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Book a Week 2018 - BW7: Agatha Christie and Christopher Brookmyre


Robin M
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Another one bites the dust. I've been working on this writing how-to book for a long time (before Christmas?) and last night I had enough and decided to do a power skim of the last few chapters. Nothing wrong with it but I don't recommend it. More of the same as far as writing books go.

 

The Magic Words by Cheryl Klein

 

 

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Currently listening to:

·        Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie (1955)  London, England

·       

 

I haven't read this one in a while. I must look to see if I've got it in my home library. I wonder if it was published under a different name as well as this one. 

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I didn't get a chance to respond to Penguin's question last week about how Kristin Lavransdatter is going.  I finished The Wreath, and am now a few chapters into The Wife. I am enjoying it, but find that I can only read it in small bits - no more than one chapter per day. I like to let each chapter roll around in my head for a while before beginning a new one. I am reading the Nunnally translation.  I haven't made any progress in the last few days because I am obsessed with...

 

Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis. I listened to the first book on audio, which is narrated by Katherine Kellgren and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. She was fantastic, and shall be sorely missed. I am reading the second book because a) I can read faster than it can be narrated, and I am so anxious to find out how it all ends, and b) I was neglecting my family by walking around in earbuds all weekend. I first encountered Connie Willis and the Oxford Time Travelers when Doomsday Book was released in the early '90s, and was unaware that she had written more of them until recently. I am finding that all of the books in this series are just hitting a special spot for me as a reader, where they live on in my head for weeks, months, years after I read them. I don't know how to explain it other than to say it feels like she wrote these books especially for me! Unfortunately, I have been "living" in this story of the London Blitz so much that when my alarm went off this morning my first thought was that I needed to get to an air raid shelter  :gnorsi:

 

I plan to read No Graves As Yet by Anne Perry for Cambridgeshire. I was going to read Tom's Midnight Garden for that county, but I had just finished Children of the Green Knowe and had found that to be so lovely that I couldn't face reading another of the same type of book just yet. I put them both aside for DD. 

 

Finished in 2018:

14. Blackout (settings include London, Oxford, Warwickshire, Kent, and Surrey - I haven't decided which one to use for Brit Tripping)

 

 

Brit Tripping:

London/Scotland Yard: The Man in the Queue

Cambridgeshire: No Graves As Yet (starting this week)

Huntingdonshire: Children of the Green Knowe

Bedfordshire: Lady Susan

Northamptonshire: Death on the Nile

Nottinghamshire: The Man in the Queue (not sure if I'll put it here or in London)

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I love books about the Tudors and immerse myself periodically. I am currently listening to a Fiona Buckley series which could be so much better which sent me hunting for something better. I ran into a great booklist http://thetudorenthusiast.weebly.com/tudor-books.html. So many great ideas! I have spent a huge amount of time going through this list and could spend several more hours.

 

Amy, you must look........

This link is responsible for the flood of "I want to read" entries from me on Goodreads earlier today. You had me at "Tudor"...

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Goodness -- 2nd page of posts already? Thought I'd post an update then go back and catch up with everyone.

 

Last week I read a somewhat cozy mystery set in Japan, The Flower Master by Sujata Massey.  It was pretty good, all in all. The author got much of of Japan right, but the characters, when it served the plot, too often acted and spoke like Americans. But, all in all, a fun romp in Tokyo with a decent mystery.  Massey has written about 11 in this series featuring Japanese-American Rei Shimura. The book I'd really like to try by her is a new one about a female lawyer in India, The Widows of Malabar Hills

 

I finally found the first of the Inspector Chen series, Death of a Red Heroine, by Qiu Xiaolong, and am totally blown away by it. The author grew up in Shanghai, left the country just before Tiananmen and wound up staying the US. He is a poet, misses the food of his homeland, so made Inspector Chen a poet AND police detective as well as a lover of food. And a member of the community party -- it really adds some authentic color to the story, and allows Qiu to make political commentary. I'm a little over 100 pages in and am really enjoying it, and already know I'll be reading the entire series.

 

Finished West with the Night, which I loved, and at the library over the weekend picked up a collection of Beryl Markham short stories and articles published during her lifetime. 

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I haven't read this one in a while. I must look to see if I've got it in my home library. I wonder if it was published under a different name as well as this one. 

It is one of the few A.C books I had not previously read - a quick sleuth let me know it wasn't an old story renamed.  

 

For those that haven't read Hickory Dickory Dock  yet (also published as Hickory Dickory Death the same year, 1955) perhaps don't read the references and illusions detailed on Wikipedia

Edited by Tuesdays Child
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I loom-knit. Today I was working on (and completed) a cowl in a navy yarn with bronze and copper metallic threads throughout. It turned out so nicely! But my bigger project I am working on is a Ginny Weasley scrap yarn quilt. In the Harry Potter movies, Ron Weasley has a quilt that his mother would have knitted from her stash. So, my concept is that this would be the quilt Molly Weasley would make for her only daughter. :) The patterns are very similar to the Ron Weasley quilt, but the yarns are girlier.

 

Oooh I love yarns with metallic threads - your cowl sounds so pretty! and the scrap yarn quilt looks like fun! Like this one? - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-ron-weasley-blanket-by-penguineer

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Goodness -- 2nd page of posts already? Thought I'd post an update then go back and catch up with everyone.

 

Last week I read a somewhat cozy mystery set in Japan, The Flower Master by Sujata Massey. It was pretty good, all in all. The author got much of of Japan right, but the characters, when it served the plot, too often acted and spoke like Americans. But, all in all, a fun romp in Tokyo with a decent mystery. Massey has written about 11 in this series featuring Japanese-American Rei Shimura. The book I'd really like to try by her is a new one about a female lawyer in India, The Widows of Malabar Hills

 

I finally found the first of the Inspector Chen series, Death of a Red Heroine, by Qiu Xiaolong, and am totally blown away by it. The author grew up in Shanghai, left the country just before Tiananmen and wound up staying the US. He is a poet, misses the food of his homeland, so made Inspector Chen a poet AND police detective as well as a lover of food. And a member of the community party -- it really adds some authentic color to the story, and allows Qiu to make political commentary. I'm a little over 100 pages in and am really enjoying it, and already know I'll be reading the entire series.

 

Finished West with the Night, which I loved, and at the library over the weekend picked up a collection of Beryl Markham short stories and articles published during her lifetime.

 

 

I went searching for The Flower Master and found several others in the series. No Flower Master which was disappointing. I have them marked on my wish lists for future reading. I really enjoyed the Inspector Chen book. I get to quiz my friend's hubby about it this weekend because we are preparing him for a month long business trip to China. Reading that book was my contribution to the project. ;)

 

I didn't get a chance to respond to Penguin's question last week about how Kristin Lavransdatter is going. I finished The Wreath, and am now a few chapters into The Wife. I am enjoying it, but find that I can only read it in small bits - no more than one chapter per day. I like to let each chapter roll around in my head for a while before beginning a new one. I am reading the Nunnally translation. I haven't made any progress in the last few days because I am obsessed with...

 

Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis. I listened to the first book on audio, which is narrated by Katherine Kellgren and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. She was fantastic, and shall be sorely missed. I am reading the second book because a) I can read faster than it can be narrated, and I am so anxious to find out how it all ends, and b) I was neglecting my family by walking around in earbuds all weekend. I first encountered Connie Willis and the Oxford Time Travelers when Doomsday Book was released in the early '90s, and was unaware that she had written more of them until recently. I am finding that all of the books in this series are just hitting a special spot for me as a reader, where they live on in my head for weeks, months, years after I read them. I don't know how to explain it other than to say it feels like she wrote these books especially for me! Unfortunately, I have been "living" in this story of the London Blitz so much that when my alarm went off this morning my first thought was that I needed to get to an air raid shelter :gnorsi:

 

I plan to read No Graves As Yet by Anne Perry for Cambridgeshire. I was going to read Tom's Midnight Garden for that county, but I had just finished Children of the Green Knowe and had found that to be so lovely that I couldn't face reading another of the same type of book just yet. I put them both aside for DD.

 

Finished in 2018:

14. Blackout (settings include London, Oxford, Warwickshire, Kent, and Surrey - I haven't decided which one to use for Brit Tripping)

 

 

Brit Tripping:

London/Scotland Yard: The Man in the Queue

Cambridgeshire: No Graves As Yet (starting this week)

Huntingdonshire: Children of the Green Knowe

Bedfordshire: Lady Susan

Northamptonshire: Death on the Nile

Nottinghamshire: The Man in the Queue (not sure if I'll put it here or in London)

I am going to be honest and say Tom's Midnight Garden is another fabulous read aloud. I had never heard of it before moving here and was rather unimpressed by the library. This an 12 or so other books(Narnia an Wind in the Willows) were it for the children's classics so Tom's Midnight Garden was read. Loved it, it's an old movie also.

 

I am a Lucy Boston quilt fan. Really, really, huge fan. I adore her work! I am actually working on one of her famous patterns right now called Patchwork of the Crosses https://www.greenknowe.co.uk/gallery11.html Mine is bolder, reds, greens, and purples on white. I made a table runner for a friend last year in those colours and loved it so am using the colour scheme for something bigger. I haven't been to her house yet but plan to go with or without dd this year. Last year my trip kept getting postponed due to others commitments.... I have decided dh can be my quilt buddy. :lol: Yes, he will be sitting on a bench in the garden while I explore the quilts!

 

Oooh I love yarns with metallic threads - your cowl sounds so pretty! and the scrap yarn quilt looks like fun! Like this one? - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-ron-weasley-blanket-by-penguineerSave[/size]Save[/size]

Thank you for finding a picture, I couldn't visualize it and hadn't had a chance to go hunting. I love seeing other's craft ideas. So Quilt, is this the right idea? Edited by mumto2
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Oooh I love yarns with metallic threads - your cowl sounds so pretty! and the scrap yarn quilt looks like fun! Like this one? - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-ron-weasley-blanket-by-penguineer

Save

Save

I had a serendipitous moment yesterday when I realized my new cowl is an exactly perfect match for the new coat I bought. The coat is a soft, brushed navy with rose gold buttons and hardware. The cowl looks like it was made to match it! Very cool!

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It is one of the few A.C books I had not previously read - a quick sleuth let me know it wasn't an old story renamed.  

 

For those that haven't read Hickory Dickory Dock  yet (also published as Hickory Dickory Death the same year, 1955) perhaps don't read the references and illusions detailed on Wikipedia

 

I'm in the exact same boat! It's not actually among the books in my A.C. library. How is this possible!!!!  :driving:  I must find a copy asap. 

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I am a Lucy Boston quilt fan. Really, really, huge fan. I adore her work! I am actually working on one of her famous patterns right now called Patchwork of the Crosses https://www.greenknowe.co.uk/gallery11.html Mine is bolder, reds, greens, and purples on white. I made a table runner for a friend last year in those colours and loved it so am using the colour scheme for something bigger. I haven't been to her house yet but plan to go with or without dd this year. Last year my trip kept getting postponed due to others commitments.... I have decided dh can be my quilt buddy. :lol: Yes, he will be sitting on a bench in the garden while I explore the quilts!

 

 

 

Oh your quilt will be beautiful!!

 

I had a serendipitous moment yesterday when I realized my new cowl is an exactly perfect match for the new coat I bought. The coat is a soft, brushed navy with rose gold buttons and hardware. The cowl looks like it was made to match it! Very cool!

 

 

I love it when stuff like that happens!

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I went searching for The Flower Master and found several others in the series. No Flower Master which was disappointing. I have them marked on my wish lists for future reading. I really enjoyed the Inspector Chen book. I get to quiz my friend's hubby about it this weekend because we are preparing him for a month long business trip to China. Reading that book was my contribution to the project. ;)

 

I am going to be honest and say Tom's Midnight Garden is another fabulous read aloud. I had never heard of it before moving here and was rather unimpressed by the library. This an 12 or so other books(Narnia an Wind in the Willows) were it for the children's classics so Tom's Midnight Garden was read. Loved it, it's an old movie also.

 

I am a Lucy Boston quilt fan. Really, really, huge fan. I adore her work! I am actually working on one of her famous patterns right now called Patchwork of the Crosses https://www.greenknowe.co.uk/gallery11.html Mine is bolder, reds, greens, and purples on white. I made a table runner for a friend last year in those colours and loved it so am using the colour scheme for something bigger. I haven't been to her house yet but plan to go with or without dd this year. Last year my trip kept getting postponed due to others commitments.... I have decided dh can be my quilt buddy. :lol: Yes, he will be sitting on a bench in the garden while I explore the quilts!

 

Thank you for finding a picture, I couldn't visualize it and hadn't had a chance to go hunting. I love seeing other's craft ideas. So Quilt, is this the right idea?

 

I had to re-read your post because I thought your family was heading to China for a month long business trip! One of these days I'll get back there...and not recognize anything! I was there the summer of 1981, when people still wore Mao suits, when the trains were all coal powered steam engines, but I did get to witness the first trickle of capitalism leaking out into the open. 

 

And are you paper piecing all of that Lucy Boston quilt?  :svengo:

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I finished my bathroom book yesterday!  I always keep a book in the downstairs bathroom - usually a collection of letters, essays or something else short.  This one was The New Morningside Papers by Peter Gzowski - a collection of very Canadian letters, stories and poetry gathered from his CBC radio show in the 80s, which was the soundtrack of my youth.  So I enjoyed it from a nostalgic perspective and some of the writing is quite lovely, some of it less interesting, but it is nice to hear the varied voices of Canada that I remember so well.  I won't hang onto it as I still have about 4 more volumes of Morningside Papers to read and I don't think it will have the same resonance for my kids nor will I need to reread it.

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OH MY!!!! Mulit-quote works for me now. It never used to work and I was so jealous of those who could use it, lol. I am giddy.

 

I'm rushing to finish all my Peter Beagle reads this week, but that's almost like trying to eat a decadent slice of cheesecake in a hurry. It's impossible not to stop and savor. I'm working my way through Between the Lines, a short story collection, and Summerlong is next on the list. I also picked up a fantasy romance, Rosemarked, by Livia Blackburne. So I might get the Rose challenge this month if I can find and finish o and e. 

 

I want to read Beagle and your posts are making me eager to get to him.

 

I think dd will be very charmed by the book.
It is just my brains that if they are not grabbed by a book I have problems to focus on it. Specially at the end of the day.
The book reminded me of Lindgrens: https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/2492436-m-sterdetektiven-blomkvist

The Dutch Title of Sweetness is something like ‘taste of virulence/venom’ which makes sense to me, but I am not sure I understand the English title :)

 

 

I looked up the quote which I believe is what the title originates from back when I read it. Just found it again......the full quote is "Unless some sweetness at the bottom of the pie lie, who cares for all the crinkling of the pie". Which is essentially saying if the pie isn't sweet it doesn't matter what it looks like! My fil used to say something pretty similar when I baked for him to remind me to add an extra cup of sugar to his pies so the quote was a familiar one. My pies are never attractive but he made sure they were sweet!

The English version of the title imo refers to Flavia's ability to find the good in her life which on the surface is a sad one. So her pie is ugly but tastes nice.....She searches for sweet things along with her need for the truth(the venom, I guess). The Dutch version's title seems to have a different emphasis because it is referring to the venom primarily. Not as optimistic?

The Lindgrin book looks great but I couldn't find it in English. I am tempted to try and find a German translation for dh and dd.


Eta..I was writing when Alice posted. Glad to see she has the same quote!

I have been on a Lindgren kick. I just finished Mio, Min Mio (Mio, My Son). It was a simpler story than Ronja, but I did enjoy it. It was more of a fantasy than Pippi or Ronja. Next up is Brøderne Løvehjerte (The Brothers Lionheart).

 

There is a biography of Astrid Lindren about to come out in English: Astrid Lindgren: The Woman Behind Pippi Longstocking by Jens Andersen. It was originally written in Danish (2014). I'm not sure yet if I am up for reading it in Danish. Too long, lol.

 

(For those who are new to these threads, Danish is a foreign language for me and I am still climbing the mountain hoping to reach reading fluency)

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OH MY!!!! Mulit-quote works for me now. It never used to work and I was so jealous of those who could use it, lol. I am giddy.

 

 

I want to read Beagle and your posts are making me eager to get to him.

 

 

 

I have been on a Lindgren kick. I just finished Mio, Min Mio (Mio, My Son). It was a simpler story than Ronja, but I did enjoy it. It was more of a fantasy than Pippi or Ronja. Next up is Brøderne Løvehjerte (The Brothers Lionheart).

 

There is a biography of Astrid Lindren about to come out in English: Astrid Lindgren: The Woman Behind Pippi Longstocking by Jens Andersen. It was originally written in Danish (2014). I'm not sure yet if I am up for reading it in Danish. Too long, lol.

 

(For those who are new to these threads, Danish is a foreign language for me and I am still climbing the mountain hoping to reach reading fluency)

I love de gebroeders Leeuwenhart.

Really really love it.

Dd and dh not so :(

 

 

Ohh, you will never believe it!

The biography has already been translated into Dutch and my library owns it:

http://zoeken.turnhout.bibliotheek.be/detail/Jens-Andersen/Deze-dag-een-leven-de-biografie-van-Astrid/Boek/?itemid=%7Clibrary%2Fmarc%2Fvlacc%7C9857467

 

On my TR list :)

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I had to re-read your post because I thought your family was heading to China for a month long business trip! One of these days I'll get back there...and not recognize anything! I was there the summer of 1981, when people still wore Mao suits, when the trains were all coal powered steam engines, but I did get to witness the first trickle of capitalism leaking out into the open. 

 

And are you paper piecing all of that Lucy Boston quilt?  :svengo:

No, I wish we were going with him! Dh's contribution includes a copy of the little red book so your Mao suit memories would fit in well with our preparation! I thought about teaching him how to eat with chop sticks but am afraid that would totally freak him out. He isn't a Chinese food fan at the best of times, prefers his food very mild...I see lots of rice in his future! We plan to order some basics as an intro this weekend and have a feast. We will love it and I hope he will. Any ideas for a good basic dish that he might actually be able to get there?

 

The quilt is all paper pieced which I love to do. The white is boring me hugely but that part should be done in the next week.

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I love de gebroeders Leeuwenhart.

Really really love it.

Dd and dh not so :(

 

 

Ohh, you will never believe it!

The biography has already been translated into Dutch and my library owns it:

http://zoeken.turnhout.bibliotheek.be/detail/Jens-Andersen/Deze-dag-een-leven-de-biografie-van-Astrid/Boek/?itemid=%7Clibrary%2Fmarc%2Fvlacc%7C9857467

 

On my TR list :)

Based on our conversations, I am starting to think that there are more Dutch-to-Danish and Danish-to-Dutch translations than either into English. I am glad you looked!

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Tor.com is offering a free book monthly.  This month's book is  The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

 

THE EYE OF THE WORLD, the first book of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, is available from February 13, 12:01 AM ET to February 15 11:59 PM ET. Download before 11:59 PM ET February 15th, 2018. 

 

As you can see from the above, you should act quickly.  The link is here.

**

 

Also currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

 

The Forsaken Crown  by Christina Ochs
 
Highland Pursuits  by Emmanuelle de Maupassant
 
Off Campus (Bend or Break)  by Amy Jo Cousins
**
 
And this because it amuses me:
 
Limiting Your Child’s Fire Time: A Guide for Concerned Paleolithic Parents  by Rachel Klein

 

"According to the most recent cave drawings, children nowadays are using fire more than ever before. And it’s no wonder: fire has many wonderful applications, such as cooking meat, warming the home, and warding off wild animals in the night. We adult Homo erectus, with our enlarged brains and experience of pre-fire days, can moderate our use, but our children—some of whom never lived during a time when you couldn’t simply strike two rocks together for an hour over a pile of dried grass to eventually produce a spark that, with gentle coaxing, might grow into a roaring flame—can have difficulty self-monitoring their interactions with fire...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

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Checking in very late this week!


 


Only finished one book last week...


 


12. Celine by Peter Heller (audiobook) - I really enjoyed this.  Maybe it helps that I'm from New England and while I'm a first generation import of very middle-class status, I have known some of these old New England Brahmins - and old Mainers - and appreciated the portrait of Heller's mother.  I also found out a homeschooling acquaintance has sent one of their daughters to Putney school, so it was kind of neat to find out more about it.


 


Currently reading:


 


The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles Mann (ebook) - This is a very interesting book and I'm really enjoying it, but it's a Chunky and Overdrive wants it back in just 5 days and I've got other things to read too - aaaah!!!


 


The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by María Rosa Menocal (audiobook) - My other audio didn't come in on time, so I picked this one from the Available list on Overdrive.  And I thought it was a good thing to read in advance of a trip to Spain I'm taking in April (with 21 teenagers!!) - even though, sadly, I will not get to visit Andalucia, which is where I did my semester abroad in college.  Anyway, very interesting stuff - a lot of reviews say she paints an overly rosy picture, and that's probably a bit true, but still ties together pieces of history that I haven't totally connected.  


 


La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman - I have to say I'm enjoying revisiting this world.  It's a prequel to His Dark Materials, which I loved.  I never found Lyra a very likable protagonist, though - I have to say I think I like Malcolm better.  And baby Lyra is cute!  ;)  I would have finished this off already, but must attend to the Charles Mann book before it goes *poof*!


 


Augustown - About halfway through and liking it, but haven't read much this week due to the other books above... (well, except the audiobook, which doesn't compete as I always do that in the car...)


 


Coming up:


 


Yikes, SciFi book club is next week, I haven't even started either book! (Spaceman of Bohemia and Embassytown).  Both are at the library waiting for me.


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Today I traveled south on the Ermine Road to Huntingdonshire. Sorry, I couldn't resist and where else could I ever say that! ;). Other words I road along with dh on a work related drive on the A1.....which meant I got to read!

 

Finally finished the new Flavia The Grave's a Fine and Private Place https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34837078-the-grave-s-a-fine-and-private-place. It wasn't the best or the worst in the series which sort of sums it up without spoilers. The family plus Dogger go on holiday to recover from the trauma from the last book. Their holiday is interrupted when Flavia encounters her next case. Without her lab Dogger assists in some clever chemical testing. In this book Dogger steps forward as a solid steadfast friend who is healing from his WWII experience which was truly the best bit for me. Truly a reliable adult in Flavia's life, woot! I was disappointed that it was set at Buckshaw, still in a made up village setting but not the one I love. The only real location given was that this village is a stopover for some on their way to Exeter. From where I ask! :lol:

 

I am not sure if there is another book planned for this series but want to say I felt satisfied with this one's ending. I was rather horrified at the end of Brinded Cat so am relieved to be able to say it no more are written I am good. I am looking forward to other's reactions.......

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Wondering which county we can place "fictional English village' in?  (Rebel Bus reader so guidelines are subjective to change or reinterpretation without warning.  But a leaping off point would be helpful :) )

 

Update:  Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie has lots of red herrings.  

Hoping to start on my next A.C title:  Dead Man’s Mirror ~ Agatha Christie

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Oooh I love yarns with metallic threads - your cowl sounds so pretty! and the scrap yarn quilt looks like fun! Like this one? - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-ron-weasley-blanket-by-penguineer

SaveSave

 

 

I went searching for The Flower Master and found several others in the series. No Flower Master which was disappointing. I have them marked on my wish lists for future reading. I really enjoyed the Inspector Chen book. I get to quiz my friend's hubby about it this weekend because we are preparing him for a month long business trip to China. Reading that book was my contribution to the project. ;)

 

I am going to be honest and say Tom's Midnight Garden is another fabulous read aloud. I had never heard of it before moving here and was rather unimpressed by the library. This an 12 or so other books(Narnia an Wind in the Willows) were it for the children's classics so Tom's Midnight Garden was read. Loved it, it's an old movie also.

 

I am a Lucy Boston quilt fan. Really, really, huge fan. I adore her work! I am actually working on one of her famous patterns right now called Patchwork of the Crosses https://www.greenknowe.co.uk/gallery11.html Mine is bolder, reds, greens, and purples on white. I made a table runner for a friend last year in those colours and loved it so am using the colour scheme for something bigger. I haven't been to her house yet but plan to go with or without dd this year. Last year my trip kept getting postponed due to others commitments.... I have decided dh can be my quilt buddy. :lol: Yes, he will be sitting on a bench in the garden while I explore the quilts!

 

 

Oh my.  It has crossed my mind a few times the last couple months to try to figure out how to quilt, but honestly I don't even know how to sew at all lol... :lol:  I've just been in such a 'making things' place this last year or so, and that area is one I haven't tried yet.  I'm pretty sure knitting or something like that will come next... :P  Maybe next year at this time I will be ready to try something really simple re: quilting.  We shall see.  

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Wondering which county we can place "fictional English village' in? (Rebel Bus reader so guidelines are subjective to change or reinterpretation without warning. But a leaping off point would be helpful :) )

 

Update: Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie has lots of red herrings.

Hoping to start on my next A.C title: Dead Man’s Mirror ~ Agatha Christie

 

We are consulting! ;).

 

Oh my. It has crossed my mind a few times the last couple months to try to figure out how to quilt, but honestly I don't even know how to sew at all lol... :lol: I've just been in such a 'making things' place this last year or so, and that area is one I haven't tried yet. I'm pretty sure knitting or something like that will come next... :P Maybe next year at this time I will be ready to try something really simple re: quilting. We shall see.

 

Take a look at English Paper Piecing if you want to try quilting without needing a machine. There is something really comforting about sewing my bits of fabric covered paper together.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDrTVi0jk6w Edited by mumto2
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I haven't been following the last couple of weeks and I'm feeling like a whiny baby.

 

Now that tennis season is in full swing, I am not getting in any reading time. I am busy with strength and conditioning, practices, recruiting, meetings, or trying to keep up at home. Plus there's just living with four other people. It seems like the day is over before I'm ready.

 

I'm not really complaining because I love this brief period of busyness. I know that it's only for a few weeks and then life will quiet down for a few months. I did enjoy being able to sit and read over the winter break. Oh the days of sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket with a good book and a cup of hot chai.

 

 

 

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Thanks to all those who've read Connie Willis' Blackout and All Clear and commented on them.  

 

I had noted that I was looking for a nice fiction book to read and I was also scared to read these as I'd enjoyed some other Willis books previously and was afraid to ruin the magic.  Well, I started Blackout last night and although I'm only 40 pages in, it is just as good as I'd hoped - fast paced, page-turner, interesting characters.

 

Oh! and DD chose a book for me at the library last night:  they had this display called "Blind Date with a Book" and the books were wrapped in brown paper with a two sentence description of the type of story.  She was quite delighted by this concept and took her time picking one.  She ended up picking Sense and Sensibility, so I will read that and be quite happy with  her choice, as I haven't read it for probably 15 years at least and it will be good for my Brit Tripping.

 

We also decided that this summer for their summer reading challenge, I will wrap up 20-30 books for them with descriptions and they will have to read 10-15 of them.  I love this because then they aren't just picking a book based on its cover.

Edited by Raifta
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Wondering which county we can place "fictional English village' in?  (Rebel Bus reader so guidelines are subjective to change or reinterpretation without warning.  But a leaping off point would be helpful :) )

 

Update:  Hickory Dickory Dock ~ Agatha Christie has lots of red herrings.  

Hoping to start on my next A.C title:  Dead Man’s Mirror ~ Agatha Christie

 

Sandy and I have discussed and are ready with a ruling.

 

The goal is to read 45 book and to read something set in all counties. If a book is set in multiple counties it can count for multiple counties but at the end of the trip there still needs to be a 45 books read.

 

Let me use The Man in the Queue for example. Inspector Grant boarded the train in London and departed in Nottingham and watched the scenery for a paragraph. That train route took him through London, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, and Leicestershire. The book can count for any of those counties or multiple of those counties. If you go this route then you'll finish your counties before you hit 45 books so you can fill the rest of the 45 books in with books set in wherever you want in England, including fictional locations.

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Today I traveled south on the Ermine Road to Huntingdonshire. Sorry, I couldn't resist and where else could I ever say that! ;). Other words I road along with dh on a work related drive on the A1.....which meant I got to read!

 

Finally finished the new Flavia The Grave's a Fine and Private Place https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34837078-the-grave-s-a-fine-and-private-place. It wasn't the best or the worst in the series which sort of sums it up without spoilers. The family plus Dogger go on holiday to recover from the trauma from the last book. Their holiday is interrupted when Flavia encounters her next case. Without her lab Dogger assists in some clever chemical testing. In this book Dogger steps forward as a solid steadfast friend who is healing from his WWII experience which was truly the best bit for me. Truly a reliable adult in Flavia's life, woot! I was disappointed that it was set at Buckshaw, still in a made up village setting but not the one I love. The only real location given was that this village is a stopover for some on their way to Exeter. From where I ask! :lol:

 

I am not sure if there is another book planned for this series but want to say I felt satisfied with this one's ending. I was rather horrified at the end of Brinded Cat so am relieved to be able to say it no more are written I am good. I am looking forward to other's reactions.......

 

The previous book in the series was the one Sophia had such a difficult time finishing. I think she thought it was slow and just didn't have the same charm as the previous books in the series. I'll have to grab the latest Flavia from the library and leave it on her bed. Kind of an experiment to see how long it takes her to pick it up and read it.

 

 

**
 
And this because it amuses me:
 
Limiting Your Child’s Fire Time: A Guide for Concerned Paleolithic Parents  by Rachel Klein

 

"According to the most recent cave drawings, children nowadays are using fire more than ever before. And it’s no wonder: fire has many wonderful applications, such as cooking meat, warming the home, and warding off wild animals in the night. We adult Homo erectus, with our enlarged brains and experience of pre-fire days, can moderate our use, but our children—some of whom never lived during a time when you couldn’t simply strike two rocks together for an hour over a pile of dried grass to eventually produce a spark that, with gentle coaxing, might grow into a roaring flame—can have difficulty self-monitoring their interactions with fire...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

LOL. That amuses me too.

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9.  "An Unsuitable Job For a Woman" by P.D. James.  My Brit-tripping entry for the week.  I hadn't read this before, and I liked it.  I'll have to look for her one other "Cordelia Gray" book.  (Mainly Cambridge, some London)


 


8. "Creative Schools" by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica.  Pretty specific to schools, but there were a few insights about different ways of teaching that could apply to homeschooling.


 


7.  "CopShock: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" by Allen R. Kates.  What I'm really looking for is accounts of non-military, non-first responders with PTSD, but still, this is not military, which all the other books in my library seem to be.  


 


6. "Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education" by Susan Wise Bauer.


5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling.  (London or Surrey)


4. "Guerrilla Learning: How to give your kids a real education with or without school" by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver. 


3. "Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety" by Daniel Smith.


2. "Mother had a Secret: Learning to love My Mother & Her Multiple Personalities" by Tiffany Fletcher.


1. "Life's lessons Learned" by Dallin H. Oaks. (LDS)


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Sandy and I have discussed and are ready with a ruling.

 

The goal is to read 45 book and to read something set in all counties. If a book is set in multiple counties it can count for multiple counties but at the end of the trip there still needs to be a 45 books read.

 

Let me use The Man in the Queue for example. Inspector Grant boarded the train in London and departed in Nottingham and watched the scenery for a paragraph. That train route took him through London, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, and Leicestershire. The book can count for any of those counties or multiple of those counties. If you go this route then you'll finish your counties before you hit 45 books so you can fill the rest of the 45 books in with books set in wherever you want in England, including fictional locations.

 

We've consulted behind the scenes a bit more.

 

New ruling for Brit Tripping. This will make it easy.

 

If you read a book set in a fictional English county/town it will be a Wild Card and you can use it for any county of your choice.

 

Does that make sense?

Edited by aggieamy
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I haven't been following the last couple of weeks and I'm feeling like a whiny baby.

 

Now that tennis season is in full swing, I am not getting in any reading time. I am busy with strength and conditioning, practices, recruiting, meetings, or trying to keep up at home. Plus there's just living with four other people. It seems like the day is over before I'm ready.

 

I'm not really complaining because I love this brief period of busyness. I know that it's only for a few weeks and then life will quiet down for a few months. I did enjoy being able to sit and read over the winter break. Oh the days of sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket with a good book and a cup of hot chai.

Can I recommend an audiobook? I usually have at least one (sometimes more, especially if I’m listening to one with my kids). I have Overdrive on my phone and tablet which lets me borrow books from the library. I also have Hoopla which lets me borrow books, like ones from The Great Courses which are some of my favorite science and history listens. Edited by ErinE
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Happy Valentine's Day to all those who celebrate!

**

 

These are currently free to Kindle readers ~

 

a one day classic: Adam Bede by George Eliot

 

romantic suspense trilogy: HERO Force Box Set: Books One - Three by Amy Gamet

 

 

"Fleming achieves the near impossible in this long book, keeping dozens of plots spinning...and the reader is placed in the unusual and invigorating position of watching history come alive with no idea of how it's going to end. A Russian war story that lives and breathes from a writer at the peak of his powers." KIRKUS REVIEWS

 

The Lady's Slipper  by Deborah Swift

 

'The novel grips from the opening lines and carries the interest throughout. The several plot strands are seamlessly blended and come together in a wholly satisfying conclusion. Her characters are so real that they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf. Highly recommended.' --The Historical Novels Review
 
mystery with a sixtyish sleuth and ghosts: The Tell All by Libby Howard
 
fantasy:  Fireflies  by P.S. Bartlett
 
male/male fantasy: Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Kaje Harper

male/male paranormal:  Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price
 
Regards,
Kareni
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Happy Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday. What a conundrum. I think I'll give up chocolate tomorrow.   :lol:

 

Audible has Romance Essentials - 50 must listens for romance fans

 

Brianpicking's Werner Heisenberg falls in Love

 

 

I finished J.D.Robb's latest In Death book - Dark in Death which I totally enjoyed.  A murder mystery involving a writer of detective novels so lots of talk about books.  Debating between Moore's Sherlockian or Lawhead's Taliesin.  

 

 

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Sandy and I have discussed and are ready with a ruling.

 

The goal is to read 45 book and to read something set in all counties. If a book is set in multiple counties it can count for multiple counties but at the end of the trip there still needs to be a 45 books read.

 

Let me use The Man in the Queue for example. Inspector Grant boarded the train in London and departed in Nottingham and watched the scenery for a paragraph. That train route took him through London, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, and Leicestershire. The book can count for any of those counties or multiple of those counties. If you go this route then you'll finish your counties before you hit 45 books so you can fill the rest of the 45 books in with books set in wherever you want in England, including fictional locations.

Ah! That makes filling the County requirement challenge easier.  

Needing to read 45 books is the less challenging part. 

 

We've consulted behind the scenes a bit more.

 

New ruling for Brit Tripping. This will make it easy.

 

If you read a book set in a fictional English county/town it will be a Wild Card and you can use it for any county of your choice.

 

Does that make sense?

Perfect.

 

Thanks Amy & Sandy. 

(This Brit Trip challenge is gifting my 52 books in 52 weeks with a fun factor.)

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Well, I've had The Sparrow on hold ever since I accidentally turned on my Kindle wifi after the loan ended. I looked at my Overdrive history and I checked it out in late November, which means it went back in early December. I'm not sure I care what happens next though. I haven't been anxiously awaiting for it to become available again. 

 

I finished Excellent Women today and am not sure what to think. I like character driven stories but these characters didn't do anything. No growth, no change, Nothing happened. They were exactly the same as they were when the story began. I get that it was social satire but even Jane Austen's social satire (who the author has been compared to) gave her characters some obstacles to overcome and had them change in some way by the end of the book. And yet, I didn't abandon it for some reason. I think I kept reading because I was hoping there would be something to take away from the story in the end. There wasn't imo (well, except that one character was better off without a husband because of how she envisioned life as a wife would be). I know we have some Barbara Pym fans here but I can't count myself among them after this book. 

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Well, I've had The Sparrow on hold ever since I accidentally turned on my Kindle wifi after the loan ended. I looked at my Overdrive history and I checked it out in late November, which means it went back in early December. I'm not sure I care what happens next though. I haven't been anxiously awaiting for it to become available again. 

 

I finished Excellent Women today and am not sure what to think. I like character driven stories but these characters didn't do anything. No growth, no change, Nothing happened. They were exactly the same as they were when the story began. I get that it was social satire but even Jane Austen's social satire (who the author has been compared to) gave her characters some obstacles to overcome and had them change in some way by the end of the book. And yet, I didn't abandon it for some reason. I think I kept reading because I was hoping there would be something to take away from the story in the end. There wasn't imo (well, except that one character was better off without a husband because of how she envisioned life as a wife would be). I know we have some Barbara Pym fans here but I can't count myself among them after this book. 

 

 

I read this several years ago and felt the same way. At the time I couldn't figure out if there was something I was missing because it seems that so many people just love this book. Glad to know I'm not the only one who was meh about this one!

 

And thank you, Amy and Sandy, for clearing up the county conundrum!

Edited by Mothersweets
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Well, I've had The Sparrow on hold ever since I accidentally turned on my Kindle wifi after the loan ended. I looked at my Overdrive history and I checked it out in late November, which means it went back in early December. I'm not sure I care what happens next though. I haven't been anxiously awaiting for it to become available again.

 

I finished Excellent Women today and am not sure what to think. I like character driven stories but these characters didn't do anything. No growth, no change, Nothing happened. They were exactly the same as they were when the story began. I get that it was social satire but even Jane Austen's social satire (who the author has been compared to) gave her characters some obstacles to overcome and had them change in some way by the end of the book. And yet, I didn't abandon it for some reason. I think I kept reading because I was hoping there would be something to take away from the story in the end. There wasn't imo (well, except that one character was better off without a husband because of how she envisioned life as a wife would be). I know we have some Barbara Pym fans here but I can't count myself among them after this book.

 

 

Even with having to remember to keep my WiFi off frequently I still adore Overdrive.

 

Yesterday I learned that I can “only†request 5 books for purchase per month on overdrive. I am sort of embarrassed to have learned that one. Spring is the season of new releases for a few of my favorites and I have discovered the easiest way to jump to the front of the queue is a purchase request even for a book I know they will be buying. So I even put them on books like the In Death series. Still waiting for but I am close! Others are using this trick too!

 

ErinE mentioned Hoopla yesterday. Anyone else use Hoopla? I forgot to quote her but my question is along the lines of how easy is it? Same as Overdrive or a bit more quirky like the magazine thing........I always seem to lose magazine checkouts and need to get them again. No biggie because it’s a magazine but that would be painful with books! I think I have access but am not sure if it would be worth the effort.

 

I read this several years ago and felt the same way. At the time I couldn't figure out if there was something I was missing because it seems that so many people just love this book. Glad to know I'm not the only one who was meh about this one!

 

And thank you, Amy and Sandy, for clearing up the county conundrum!

 

I have read one Pym years ago and didn’t feel the Love. I added them to the Brit Trip lists because so many adore them and I am curious enough to try one more time.

 

 

I haven't been following the last couple of weeks and I'm feeling like a whiny baby.

 

Now that tennis season is in full swing, I am not getting in any reading time. I am busy with strength and conditioning, practices, recruiting, meetings, or trying to keep up at home. Plus there's just living with four other people. It seems like the day is over before I'm ready.

 

I'm not really complaining because I love this brief period of busyness. I know that it's only for a few weeks and then life will quiet down for a few months. I did enjoy being able to sit and read over the winter break. Oh the days of sitting in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket with a good book and a cup of hot chai.

:lol: You changed your name! I started reading your post thinking new person, then it was this is not new person because I know I know them. Which turned in to it sounds like Scoutermom.......Thanks for putting your former name in the siggy, :) Edited by mumto2
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<snip>

 

ErinE mentioned Hoopla yesterday. Anyone else use Hoopla? I forgot to quote her but my question is along the lines of how easy is it? Same as Overdrive or a bit more quirky like the magazine thing........I always seem to lose magazine checkouts and need to get them again. No biggie because it’s a magazine but that would be painful with books! I think I have access but am not sure if it would be worth the effort.

 

<snip>

 

I use Hoopla.  It's OK, and easy enough to use. though sometimes I will try to download a book and it just won't download.  I can't figure out why.  Sometimes it takes 3 tries to get it done.

 

Also, there are no chapter breaks.  I've had the unfortunate experience of accidentally hitting a button and the book going back to the start and having to try to figure out where I was.  So I try to remember to hit a bookmark when I stop listening for a time.  

 

 

I am about 15% done with The Sunne in Splendor on Overdrive ebook, and it's going back tomorrow.  We'll see if I can manage not to turn on wifi on my kindle till I get it done!  Most likely I will have to reborrow at some point. I like it, but it's not gripping me right now.

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This is currently free to Kindle readers today only; it's a children's book that I've posted before and that a number of us recall fondly ~

 

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

 

"A boy risks his life to free a flying dragon in this beloved children’s classic and Newbery Honor Book.
 
Elmer Elevator has always wanted to fly, and when he takes in an old alley cat out of the rain, he gets his chance. The grateful cat tells him about a flying dragon that lives on the faraway Wild Island, where it has been tied up by a bunch of cruel animals and forced to work incessantly.
 
Not being the kind of boy who stands for such things, Elmer packs his knapsack and sets off to free the downtrodden dragon. Stowing aboard a ship and braving many dangers, Elmer will let nothing stop him from reaching Wild Island.
 
But if he’s going to save the dragon and finally fly, he’ll have to dig deep into his knapsack and outwit all sorts of tricky creatures inhabiting the isle."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I am still in London reading "Death in a White Tie" by Ngaio Marsh.  I am also still reading "Out of the Ashes", the authors name escapes me right now.  This is for the "o" in rose.  I just cannot get into either one of these!  Not sure why.  I already have "Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death" by James Runcie for Cambridgeshire.  I haven't seen the TV show, but I may get season 1 from the library to try it out.  I will also use this title as my "S" in rose. 

 

 

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Some recent reads here ~

 

I quite enjoyed Jo Walton's My Real Children which my book group will be meeting to discuss tonight; I'm looking forward to learning what the others in my group thought of it.  I'd read many of Jo Walton's book reviews, but this is the first work of her fiction that I've read.

 

"It's 2015, and Patricia Cowan is very old. "Confused today," read the notes clipped to the end of her bed. She forgets things she should know-what year it is, major events in the lives of her children. But she remembers things that don't seem possible. She remembers marrying Mark and having four children. And she remembers not marrying Mark and raising three children with Bee instead. She remembers the bomb that killed President Kennedy in 1963, and she remembers Kennedy in 1964, declining to run again after the nuclear exchange that took out Miami and Kiev.

 

Her childhood, her years at Oxford during the Second World War-those were solid things. But after that, did she marry Mark or not? Did her friends all call her Trish, or Pat? Had she been a housewife who escaped a terrible marriage after her children were grown, or a successful travel writer with homes in Britain and Italy? And the moon outside her window: does it host a benign research station, or a command post bristling with nuclear missiles?

 

Two lives, two worlds, two versions of modern history; each with their loves and losses, their sorrows and triumphs. Jo Walton's My Real Children is the tale of both of Patricia Cowan's lives...and of how every life means the entire world."

**

 

I also re-read three of Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega novels in anticipation of her next book in that series that is coming out in March.  I enjoyed them all.

 

Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega Book 2)

 

Fair Game (Alpha & Omega Book 3)

 

Dead Heat (Alpha & Omega Book 4)

 

Regards,

Kareni

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<snip>

 

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

 

"A boy risks his life to free a flying dragon in this beloved children’s classic and Newbery Honor Book.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

The rush of wonderful memories-with-my-children on  seeing that title.  ♥

A quick memory trip with this children's book is a really nice way to start today: it's my son's 18th birthday today (and my Dd's 16th on Sunday)

I wonder if they'd let me read some of it out aloud to them  :lol:

 

ETA:  we seem to be having a few birthdays in Feb on BaW.

Edited by Tuesdays Child
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