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  1. I also read Chivalry by Neil Gaiman this month! I'm going through all the Neil Gaiman books our library has. It's always a surprise who the book is for, since he has so many books at different reading levels/interests. This one I decided to read, but each of my three kids have also been the recipient of the Neil Gaiman book of the month 🙂 Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury. This is the second "Uncle Eric" book I've read and I have such mixed feelings. I don't agree with his politics and I don't agree with his insistence that entrepreneurship is best for everyone. It's also dated. BUT... I also learn a lot reading them. I really never thought about the actual printing of money and how it affects the economy. Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education by David Hicks. I loved this one! It was a lot of food for thought about the educational system in America. Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle. Another Ghost Hunters book. It very much followed the formula of the other books in the series, but I'm still enjoying that formula. I might need some time before I read the next book in the series, though. The Quest of the Missing Map- Carolyn Keene. Another Nancy Drew that I enjoyed as always.
  2. I'm following this post because my migraines have been terrible lately! My doctor has suggested magnesium, but I don't know a good brand or even type of magnesium. I got some at the grocery store, but I'm thinking maybe type and quality matter.
  3. I finished reading aloud The Cay by Theodore Taylor to my younger kids. This was my second time through and I enjoyed it again. I've never read the prequel/sequel, so I might try to read that this year. My hesitation is that I don't actually like Phillip. I'm not sure I want to hear any more about him.
  4. I didn't realize I hadn't posted in so long. This holiday season really got away from me, so here's November and December! Empire of the Summer Moon- SC Gwynne. This chronicled the downfall of the Comanche. I read it on the recommendation of my brother, and I'm glad I read it, but I won't be reading it again. Walking the Nile- Levison Wood. This had a surprisingly serious event take place during the trek. I like Wood's work, but after that particular event, it made me really question the point in all his expeditions. (to be fair, it made him question the same) The Sisterhood: the Secret History of Women in the CIA- Liza Mundy. I loved this book, while being disgruntled about how the CIA treated female employees. There's a fair amount about the CIA around 9/11 and that was interesting to me. I was in college in 2001 and had no idea about what was really going on. Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village- Maureen Johnson. meh The Psychology of Money- Morgan Housel. It had a few good points, but overall, meh. The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern. I didn't read this when it came out because I was sure I wasn't going to like it. I finally read it and I loved it! It's one of my favorite books of the year and it reminded me of what I love about reading. F is for Fugitive- Sue Grafton. Another Kinsey Millhone mystery, but better than the last one.
  5. As I was reading your post, I thought how that sounded like an Airbnb we stayed in in... San Antonio. I ended up corresponding with one of the people and it is a group that seems to use one person as the point on the property, but any of several people might be the ones who respond or assist you. I think they just took over a number of properties, because when we stayed in July they had just started requiring security deposits. If you are interested, I can PM you the listing we stayed at, to see if it is the same group. Our stay was fine, but the property was not well taken care of for the price and location.
  6. I do! I use mine for quotations. They are chronological and it is really nice to read through sometimes and follow the trail of the reading I have done over time. It's also a kick in the pants sometimes when I realize I haven't written in it in awhile. I don't mind reading a fair amount of trash, but when I haven't read anything inspiring or beautiful in a long time, I try to fix that.
  7. You can Melcat the Americas one! I'm in the same state as you, if your location by your avatar is correct, so I know that at least the Capital Area District Library has that in hard copy. I'm listening to the other one on hoopla through the library as well 🙂
  8. Levison Wood's Walking the Americas is also good! I'm listening to Walking the Nile now, since I enjoyed the other one so much.
  9. I had a busy October! The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion- Carolyn Keene. Oh boy, this Nancy Drew was full of anything they could possibly think of. Still entertaining, though. Goliath- Tom Gauld Graphic novel depicting the David and Goliath story from the viewpoint of a reluctant Goliath. I got it from the library thinking my middle schooler might like it, but DH didn't think DS would like it. Dark Light- Jayne Castle This Ghost Hunters books was not as good as the others. I hope I'm not getting sick of them! Mooncop- Tom Gauld Graphic novel about the last few people living on a failing lunar colony. I really liked this one. In a Sunburned Country- Bill Bryson. This was a read aloud with DS for geography. I loved it and so did he. I felt like we really learned a lot about Australia and Bill Bryson is so funny. I did skip over some parts with adult content. You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack- Tom Gauld. This is the last Tom Gauld graphic novel the library had. This one had more British references I didn't quite get. Counting the Cost- Jill Duggar Dillard. My hold finally came in at the library. I loved this book so much. I feel so bad for her and what she went through. I empathized with her about the effects of an overbearing religious family and the anxiety that standing up to them can bring. I
  10. I have been enjoying a bunch of Jayne Castle's Ghost Hunters series: Sweetwater and the Witch, After Glow, Ghost Hunter, and Silver Master. They are not great works of literature, but I love reading them. I like the combination of sci-fi/paranormal/ romance, I guess! Fourth Wing-Rebecca Yarros It was entertaining and I'll read the next one, but there were some holes in the storyline that aggravated me. I just finished feeling like the author hadn't read enough either military history or fantasy literature to properly write this book. E is for Evidence- Sue Grafton I'm still inexplicably invested in this series. This one was fine. I Will Teach You to be Rich- Ramit Sethi Not a lot I didn't already know, but I did change an aspect of how we handle our finances based on it. I watched part of the Netflix series and my kids were much more interested in watching it with me than in going to bed, so we had some good discussions on how to handle money from that. The Bodyguard- Katherine Center I did not expect to like this, but I did! I stayed up way too late reading it one night. I don't usually go for modern day romances, but I liked the characters a lot. Department of Mind-Blowing Theories- Tom Gauld Cartoons on science topics. I don't even know why I read this, because I was not the target audience and I didn't get the humor of a lot of them. I also didn't think the other book I read by him was that good. So I've put a hold on another of his books at the library.
  11. Along the same lines, if you have the soft-sided carry on, what packing cubes do you like?
  12. I got so busy with the summer, that I haven't posted since July 🙂 Here's what I've been reading! May Morris: Arts and Crafts Designer- Jenny Lister. I really enjoyed this book! I love the Arts and Crafts style and I embroider, so this was right up my alley. The Cranbrook Institute, which is driving distance for me, owns a bed hanging by May Morris, but when I contacted them, I learned it is not currently on display. Very disappointing! The Madman's Gallery- Edward Brooke-Hitching. Not great. Fine. It is a curation of bizarre or unusual works of art. I finished it, but meh. American Photographs- Walker Evans. I enjoy looking at historic pictures, so this was nice for me to look through. Aesop's Fables for Children- I've read this to all my kids, but my current 7 year old just loved it so much that I enjoyed it that much more as well. After Dark, Illusion Town, Guild Boss, Sweetwater and the Witch- Jayne Castle. I started this sci-fi romance series and I love it! They all occur in the same alien world, but in different cities and with loosely related characters. So far the writing is better in the later books, as the first one is a little precious with its gimmick (humans can use amber to focus their paranormal senses) and it can get irritating. I really like the world and I like the romances. They aren't great literature, but they are very fun. Storm in the Village- Miss Read. Another in the Fairacre series. Cozy and pleasant. Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security- Richard Maybury. I read this aloud to my 8th grader and he liked it. I liked it, too, to a point, but I also had to head off some libertarian viewpoints that I don't agree with. And the world has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years since it was written. DS and I had some great conversation about entrepreneurship, which the author highly prizes, but which our extended family has not had success with. The Dress Diary- Kate Strasdin. I follow the author on social media, so was looking forward to reading this book. The author has a dress diary, a diary of fabric swatches collected by a woman in Victorian times. I appreciate the look into women's lives that is often ignored in history (and for which we don't have an abundance of resources) Restoration Appreciation- John Nugent, ed. This is one of the textbooks for a class I adjunct, so I reread before teaching it again. It's a collection of essays that might be interesting to you if you are part of the Independent Christian Churches/ Churches of Christ. The Blonde Identity- Ally Carter. YA spy romance. Fun and whimsical, with much better writing than I anticipated. Random Acts of Medicine- Anupam Jena. Studies on how chance circumstances can affect your medical care. I guess the book is based on a podcast. I am going to try to listen to the podcast, as I suspect that it might be better than the book. Not that the book was bad!
  13. "999" is the letter "Y" because you had to push the 9 key three times to type the letter Y.
  14. I didn't get mine for the end of June in, so here they are. D is for Deadbeat- Sue Grafton; Better than the last Kinsey Millhone book. Good enough, but not amazing... yet I can't stop reading this series The Way of Life: A Theology of Christian Vocation- Gary Badcock; I took notes on this one and might do a lesson on it at church sometime. It is a look at what God "calls" us to do, specifically in life vs as a job. I liked the author's line of thinking/interpretation, especially as someone who has given up a career in order to homeschool. The Clue of the Tapping Heels- Carolyn Keene; They really threw a lot in this Nancy Drew mystery! Cat shows, tap dancing, and insane asylum escapee... I can't imagine what when on during the writing of this. Gardener of Versailles: My Life in the World's Grandest Garden- Alain Baraton; This was a collection of experiences of the long-time head gardener at Versailles, mixed in with historical info. It wasn't particularly cohesive, but it kept my attention. I would have liked more details to the stories. The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk- Carolyn Keene; Another Nancy Drew, better than the last, although still delightfully implausible.
  15. I've finished a few more. Civil War Places: Seeing the Conflict Through the Eyes of Its Leading Historians- Gary Gallagher, Ed. This was ok, not great. It's a series of essays by Civil War historians. Even though I have read and enjoyed works by a few of the authors, none of these essays really captured my attention. Murder for Christmas- Thomas Godfrey, Ed. This book is a collection of short stories featuring murder at Christmas time. The quality was very uneven (the Woody Allen story was terrible, the Dorothy Sayers was great), but overall it was a nice book to read to start the summer, somehow. The Haunted Bridge- Carolyn Keene I'm still reading through the Nancy Drew series. This one didn't hold my interest at all. I felt kind of blah about this batch of books, so I'm hoping I can find something more interesting in my tbr pile.
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