phone is very old, and the camera on it sucks, Top of the line kitchen gadgets and stone-age cell phone. Okay.

>167 Crazymamie: Perfect. Brava Abby.

>168 katiekrug: That's not boring, Katie, it's just your personal preference. Nothing wrong with that.

Your weather sounds delightful. Right now I am thankful for any little bit of cool that I can get, so this morning's temps have made me very happy.

>169 richardderus: Abby is talented with a camera - she has a good eye. She will be thrilled with your kind words.

Well, those are almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Thanks you, BigDaddy! *smooch*

>170 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Look at us being twins again!! Mine is ...red. You knew that was coming, didn't you?! I have a 12-cup food processor, but mine is KitchenAid, and I don't have room for it on the counter, so we had to pull it out from the cabinet when I need to use it, which is kind of a pain. I recently got this:



It's a five cup capacity, and it's brilliant because it is cordless. Perfect for making salsa, which we do all the time.

Right. I hardly ever use my phone. It irritates my CP, so basically I use it to make phone calls and to briefly text. I might check the weather or read emails occasionally, but other than that it sits. I spend my money on kitchen gadgets and books. Heh. Craig, Daniel, and Abby use their phones for everything, but me, not so much.

Glad you like Abby's photo. *smile*

What a cute little food processor. I just looked on the Kitchenaid website. I'd get it in Onyx Black, but I just use my big one on the out-of-the-way counter so don't cart it all over the kitchen. Just think - now I have more money for books. I don't need any kitchen gadget that I can think of offhand.

I use my cell phone for everything except email - I can't abide the idea of checking email on my cell phone for some reason.

Just licked the last of creamy coffee from the cup. Mmmm. Think I'll make another. Don't go away. I'll be right back.

>172 karenmarie: If my big one were out on the counter all the time, I would not have gotten the small portable one - I really hate dragging the big one out for smaller jobs, so this one is perfect for me. And all the parts that get dirty are dishwasher safe, so that is also a huge plus for me. Plus the other thingy you can put in it to do whipped cream. The wireless part means that I can use it at the bar of the kitchen or on the countertop by the sink that has no outlet anywhere close to it. This house is slightly lacking in convenient to use outlets. Some of the placements are just ...odd.

>173 weird_O: I could use another cup of coffee myownself, Oh Weird One. I just had one this morning, and usually I have two. I am also ready for our Mexican takeaway, but I have to wait for Craig and Rae to bring it home. *sob* They are learning an entirely new computer system at their work, so the hours have been longer than usual. The poor dears. In the meantime, Birdy and I are reading All the President's Men on the screened-in porch, so feel free to snag a chair and listen in. There will be chips and salsa later.

>162 Crazymamie: Oh I love kitchen gadgets! I've got an old stand mixer the same height as yours but the old white plain model. My 30 year old Cuisinart food processor had to be retired due to lack of bowl/lid combos, but the base, though stained and cracked, would have chopped forever I'm convinced. I still have the Waring blender my ex-boyfriend rewired in 1970, because how many people can say they have something hand repaired by someone who later won a Nobel Prize? His professor at the time told him it was a waste of his time, but it still works just fine, though the power levels were never quite even after the rewiring.

I wore out my "Little Oskar" from using it so much after knives became my nemesis from hand crippling pain.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Saturday. I get you get plenty of R & R in this weekend.

>167 Crazymamie: Lovely photo by Abby. Do you know what kind of butterfly that is? Pretty striking.

>174 Crazymamie: "some of the placements are just...odd" made me giggle. While I can't complain about lack of convenient outlets in this house we have one outlet half way up a wall in the living room! I was able to hang a picture over it but I keep wondering what in the world they had plugged in there.

Hey Mamie, I just ordered a coffee maker this week, but have just had to return it as it was useless. The link bit to the coffee jug just pinged off across the kitchen. I had visions of myself, decaffeinated and mad, trying to find this tiny bit of plastic before going to work. No thank you. I am going to have to look for another model.

I'm still going through Crusie's back catalogue. Read another one What the Lady Wants which was heavy on the Sam Spade references. Fun stuff.

>175 quondame: Susan, I love that story!! And also that you love kitchen gadgets as much as I do.

>176 richardderus: I really love chopping and dicing - it's calming to me, but like you I have to let the devices do a lot of it these days. Not as much fun, but I am very thankful for them. It sounds like "Little Oskar" served you well and faithfully to the end of his days.

>177 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday - I missed Saturday on here. Again, the weekend has been a mix of getting stuff done and doing the lazy. Yesterday was lovely for the first half - low humidity, and I spent all of it on the screened-in porch until the humidity kicked back in and drove me inside. After that, Abby and I binge-watched Shitt's Creek, which is full of fabulous.

I have no idea what kind of butterfly that is, sorry. I'll ask Craig when he gets back, and he will probably know.

>178 RebaRelishesReading: Too funny, Reba! Our master bathroom doesn't have any outlets down low, which is weird. All of them are above the sinks.

>179 charl08: Hello, Charlotte! Bummer about the coffee maker. We have a Technivorm Moccamaster, which I love. It is very quiet and very fast with the coffee making, and the coffee is delicious. I have this one:



You can also get it in a carafe version:



I love that you are having so much fun with Jennifer Crusie's back catalog - you discovered her at the perfect time. You are making me want to reread through them all myownself. I read Welcome to Temptation and Tell Me Lies every couple of years, but it's been a while since I read the others.

As requested by Julia, here is the set up in our Beverage Room.

Happy Sunday, Mamie my sweet.

>182 Crazymamie: Oh, that's magnificent, Mamie — thanks for sharing the photos! It's so lovely in addition to being neatly arranged. Is the red thingy next to your impressive coffeemaker for grinding beans, or is it another type of coffeemaker? And the metal thingy next to it — is that for heating milk? I don't drink coffee but I'm fascinated by the various bits of paraphernalia that go into a making a great brew.

>183 richardderus: Thank you, my darling. Happy Sunday to you. *smooch*

>184 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! Yes, the red thingy is the coffee grinder, and next to that is a milk frother - you can do steamed milk or foam, and cold or hot. It's full of fabulous. Next to the frother is Craig's electric kettle, and finally the Nespresso machine which does espresso shots. The red machine on top of the liquor cabinet is an ice maker.


Milk Frother

Even though you don't do coffee, we could make you a killer hot chocolate.

>185 Crazymamie: Mmmmmmm, hot chocolate!!

Please don't tell me that ice maker makes the good "pellet" ice or I'll be forced to buy it immediately.

>182 Crazymamie: Ooh. That looks really good. I am rather tempted. I wish it was possible to test the coffee these machines make before spending the ££££, so a personal recommendation is so useful.

Morning, Mamie. It sounds like you had a nice weekend. I am laying low today, after getting out nearly every day, this past week. I plan on getting plenty of book time in.

>182 Crazymamie: Love the beverage room.

>182 Crazymamie: Oh my, that's gorgeous! *sigh*

And I'm with Julia - if that ice maker makes pellet ice, I'M IN.

Merry M...orning, dear one. I expect to be assassinated for daring to question the famous de Beauvoir's wisdom. It was nice knowing you.

Impressive drinks station!
As the sole coffee drinker in the house - and that's only the 1 cup of black decaf a day, I have just a filter mug.

Tea, however, now that I have a wide ranging selection of!

>186 rosalita: Sorry, Julia, that ice maker does not make pellet ice. Craig bought it several years ago because we are always running out of ice. I do think they might make tabletop pellet ice makers now, though. I'm pretty sure that GE makes one.

>187 charl08: Charlotte, I would highly recommend that model - I've had mine for years, and it is unbelievably quiet and fast. Also really easy to clean. And the coffee is excellent.

>188 msf59: Hello, Mark! I just had a quiet day yesterday, too.

Glad you love our beverage room!

>189 scaifea: Thank you, Amber! Nope - not pellet. It just makes the regular size ice with the hole in the middle, which is actually my favorite kind. Birdy is totally with you and Julia with the pellet ice love, though.

>190 richardderus: Oh, dear! I'll be right over to see if you survived.

>191 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen! I would NEED all that stuff even if it was just me, but Abby and Kaitlyn love coffee as much as I do, and Craig will drink coffee on the weekends. We do also have tons of tea, though. Did you notice my Teapigs jars on the shelf above the coffee maker? And those little red caddies are also full of tea. Craig drinks tea on weekday mornings, and Abby has multiple cups of tea every day. I drink it occasionally.

>192 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie. Yes, they do make countertop pellet ice makers, and the only thing stopping me from buying one today is not the price tag (~$400) but the fact that I have zero counter space to put it. But that one is rather industrial looking, not a pretty red. :-)

Hiya, Mamie! Happy Tuesday to you.

>182 Crazymamie: Lovely and impressive set up. Thanks for sharing the pics.

>194 rosalita: I totally get that, Julia. That is exactly how our Beverage Room was born - we use all that stuff every day, but I don't have room to keep all of it out in my kitchen. And I hear you about the lack of color options - I do love my red one.

>195 karenmarie: Hello, Karen! Happy Tuesdaying! Thank you for the kind words - I am always happy to share.

>193 Crazymamie: Oooh, I do love the hole-through-the-middle ice, too. I'm the only one in this house who frequently uses ice, though, so I think the one in the fridge door will have to suffice.

>197 scaifea: The menfolk don't do ice?! Interesting. Our fridge door one just can't keep up with the residents of the Pecan Paradisio, especially on Game Days.

>197 scaifea: Ice from the fridge door — fancy! I have to fill ice cube trays by hand and carry them from the sink to the freezer, spilling all the way. *sob*

>198 Crazymamie: Tomm does occasional ice but not often, and Charlie pretty much never uses it - he's a milk, orange juice, and water only guy, and he's apparently fine with room temperature water. Weirdo.

>199 rosalita: I know, right? SO FANCY. This is the first fridge ice machine we've had - the fridge was here when we moved in.

>193 Crazymamie: Excellent news on the tea front!

I was bought a new ice cube mould, it's a pair of penguin's standing on an iceberg. I have a bit of a thing about penguins.

I also love your beverage center, Mamie. We have a counter-top ice maker because The Wayne luuuurves ice in his drinks, and our crappy fridge (came with the house and will be replaced when we reno the kitchen) has so little room in the freezer that we didn't want to waste space with ice cube trays. The ice maker makes pellet-ish ice - not beautifully round like pellet ice, but small cylindrical shapes. I love it, but I hate the room it takes up...

Thanks for all your appliance hacks. I'll be in need of a new coffee maker soon, so I'll certainly look into Technivorm.
With your books and coffee set up, I'd never leave the house.

Isn't this the bomb?!!

The fridge that came with this house doesn't take a filter except if you pull it out and install one in the water line leading to the fridge. NOT going to be doing that, plus I hate the fridge so...Hubby has agreed that we will replace it with one just like the one we bought for our San Diego house just a few months before we sold there -- an LG that makes ice but doesn't dispense through the door (I don't like door dispensers spewing ice and water all over the kitchen floor). The LG puts the ice politely into a bin in the freezer drawer and dispenses water, neatly, from just inside the door. In addition I don't like the taste of the water here so have been using a filter pitcher to fix that. LG has an easily replaceable filter.

I will be ordering the new fridge soon :)

>201 Helenliz: Oh, that's cool! I have a few, more boring, fancy ice molds for when I have my rum over ice or when I indulge my inner mixologist.

Hi, Mamie. I sure you got my steps in this morning, between Trail Watch duties and a little birding on my own. The rest of the PM, will be curled up with the books. Enjoy your day.

>204 RebaRelishesReading: - Our house in Dallas had that interior water dispenser and ice maker that delivered to the freezer drawer. We loved it and hope to get something similar when we redo the kitchen. I don't like the in-door versions because they take space from the storage on the inside of the door...

I used ice in my drinks of all sorts when I lived in Texas. Here, I don't. No need, well until the climate changed there wasn't. As most places use tap water to make ice, I need to know that it doesn't taste like Satan's farts smell (which I know because I've been around volcanic fumaroles) before I'll risk it in my beverages.

Aren't humans weird.

We’ve just been buying a new fridge, but I just couldn’t find one that was purely a fridge (with no freezer compartment) that dispensed ice, and would fit in the appropriate sized space in the kitchen. To be honest I very rarely put ice in anything (only in gin and tonic really), but it would have been nice to have in the kitchen rather than traipsing out to the freezer in the garage to get the ice.

>201 Helenliz: I love penguins as well. Those molds are fabulous!

>207 katiekrug: Katie, take a look at the LG LMWS27626S -- we bought one about 6 months before we left San Diego and, of course, it had to stay there. It's what I'm buying again. (Of course, I know that's just what you need -- another thing to shop for)

>205 drneutron:, >210 quondame: thank you both. They make me smile as they float in my drink. >:-)

>199 rosalita: That's so old school, Julia. Just wait a few years and it will be trendy again, and then you will have been ahead of the trend. Growing up, we had those metal ice cube trays that felt like they took the top layer of your skin off when you tried to crack the ice in them. These:


Magic touch, my a**

>200 scaifea: Abby also drinks her water at room temp.

I love that you have ice in the fridge door because it came with the house!

>201 Helenliz: Helen, Abby also has a thing about penguins - I need to track down that ice cube mold because it would be great in her Christmas stocking. It's so cute! And cleverly done.

>202 katiekrug: I love it, too, Katie! What brand is your ice maker? I was very happy when I bought Craig that liquor cabinet because it ended up making the perfect home for the ice maker. We use A LOT of ice, so I don't begrudge it the space, but I was very happy to get my countertop back..

>203 Carmenere: Lynda, I am a home body. I LOVE to be at home, especially since we moved to this particular house - I have never been attached to a house before, but I am in love with this one. Luckily, the lack of seasons and the temps and humidity down here will make me happy to look for another house in a climate that suits us better.

That Technivorm comes in a wide range of colors, too, so that is fun.

That pop up shelf for the stand mixer is very cool, but I would make a total mess if I used that - I need the surrounding countertop to absorb my spills. Our Indiana kitchen also contained the washer and dryer (I know, VERY weird), and when we remodeled it we did a total gut and our custom cabinets included this bad boy:



I miss having it.

>204 RebaRelishesReading: That's so weird, Reba. Our fridge has one that is very easy to replace. I like our ice and water in the door, but you are right that it can get messy. I am very excited about your new fridge - new appliances make me giddy, even when they are not mine. *grin*

The water down here is very hard - too much calcium, which is so not good for the appliances. The first thing we did was to purchase a water softener - it's mind boggling to me that the previous owners did not have one. The filtered fridge water is way better than what comes out of the tap, but it still is no match for the truly great well water that we had at the Indiana house.

>205 drneutron: *waves at Jim*

>206 msf59: Excellent work getting your steps in, Mark! I need to get back to making that a priority. I am waiting for the weather to cool down a bit. Craig has mown a path of lower cut grass around our property for walking Griffin, and I am going to give it a spin soonish.

>207 katiekrug: Katie, I so agree with the point about how much refrigerator space the ice maker takes up. I would love it delivered to the freezer drawer. Sadly, I do not need a new refrigerator. We bought ours new when we moved in here, so it is only nine years old.

>208 richardderus: I concur that humans are weird. *smooch*

>209 SandDune: Bummer, Rhian. That is surprising that they don't make a refrigerator that makes ice but has no freezer - it seems like it would be easy enough to do. Mine has the freezer drawer on the bottom, and I love that arrangement - so much nicer than the side by side we had in Indiana.

Morning, Mamie!

I'm also an absolute homebody. I love the house we have now and don't really ever want to move again, but Tomm is dead set on eventually buying land and custom building a home. I like the idea, but *loathe* the thought of packing up and moving again. We'll see...

ETA: We have a water cooler because I absolutely refuse to drink tap water or use it in my coffee machine or my electric kettle. It feels extravagant, but it's much better than buying bottled water because the big cooler bottles are picked up and reused every month.

>210 quondame: I agree, Susan. So clever how it balances to have the penguins walking like that.

>211 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, thanks for that model number - I was wanting to see what it looked like. So are the bottom two drawers both freezer?

>212 Helenliz: Helen, how could they not?! So charming.

>218 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I hear you about the moving again. It's a big job and SO. MUCH. WORK. Just the thought of it makes me slightly crazy, and yet, I do not want to stay in Georgia for the rest of my life so...

How much land is Tomm wanting?

The water cooler is an excellent idea. I only used the fridge filtered water in my appliances, and it still is amazing how quickly the deposits build up and I need to descale again.

>220 Crazymamie: I think he wants a couple of acres, and around here (we want to stay close to Columbus) that's about all we could afford.

I *love* that I don't have to descale my appliances, and that's why I insist that only the cooler water gets used in them.

Hi Mamie, and happy Wednesday to you.

I hate our side-by-side refrigerator/freezer and only survive because of the full-size freezer in the garage. The ice-maker on this one has never worked right and we don't use much ice anyway, and the water in the door doesn't taste as good as our conditioned well-water.

>221 scaifea: We had 2 1/2 acres at our Indiana house and I think we have about 2 acres here. It's plenty, really, and it takes forever to mow.

What kind of water cooler do you have?

>222 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! I was just over at your place! We have an old side by side in our garage because the previous owners left their fridge - we moved it to the garage when our new one was delivered. At our Indiana house we had this:



It was awesome because the top was freezer, but the bottom you could make be either freezer or fridge. SO great for entertaining, and we always had all the big family get togethers at our house - I am the only one of my sisters that actually likes to cook. Heh. My sister Julie was in love with it, so I let her keep it when we moved.

Just stopping by to say hi, Mamie. I hope your week is going well. Nice butterfly photo up there by Abby.

>219 Crazymamie: Yes, bottom two drawers are both freezer. My son & d-i-l had one that had a third drawer that could be either freezer or fridge, which I thought was pretty cool, but this LG fit us perfectly for the 6 months or so we had it before it went with the San Diego condo sale :(

>220 Crazymamie: You're so right! Moving is a huge pain (somewhere) but I would do most anything to not have to live in the deep south and completely understand your desire to move as soon as Craig retires.

>225 jnwelch: Thanks for stopping in, Joe - lovely to see you here! The week is going, as in moving, so that is good - it's a bit weird as Monday was the tenth anniversary of my Dad's death. A whole decade without him, and so I am feeling slightly wounded, which is unusual for me. I could not even share him with our usual Death Day Dinner and a Movie. Instead I hugged him to myself and just sat with the enormity of my loss. But today is better, so there is that.

>226 RebaRelishesReading: A perfect fit is a rare and valuable thing, Reba. Especially with appliances. I know your sadness because we had to leave all of our carefully chosen appliances behind in Indiana as they helped to sell the house.

Hopefully just one more big move for us and then done. I need my seasons back.

>215 Crazymamie: Yes, you make a good point. That's something I wouldn't have thought about until after it's installed and I'm baking for the first time.

That ironing board is quite the space saver. I'd love it too.

>227 Crazymamie: - I'm sorry you're feeling a bit raw this week, Mamie. Completely understandable. Sending hugs.

>227 Crazymamie: Oh dear. It's a terrible thing to experience that loss afresh. I'm very sad with you. *smooch*

>277 richardderus: Hugs. Some days it just catches you under the ribs, like being stabbed all over again.

>228 Carmenere: I did a lot of thinking about how I use a kitchen and a laundry room when we designed our Indiana kitchen/laundry. Every inch of space had to count and had to be functional - I miss the cabinets but not the actual house. We put pantry cabinets in the downstairs bathroom, too, because it was a tight space; the cabinet areas were tall but deep, so having shelves that pulled out was very convenient.

>229 katiekrug: Thank you so much for that, Katie.

>230 richardderus: Thank you, darling man. *smooch back*

>231 Helenliz: Helen, that's it exactly. I so appreciate the hugs.

Morning, Mamie. Sweet Thursday. I am birding with a buddy this AM and we will be very close to Bree's house. Guess who I will be visiting? Grins...Sue has a late start on Thursdays, so she will be over there too.

Oh yeah- Go tufted titmouse!!

Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday! Hooray for a visit with Bree and Jackson - so glad you are soaking it up because they grow up so quickly.

*smile* I have BIG love for the tufted titmouse. It's raining here, so our feeders are empty for the moment.

Morning, Mamie!

This is the water cooler we have:



And we get our water delivered through Costo once a month. In the end it's cheaper than getting bottled water and I feel about about it environmentally.

>236 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Thanks for that!

‘Morning, Mamie!

>224 Crazymamie: I’ve never heard of this kind of refrigerator/freezer, how cool.

>227 Crazymamie: What >229 katiekrug: Katie said.

>236 scaifea: I started using bottled water in southern California in 1974, when I rented a little cottage near the pier at Redondo Beach and couldn’t stand the city tap water. Sparkletts or Arrowhead, depending on where I was living. Not as fancy as that dispenser – no hot water feature – but glorious tasting water that I used for drinking and cooking. Even though we have a pretty serious conditioning system here, I love our well water and love being able to drink the water from the tap.

>238 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! That garage refrigerator/freezer was a Gladiator - specifically designed to be used in a garage.

Thank you, my friend.

I am seriously considering getting a cooler like that - I do not like the taste of our filtered fridge water and not having to descale the appliances would be full of fabulous.

I am seriously considering getting a cooler like that Make it so! Looks like there's space to squeeze it in the Beverage Room.

>240 karenmarie: Enabler! You are right that we could just squeeze it in there.

I'll pile onto the enabler waggon, Mamie - do it! I *love* ours. And Karen's right that it would be great to have near your beverage station.

With >242 scaifea: and >240 karenmarie:. Why is this even a question? There are proven health benefits...there are the appliances that will be less prone to wearing out...then there is the intangible "it's just Better" sense of well-being.

*over-glasses stare*

Hugs on the 10th anniversary of your beloved Dad's passing. I know how you miss him.

>242 scaifea: I am seriously thinking about it, Amber. Thanks so much for mentioning it.

>243 richardderus: All excellent points. I just need to do the research. *smooch*

>244 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you so much, Reba. Most appreciated.

I have been remiss on reporting my finished reads:


80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars


81. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars


82. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars


83. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy

I do want to put some thoughts together about each of these, but my computer is about to die, so I'll be back.

Hi Mamie, and happy Friday to you.

>246 Crazymamie: I acquired Memento Mori 5 ½ years ago at the spring Friends of the Library sale. Might be time…

Weird touchstone action - I get 405 Not Allowed nginx/1.19.10 unless I put the book in again Memento Mori.

>247 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Touchstones make me slightly crazy. Momento Mori was very good, I thought. The dialogue was cleverly done, and the narrator delivered it perfectly.

The site was down for a few minutes...I assume the weirdness was connected to that somehow.

Happy Friday's (an weekend ahead's) reads! I hope they all please you as much as >246 Crazymamie:'s have. I reviewed a couple SF books today, after Inspirati④n's successful launch. The commer¢iali$ation of $pace is worrying to me.

But what isn't, really....

Oooh, the Forna is calling my name.

Morning, Mamie! I hope you had a fine weekend at the Pecan Paradiso. I just hung out here yesterday- read in the AM and enjoyed football in the PM. A good football day. Go Bears! I also finished watching Cool Hand Luke. Who doesn't love that film?

>249 richardderus: Thank you, kind sir! I have been very fortunate in my reading choices lately. Your good wishes worked - my weekend reading was full of fabulous.

I'll be over to catch up with you! *smooch*

>250 BLBera: Beth, you will love it. All of the essays are about her personal life experiences - I'm going to put some thoughts together on it today.

>251 msf59: Morning, Mark! The weekend was good to us. Mostly rained, so we indulged in the lazy, for the most part. Very relaxing. Falcons lost again. *sigh* I'm looking forward to watching the Packers play tonight.

Hi Mamie!

Glad you had a wonderful reading weekend, sorry your Falcons lost (although they're in my Panthers division, so their loss is my gain). Good luck with the Packers tonight.

>253 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Thank you. And I completely understand your football sorry/not sorry sympathies! Heh. Hopefully this coming week will be a better one for the Pecan Paradisio teams - we were all losers yesterday.

80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, Audiobook narrated by Nadia May, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction/old age - 4 stars

This was really fun, and the audio is full of fabulous. I don't know how she does it, but Nadia May really brings this one to life, and had me laughing out loud in places. The dialogue is especially well done, and even though most of the characters are somewhat unlikeable, this is a delight - funny and sad and bittersweet all at the same time.

81. The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna, library hardback, non-fiction/essays - 4.5 stars

“…I’d said that although we lived at a time when public and media attention was focused on those who migrated, I was interested in what it was that compelled people to stay in the place they first called home or hame. Ideas of home produce a cultural schism, for home is at once the focus of great nostalgia for some, equally for others home is a place they can’t wait to get away from. Home is somewhere you escape from, grow out of, return to. Yet even those who revere the idea of home rarely seem able adequately to describe it. I am often asked this question, Where is home? And sense that my efforts at a reply are found wanting. The reason for this, I believe, is a conceptual mismatch between me and my interlocutor on the definition of the word home. For them, those people who want an answer from me, I have discovered two things to be consistently true: home is always located in the past. It is not enough for me to say, ‘Arlington.’ Also, it is a noun used strictly in the singular. The word ‘homes’ is antithetical to the idea of home.”

p.124 from the essay “Hame”

This is a collection of seventeen essays, and they are all very good; several of them are excellent. All of them made me think. The only other work I have read by this author is Happiness, which I highly recommend. For those of you who have read that one, there is an essay in this collection that will show you insights into how the portions about the foxes living in cities began to germinate in Forna's head. Aminatta Forna and I are of an age, and so her life experiences speak to me even though we have lived very different lives. In this collection, she reflects on the year 1979 when she was living in Tehran and had a front row seat to the Shah of Iran leaving and the Ayatollah Khomeini returning and the events that lead to the Iranian students storming the US Embassy and taking hostages.

"I was fourteen, and about to see a part of somebody else's history being made. I wish I had been older, wiser. I wish I could remember more, had paid more attention, understood more - but then I remind myself that I was not alone. What happened in 1979 has happened many times before and many times since, in places where people have set themselves free and believed with all their hearts that the freedom they had fought for was real and lasting, only to be recaptured."

She also writes about sexual harassment and insomnia and the meaning of home. She writes about childhood and about how some things that hurt us write on the slate of who we are and can never be erased. It is a lesson in perspective from a woman whom I share so much and yet so little with - her life experiences are so much bigger and so much broader than mine, and yet we are both women, both daughters and mothers, both in our fifties...I hope she writes more like this one and continues to share her journey with us.

82. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Hall, borrowed from Audible Plus Catalog, literary fiction - 5 stars

I love how Forster writes. Of the novels I have read by him, this is the lightest of heart. It is every bit as observant as A Passage to India, every bit as contemplative as Howard's End, and yet there is more joy here. More humor. For me, it was the perfect audiobook at the perfect time. I would also highly recommend the 1985 movie version of it starring Helena Bonham Carter and Julian Sands. The rest of the cast is also full of fabulous.

83. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Trade Paperback acquired in 2021, non-fiction/politics/Watergate/Washington Post - 4 stars, buddy read with Susan and Birdy

Birdy and I both love the movie version of this starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford - we have seen it multiple times and had been wanting to read the book. Susan was talking about reading it and we decided to do a buddy read of it with her. It turned into a family read aloud here at the Pecan Paradisio, which was both fun and funny. Story time at the Pecan Paradisio. We learned A LOT, and I was surprised at just how well written and organized it is - so many names and dates and acronyms, and a HUGE cast of characters. Susan had mentioned the podcast Slowburn as a good additional source of material, and when searching for it, I found that it had been made into a documentary. It's excellent, and really helped us to keep all the characters straight by putting faces to the names. A truly amazing story that could so easily not have been known except for that bungled burglary that began the unraveling of it all.



And now, of course, we have to watch the movie again. It's kinda like "if you give a mouse a cookie"...

84. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 4) - 4.5 stars, Katie's Dirty Dozen
85. Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare, Kindle, acquired in 2021, historical romance (Spindle Cove, book 5) (Castles Ever After, book 4) - 4 stars

Katie recently read Any Duchess Will Do, and her review of it made me add it to her Dirty Dozen list. I have tried Tessa Dare before but never managed to finish one. I'm glad I gave her another try because this one was practically perfect - the right book at just the right time for me. It's a Pygmalian meets Cinderella meets Pretty Woman type of story, and I loved the ending. One I know I will read again, and I loved it so much that I just kept going and read the next book in the series, Do You Want to Start a Scandal. This one was just as charming - a country house party story complete with mystery. These come highly recommended if you enjoy historical romance. Let's just not mention to Susan that I started with book four, shall we?

Some great reading/watching going on at Pecan Paradiso. I loved A Room With a View many years ago when I read it...maybe time for a reread.

>260 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, the humor in it surprised me. So light hearted for Forster.

I have had your perfect example of a Monday.

That bad.

>262 richardderus: Ugh. I am so sorry to hear that, BigDaddy. I am hoping that Tuesday behaves itself for you. *smooch and a bear hug*

Morning, Mamie. We are getting some rain here, which we desperately need. It probably won't be enough though. It should stop before I go on my volunteer walk. Enjoy your day.

Morning, Mark! We have been getting loads of rain, which I love. Supposed to get more this afternoon. Have fun on your walk!

I'm so glad you liked the Tessa Dare. What ones of hers have you tried and not liked so much? I want to avoid disappointment... :)

>266 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! I have tried two others - The Duchess Deal and Goddess of the Hunt. I made it about halfway through each before abandoning. I am a mood reader, so honestly, it could have just been the I was not in the mood for them at the time.

>267 Crazymamie: - Fair enough! I haven't read GotH, but I did love TDD and the others in that series.

>267 Crazymamie: I've never read anything by her but I *have* retweeted her commonsensical aperçus about reading...

Conversation
Tessa Dare
@TessaDare
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*clears throat*

It’s 2021 and there are no “guilty pleasures,” there are only reasons not to scream into the void.
12:10 AM · Sep 7, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

Tessa Dare
@TessaDare
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Sep 7
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Replying to
@TessaDare
Oh hi, in lieu of SoundCloud, please kick some some money to
@WAWHumanRights

@PlanCPills
or
@WCKitchen
! Thx Red heart
Tessa Dare
@TessaDare
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Sep 7
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For those who want the fine print: original offer not valid on evil. Legal and social prices may vary.

Just, you know, eat your donut and watch 10 hours of House Hunters and don’t let anyone make you feel you need excuses.
Up All Night Movies
@uanmovies

She seems nice....

>269 richardderus: - She's a great Twitter follow. And then she followed ME, and I swooned :)

>270 katiekrug: Of *course* you swooned! Who wouldn't?

>269 richardderus: You do not want to know how long it took me to understand that, but I finally got it, so look at me learning. *pats self on back* I do not Twitter...um....Tweet? LT is my only social media, but I love when someone shares the good stuff with me, so thank you. And I also learned a delightful new word - aperçus.

>270 katiekrug: How lovely that she followed you back!! She must appreciate excellent snark because I cannot imagine you having a Twitter account that did not involve loads of it.

>271 richardderus: Agreed.

Morning, Mamie. I've been enjoying the aperçus on your thread. i hope all the inhabitants of the Pecan Paradisio are doing well.

>273 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! *grin* We are all well, thanks. I'm hoping the week has been kind to you.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Wednesday. It is only 57F out there. I will skip my walk and head to see Jackson for a bit. The PM will be reserved for the books, per usual.

>275 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesdaying to you! 57F would be a treat - be sure to soak it up. We are supposed to have a high tomorrow of only 79F, and I am crossing my fingers that we get it. And the nights are supposed to be in the 50s through the weekend, which would be full of fabulous. I look like this currently:

>276 Crazymamie: As well you might! That's practically wintertime weather down there.

>272 Crazymamie: I love that word...aperçu...it's so extremely specific when used in English. More than aphorism, more than proverb, more than repartee...it's an aperçu!

>277 richardderus: Don't I know it!!

And yes - it's a very cool word. And you are a wiz at it. *smooch*

Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I tried a new recipe today, and it was a hit. I found it on the Iowa Girl Eats blog - we have made loads of her recipes and have yet to find a loser. I love that you just throw everything into the slow cooker and cook it on low for four hours, then take out the chicken, shred it, and return it to the pot. Done. Super easy and mighty tasty.

Ingredients
serves 4
1lb chicken breasts
1 small onion or 1 large shallot, minced
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried ground sage
small pinch dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
2 Tablespoons butter
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup wild rice-brown rice blend (I recommend Lundberg Farms)

Directions
1. Add all ingredients into a 6-quart crock pot then cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Rice should be done around the same time. Shred chicken then stir back into soup and serve (soup will thicken slightly as it cools.)

*she does caution that if you use a different type of rice it might take longer to cook, so taste the rice to make sure it is done before adding the chicken back in. I used the same kind she recommends because we had it in the pantry, and it was perfectly cooked. This one:

Yum - I love chicken wild rice soup; I'll have to try this recipe.

>280 BLBera: Beth, it was so easy. I thought I might have to tweak it at the end, but it was perfect for us.

I myownself had chicken sausage gumbo. Most tasty.

>279 Crazymamie: Oh that does sound good! I think I need to check out the Iowa Girl Eats blog...

Bookmarking that soup recipe. I love soup. I made a sausage and farro soup yesterday, which I plan to have for lunch today...

>279 Crazymamie: Mmmm ... soup in the slow cooker. I'm always up for new slow cooker recipes. Thanks for this one, Mamie. I'm going to check out that blog, too.

>284 katiekrug: sausage and farro? Yes please!

Morning, Mamie! Sweet Thursday. That crock-pot chicken looks great. Perfect for the cooler months. Glad you are getting some milder weather yourself. Enjoy it, my friend.

>282 richardderus: That does sound most yum!

>283 scaifea: Amber, we love her blog. Like my niece, she has Celiac Disease - she was not diagnosed until several years after she started her blog, so her recipes are a mix, but she has loads of gluten free options. And great photos - she posts photos not just of the finished product but also of the prep, which I greatly appreciate.

>284 katiekrug: Us, too, with the soup love, Katie. Soups, stews, chowders - all of that stuff. I am always looking for new recipes to add to the list. Sausage and farro sounds yum - how did you like it?

>285 lauralkeet: Same. I saw that she also adapted her recipe for Broccoli-Cheddar Potato soup for the slow cooker, so I will be trying that one soon. We love the regular on the stove version - except we skip the step where you immersion blend part of it to add thickness. We didn't like the texture when we did that, so the next time we skipped it, and it was full of fabulous. I also want to try her Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili.

>286 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday, and how sweet it is because our temps have dropped. It's currently 56F outside and only going to 79. I have the windows and the French doors open, and I am soaking it up. The soup was delicious and has been completely gobbled up.

>288 Crazymamie: - I haven't had it yet - it'll be lunch today. It was a Hello Fresh recipe, so super easy.

>290 katiekrug: Gotcha. Daniela and Kaitlyn subscribe to one of those, too. Not sure if it's Hello Fresh, but I think maybe yes. Anyway, they love it. And super easy is always a bonus.

Hi Mamie!

That recipe looks great - I'd probably use thighs instead of breasts though. I made some Instant Pot Chicken and Potato soup last week - my sister's recipe - with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It's a dump recipe and we had 2 days of leftovers. Carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, corn, so should really be called Chicken Vegetable Soup.

I'm toying with the idea of Shrimp and New Potato Chowder for tonight or tomorrow night.

>289 Crazymamie: 79° is one teensy degree from 80° which is where Satan's Realms of Torment and Wretchedness begin. I myownself save window-opening for 70° and below.

Ya know, I really ought to try this cooking thing. Soups and the like. I did make me some mac 'n' cheese the other day. Irish cheddar and little chunks of ham. I got ground beef out of the freezer so I can make either a half-pounder or, maybe, cottage pie for supper.

Reading Have His Carcase starring Vane and Wimsey.

>213 Crazymamie: I remember those metal ice cube trays.

It does seem like soup weather here. Must be cooler there now, Mamie, or do you eat soup even in the summer since you have AC?

Morning, Mamie. Happy Friday. Back to the 70s today. It should be a lovely weekend. I am hoping that Bree is up for taking Jackson on a walk later today. Enjoy your day.

>292 karenmarie: Thighs would be excellent in the soup, Karen. I use thighs a lot, too, and actually prefer them most of the time. Your instant pot soup sounds most yum.

>293 richardderus: Right. Me, too. I opened the windows at 56F yesterday - it did not actually reach 79 until 4pm, so they were open until we got to 70F. It was wonderful. I spent most of the day on the screened-in porch with my books.

>294 weird_O: I highly recommend the cooking thing, Oh Weird One. Mac 'n' cheese is a most excellent start.

I have not read any Sayers, but I want to, and I do have the first one in that series in the stacks.

>295 Familyhistorian: Those metal trays were horrid, Meg. I would love some soup weather to go with my soup - we just eat it year round because we love it so. If I had to wait for the weather, I would get like six weeks (and I am being generous here) in which to eat it, so...

>296 msf59: Morning, Mark! We made it to Friday!! We are back to the 80s today. Back into the 90s by next week - UGH. I'm hoping you get your walk with Jackson and the lovely Bree. Thank you for those good wishes - you, too, with the enjoyment.