Before heading to bed last night, Mr. M-mv ensured that all of the feeders were topped off and scattered corn and nuts for the squirrels. (As any seasoned backyard birder knows, there are no squirrel-proof feeders. Cheap feed scattered away from the feeders will keep those furry nuisances away from the birds and the more expensive seed, though.) Then I hung a Post-It on the big window to remind all of us to note our first bird in the morning. Each of us espied an American goldfinch first, although it was a tight race between them, the dark-eyed juncos, a white-breasted nuthatch, and a red-bellied woodpecker. So. The Year of the American Goldfinch. Let’s see what it brings. (That's an old pic, from our old house.)

What an exciting semester for our students, eh? I appreciated all of the stories. Our daughters -- one is a college freshman and the other is a high school senior -- enrolled at the local college in late May and took two courses (four credits) over the summer session and four courses (fifteen credits) over the fall semester. They have earned As in all of their courses, and we are happy that they are happy. We are just careful about expecting a 4.0 throughout their college careers. They are both STEM majors, and while they are not taking a "light" load even in these, their early semesters, the coursework can only increase in difficulty. We're not lowering the bar, so to speak; we simply want to be realistic. As it has always been, the goal is to learn, to grow, to think, and -- one hopes -- to master. If an A follows, wonderful. If not? Well, there are sorrows keener than these, as Jane Kenyon reminds us. That said, they did earn the first and second highest grades in each of their classes, swapping the high-score spot on exams throughout both sessions, and both would tell you that having a live-in best friend and study buddy has played a significant role in their college success, to date. Of the four courses (fourteen credits) they will take next semester, they share three and will part company only in math: The freshman will take statistics and the high school senior, calculus. In other threads, some have shared stories about professors not grading assignments in a timely fashion. Whoo, boy, have we some anecdotes about that! I hesitate to share too much, though... Let's just say that more than a dozen times over the recently concluded semester I wondered how the students who *didn't* have their study buddy and former teacher both living under the same roof with them fared. The only real "difficulty" I can report is that it can be *HARD* to be a high school senior who is enrolled in college fulltime. Even (or perhaps, particularly) at the most competitive high schools, seniors have some time built into their conventional school day to meet with counselors to prepare admissions and scholarship submissions. My youngest, a young (sixteen-year-old) high school senior acting every inch a competitive college freshman, did not have that luxury. She did get it all done, though. She was admitted to the three universities to which she applied and offered generous merit scholarships to all. In fact, she will interview on campus next semester for a larger merit scholarship at one of the three. Exciting times here, indeed. Finally, I will share that our daughters refrained from sharing with their professors and peers that they were home-educated, even when the topic was raised in both a writing class and a freshman seminar. But following a post-class conversation, one prof said, "You're homeschooled, right?" When they asked how he knew, he mentioned, among other things, that they weren't afraid of the work and that they were so engaged in their studies -- which were interesting observations when considered beside the utter shock another prof expressed when she learned that they had been homeschooled. She came just short of saying it was impossible to believe that homeschooled students could do so well in college course. Heh, heh, heh. Both profs wrote the youngest letters of recommendation, by the way. *smile* Wishing your students an exciting spring semester!

Shall we do "bookshelfies" with us in them... Or without? If with, the above is from earlier this year. If without, then I need to go take some new pics, as the one I included is from shortly after we moved into the "forever home"... four years ago this coming month.

Stacia, a virtual friend recently recommended this to me as a sort of singing-to-the-choir read. (She knows I am a ruthless declutterer and tidier. *wry grin*) Your post is making my "add to cart" finger itch. Heh, heh, heh.

Just for you, Pink Elephant.... From Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study: In my belief, there are two and only two occupations for Saturday afternoon or forenoon for a teacher. One is to be out-of-doors and the other is to lie in bed, and the first is best. Out in this, God's beautiful world, there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care.

I was able to add the osprey to my life list on a trip to New York nine or so years ago. Gorgeous. This time of year, we like to "eagle hunt" along the river. *smile* We saw one on the way home from Chicago yesterday. Magnificent.

You've got the right poster (*wry, sad smile*) and I thank you for remembering. Do you realize how long ago that was? I began posting here (there) in 2002.

On the subject of the dark-eyed junco, I offer the following.... In her paean to birding, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds, Lyanda Lynn Haupt writes: There is a game birders play on New Year’s Day called “Bird of the Year.†The very first bird you see on the first day of the new year is your theme bird for the next 365 days. It might seem a curious custom, but people who watch birds regularly are always contriving ways to keep themselves interested. This is one of those ways. You are given the possibility of creating something extraordinary — a Year of the Osprey, Year of the Pileated Woodpecker, Year of the Trumpeter Swan. This game is an inspiration to place yourself in natural circumstances that will yield a heavenly bird, blessing your year, your perspective, your imagination, your spirit. New year, new bird. After her breathless anticipation, Haupt is confronted with… an Eastern Starling, or “sky-rat.†Year of the Eastern Starling. Inauspicious, yes, but not without its charms, according to Haupt. When I first read about Haupt’s charming birding game, what, seven? nine? eleven? years ago, I resolved to play on every January 1 remaining to me. Imagine my delight at espying a dozen of our dark-eyed junco friends beneath the feeders last New Year's Day. I hope for the same again tomorrow. And on the subject of backyard birding, here is my list: American Crow American Goldfinch American Robin Baltimore Oriole Black-capped Chickadee Blue Jay Chipping Sparrow Common Grackle Cooper’s Hawk Dark-eyed Junco Downy Woodpecker Eastern Wild Turkey European Starling Hairy Woodpecker Hermit Thrush House Sparrow House Wren House Finch Indigo Bunting Mourning Dove Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-tailed Hawk Rose-breasted Grosbeak Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sharp-shinned Hawk White-breasted Nuthatch My middle child taught herself to read using / memorizing bird identification guides and birding texts, and when we moved from Chicago to this tiny town on the prairie in 2004, it was largely because she and her sister wanted birds and trees in their own backyard. One of my goals for 2015 is to (finally!) complete the home study course I began through Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Speaking of the Lab, the same daughter and I are registered for the "Understanding Bird Behavior" webinar next week. Anyone else?

For all of those who mentioned that they plan to add more poetry to their reading mix in 2015, a comment on M-mv reminded me about / recommended Poetry 180. The Misses and I used it throughout academic year 2012/13. Just a wonderful, wonderful resource and a terrific way to infuse your year with verse. The same commenter also recommended The Writer's Almanac. EDITED TO ADD A REMARK: Apologies in advance if someone else has already suggested these resources. It will take me a bit to catch up on all of the posts. Also, I do not usually have an opportunity to "like" posts, yet I am always so heartened to see the "likes" by my own. I hope you will believe me when I say that in a perfect world I'd "like" all of your posts -- twice! -- if I were logged in regularly. This is such a happy and informative place to spend time. I think "Happy Birthday!" or "So sorry to hear that you're ill" or, sadly, "I am sorry to learn that you're hurting" in all of the appropriate places -- but usually well after the conversation has concluded. Please know, though, that I regularly think of this pleasant corner of the WTM virtual living room with warm regards and great appreciation. Happy, healthy new year to all of you!

Was it last year that we posted "bookshelfies" (i.e., pics of our books or ourselves with our books)? That was fun. Anyone up for that again?

So happy about the silliest thing! In conversation with my youngest, I effusively praised and celebrated the BaW community and Robin. I shared with her that I didn't think I'd hit my goal of 104 by day's end, but no biggie because the best thing about the program is the camaraderie, etc., etc. Then she peruses my list and asks, "Where's All My Sons?" Where, indeed! So I *did* hit my goal. Woot! (Of course, now I wonder what else I forgot to log, but never mind that for now.) ■Still Alice (Lisa Genova; 2009. 292 pages. Fiction.) ■Saga, Volume 4 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2014. 144 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Charm & Strange (Stephanie Kuehn ; 2013. 224 pages. Fiction.) ■Life After the Death of My Son: What I’m Learning (Dennis L. Apple; 2008. 192 pages. Memoir.) ■The Wake (Scott Snyder; 2014. 256 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 3: West of Hell (Ed Brubaker; 2012. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 2: The Devil’s Business (Ed Brubaker; 2013. 136 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Children’s Hour (Lillian Hellman; 1953. 72 pages. Drama.) ■Citizen: An American Lyric (Claudia Rankine; 2014. 160 pages. Poetry.) ■The Testament of Mary (Colm Tóibín; 2012. 96 pages. Fiction.) ■Isaac’s Eye (Lucas Hnath; 2014. 113 pages. Drama.) ■The Lost Daughter (Elena Ferrante; 2008. 125 pages. Fiction.) ■The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder (Charles Graeber; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 1: Death Chases Me (Ed Brubaker; 2012. 144 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1) (Joss Whedon; 2010. 136 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Lazarus Volume 2 (Greg Rucka; 2014. 104 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Lazarus Volume 1 (Greg Rucka; 2013. 96 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception (Emmanuel Carrère; 2002. 191 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Pericles (William Shakespeare (1606?); Folger ed. 2005. 304 pages. Drama.) * ■So Much Pretty (Cara Hoffman; 2011. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Revival Volume 4: Escape to Wisconsin (Tim Seeley; 2014. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New Beginning (Robert Kirkman; 2014. 135 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Walking Dead Volume 21: All Out War Part 2 (Robert Kirkman; 2014. 135 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Iphigeneia at Aulis (Euripides. (Merwin / Dimock trans.; 1992). 128 pages. Drama.) ■All My Sons (Arthur Miller. (1947 / 2000. 112 pages. Drama.) ■Neurocomic (Hana Ros; 2014. 144 pages. Graphic non-fiction.) ■The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College (Jacques Steinberg; 2003. 336 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Gabriel: A Poem (Edward Hirsch; 2014. 96 pages. Poetry.) ■My Friend Jeffrey Dahmer (Derf Backderf; 2012. 224 pages. Graphic non-fiction.) ■Adult Literacy Handbook for Students and Tutors (Anita H. Pomerance; 1999. 141 pages. Non-fiction.) ■How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens (Benedict Carey; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 448 pages. Fiction.) ■Don’t Try to Find Me (Holly Brown; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) ■Better by Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong (Alina Tugend; 2011. 304 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family (Ezekiel Emanuel; 2013. 288 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Wasp Factory (Iain Banks; 1998. 192 pages. Fiction.) ■Be Safe I Love You (Cara Hoffman; 2014. 304 pages. Fiction.) ■Insurgent (Veronica Roth; 2012. 544 pages. Fiction.) ■The Book of You (Clare Kendal; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) ■Bird Box (Josh Malerman; 2014. 272 pages. Fiction.) ■Snowpiercer, Vol. 2: The Explorers (Jacques Lob; Benjamin Legrand (1999 and 2000); 2014. 140 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■LITSTART: Strategies for Adult Learners and ESL Tutors (Patricia Frey; 1999. 246 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Good Girl (Mary Kubica; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Snowpiercer, Vol. 1: The Escape (Jacques Lob (Le Transperceneige, 1999); 2014. 110 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Eleanor and Park (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■Brave New World (Aldous Huxley (1932); 2006 ed. 288 pages. Fiction.) * ■What the Best College Teachers Do (Ken Bain; 2004. 207 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty; 2014. 480 pages. Fiction.) ■Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Bill Bryson; 2013. 208 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Monument 14 (Emmy Laybourne; 2013. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain; 2012. 352 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Three (Sarah Lotz; 2014. 480 pages. Fiction.) ■A Season of Gifts (Richard Peck; 2009. 176 pages. Fiction.) ■Landline (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die (Eric Siegel ; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think (Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier; 2013. 256 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938 (The Museum of Modern Art, New York; 2013. 256 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Magritte (Marcel Paquet; 2012. 96 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Kandinsky (Hajo Duchting; 2012. 96 pages. Non-fiction.) ■In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic (Professor X; 2011. 288 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Antony and Cleopatra (William Shakespeare (1606); Folger ed. 2005. 336 pages. Drama.) ■The Girl with All the Gifts (M.R. Cary; 2014. 416 pages. Fiction.) ■Python for Informatics: Exploring Information (Charles R. Severance; 2013. 244 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Stranger (Albert Camus (1942); 1989 edition. 123 pages. Fiction.) * ■Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë (1847); 2005 B&N edition. 592 pages. Fiction.) * ■The Fever (Meg Abbott; 2014. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Burial Rites (Hannah Kent; 2013. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■The Other Side of Sadness (George A. Bonanno; 2010. 240 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Blue Fox (Sjón; 2013. 128 pages. Fiction.) ■The Dance of Death (August Strindberg (Conor McPherson, trans.); 1900 (2012). Drama.) ■We Were Liars (E. Lockhart; 2014. 240 pages. Fiction.) ■The Detainee (Peter Liney; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer; 2014. 208 pages. Fiction.) ■All’s Well That Ends Well (William Shakespeare (1604); Folger ed. 2006. 336 pages. Drama.) ■Soft Apocalypse (Will McIntosh; 2011. 239 pages. Fiction.) ■One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Alexander Sozhenitsyn; 1962/2009. 208 pages. Fiction.) * ■Masterpiece Comics (R. Sikoryak; 2009. 64 pages. Fiction.) ■Infected (Scott Sigler; 2008. 384 pages. Fiction.) ■Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham; 2014. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■Running Wild (J.G. Ballard; 1989. 116 pages. Fiction.) ■The How and the Why (Sarah Treem; 2013. Drama.) ■Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade (Walter Kirn; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Dope (Sara Gran; 2007. 256 pages. Fiction.) ■People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo (Richard Lloyd Parry; 2012. 464 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Troop (Nick Cutter; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) ■The Mayo Clinic Diet (2012. 254 pages. Non-fiction.) ■This Is Where I Leave You (Jonathan Trooper; 2009. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck; 1937. 112 pages. Fiction.) * ■Gideon’s Knot (Johanna Adams; DPS new acquisition / unbound. Drama.) ■The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2013 (ed. Siddhartha Mukherjee; 2013. 368 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Lexicon (Max Barry; Folger ed. 2013. 400 pages. Fiction.) ■The Circle (Dave Eggers; 2013. 504 pages. Fiction.) ■The Good Sister (Drusilla Campbell; 2010. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■The Two Gentlemen of Verona (William Shakespeare (1589); Folger ed. 2006. 304 pages. Drama.) * ■Hedda Gabler (Henrik Ibsen; 1890. Drama.) * ■Labor Day (Joyce Maynard; 2009. 256 pages. Fiction.) ■The Living (Matt De La Peña; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Henry V (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2004. 294 pages. Drama.) * ■Henry IV, Part II (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2006. 400 pages. Drama.) * ■Henry IV, Part I (William Shakespeare (1597); Folger ed. 2005. 336 pages. Drama.) * ■The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum; 1895 / 2008. 224 pages. Juvenile fiction.) ■Cartwheel (Jennifer duBois; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.) ■The Wicked Girls (Alex Marwood; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.)

That sounds good!

Belated winter holiday wishes to my fellow BaWers! The last three books I read were â– Still Alice (Lisa Genova; 2009. 292 pages. Fiction.) â– Saga, Volume 4 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2014. 144 pages. Graphic fiction.) â– Charm & Strange (Stephanie Kuehn ; 2013. 224 pages. Fiction.) This puts me at 103. Are we beginning the 2015 program tomorrow?

How many books did you read? Did you meet your personal goal? To date, I’ve read 101 books this year. My goal was two per week, for a total of 104. With nine or ten days remaining in the year, it’s still possible to reach it, particularly since I’ve got active bookmarks in at least eight books. We’ll see; we’ll see. Like last year, I mostly concerned myself with reading more slowly, trying to avoid popping off and on books, savoring what I read. I am still an unapologetically promiscuous reader; that is, one who enters into assorted relationships while already involved in too many others to name and one who leaves books languishing unread or, perhaps sadder still, partially read on shelves and nightstands, in knapsacks, and beside favorite chairs. I did do much better this year and last, though. No, really. I did. Most thrilling, “Oh, my goodness, I want to read it again,†unputdownable book? (One fiction title, one non-fiction title, one play.) ■Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception (Emmanuel Carrère; 2002. 191 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Isaac’s Eye (Lucas Hnath; 2014. 113 pages. Drama.) Top five seven books? (Listed in the order read.) ■Cartwheel (Jennifer duBois; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.) ■Lexicon (Max Barry; Folger ed. 2013. 400 pages. Fiction.) ■Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade (Walter Kirn; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Burial Rites (Hannah Kent; 2013. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception (Emmanuel Carrère; 2002. 191 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder (Charles Graeber; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.) Honorable mention: ■The Wicked Girls (Alex Marwood; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.) ■Soft Apocalypse (Will McIntosh; 2011. 239 pages. Fiction.) ■The Fever (Meg Abbott; 2014. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family (Ezekiel Emanuel; 2013. 288 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Lost Daughter (Elena Ferrante; 2008. 125 pages. Fiction.) Least favorite book? ■Landline (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.) I actually do not (at. all.) subscribe to the idea that characters must be likeable and their struggles unique, but this crew was pretty insufferable, and their “difficulties†were so banal. The snappy verve of Rowell’s other work is much more appealing. (See Eleanor and Park and/or Fangirl.) New author discovery? Elena Ferrante (Who is she?) and Emmanuel Carrère. Share a favorite character, story, quote, or cover. Perhaps one of the most compelling opening sentences, ever… From The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception (Emmanuel Carrère; 2002): On the Saturday morning of January 9, 1993, while Jean-Claude Romand was killing his wife and children, I was with mine in a parent-teacher meeting at the school attended by Gabriel, our eldest son. From In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic (Professor X; 2011): Over the years, I have come to think that the two most crucial ingredients in the mysterious mix that makes a good writer may be (1) having read enough throughout a lifetime to have internalized the rhythms of the written word, and (2) refining the ability to mimic those rhythms. It is very difficult to make up for gaps in a lifetime of reading and practice over the course of a fifteen-week semester. As Mark Richardson, an assistant professor of writing and linguistics at Georgia Southern University, says, “Writing involves abilities we develop over our lifetimes. Some students are more advanced in them when they come to college than are others. Those who are less advanced will not develop to a level comparable to the more-prepared students in one year or even two, although they may reach adequate levels of ability over time.†From The Testament of Mary (Colm Tóibín; 2012): And I know how deeply this disturbs them and it would make me smile, this earnest need for foolish anecdotes or sharp, simple patterns in the story of what happened to us all, except that I have forgotten how to smile. I have no further need for smiling. Just as I had no further need for tears. There was a time when I thought that I had, in fact, no tears left, that I had used up my store of tears, but I am lucky that foolish thoughts like this never linger, are quickly replaced by what is true. There are always tears if you need them enough. It is the body that makes tears. I no longer need tears and that should be a relief, but I do not seek relief, merely solitude and some grim satisfaction which comes from the certainty that I will not say anything that is not true. Are you ready to do it all over again? Ayup. And I am grateful to Robin for continuing to host this program. I don’t post as much as others, but I do appreciate the community of readers and the civility of their conversation. Goals for 2015? One idea I’ve had is to develop a poem and a short story daily habit. I don’t read nearly enough of either, yet when I do, I adore both forms. What’s the hang-up? I don’t know. Perhaps a “reading plan†would motivate me to read more. I join the chorus of readers who maintain that they must, must, must read from the shelves and stacks (i.e., cut back on the book acquiring; focus on the book reading).

Happy holidays, fellow BaWers! I've recently completed: ■Life After the Death of My Son: What I’m Learning (Dennis L. Apple; 2008. 192 pages. Memoir.) ■The Wake (Scott Snyder; 2014. 256 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 3: West of Hell (Ed Brubaker; 2012. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 2: The Devil’s Business (Ed Brubaker; 2013. 136 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Children’s Hour (Lillian Hellman; 1953. 72 pages. Drama.) ■Citizen: An American Lyric (Claudia Rankine; 2014. 160 pages. Poetry.) That puts me at 100, to date. I think I may have just enough time to reach my goal of 104, but we'll have to see.

Station Eleven is one of the best books I read this year. How could I not love a post-apocalyptic narrative seasoned with ample doses of Shakespeare, graphic novels, and serendipity? Heh, heh, heh.

Recently finished: ■The Testament of Mary (Colm Tóibín; 2012. 96 pages. Fiction.) ■Isaac’s Eye (Lucas Hnath; 2014. 113 pages. Drama.) ■The Lost Daughter (Elena Ferrante; 2008. 125 pages. Fiction.) ... which puts me at 94 in my quest to read 102 books this year. I don't know if I will break one hundred in the next three-plus weeks, let alone finish the ten books needed to hit 104, but it's been a good year of reading. We have tickets to see the The Testament of Mary and Isaac's Eye this month, so that is how they moved up on my queue. My husband actually "read" Mary with an audiobook; the narrator is Meryl Streep. He says it's jaw-droppingly good. I'd like to recommend The Lost Daughter. Here's an article about Ferrante: http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/09/elena-ferrante-a-new-breed-of-writer-girl-crush.html I will add only that the fierce truthfulness that undergirds her writing has resulted in me adding all of her novels to my Christmas list.

Did you all have a wonderful holiday weekend? We saw Porgy and Bess at the Lyric Opera and Iphigenia at Aulis at the Court Theatre. And although we are not shoppers, we did our part on "Small Business Saturday": I dropped a bundle at 57th Street Books. Heh, heh, heh. Since my last post, I finished: ■The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder (Charles Graeber; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 1: Death Chases Me (Ed Brubaker; 2012. 144 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1) (Joss Whedon; 2010. 136 pages. Graphic fiction.) This puts me at 91 books for this "year of reading slowly." My goal is 104. We'll see, huh? My complete list: ■The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder (Charles Graeber; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Fatale, Book 1: Death Chases Me (Ed Brubaker; 2012. 144 pages. Fiction.) ■The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1) (Joss Whedon; 2010. 136 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Lazarus Volume 2 (Greg Rucka; 2014. 104 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Lazarus Volume 1 (Greg Rucka; 2013. 96 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception (Emmanuel Carrère; 2002. 191 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Pericles (William Shakespeare (1606?); Folger ed. 2005. 304 pages. Drama.) * ■So Much Pretty (Cara Hoffman; 2011. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Revival Volume 4: Escape to Wisconsin (Tim Seeley; 2014. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New Beginning (Robert Kirkman; 2014. 135 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Walking Dead Volume 21: All Out War Part 2 (Robert Kirkman; 2014. 135 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Iphigeneia at Aulis (Euripides. (Merwin / Dimock trans.; 1992). 128 pages. Drama.) ■Neurocomic (Hana Ros; 2014. 144 pages. Graphic non-fiction.) ■The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College (Jacques Steinberg; 2003. 336 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Gabriel: A Poem (Edward Hirsch; 2014. 96 pages. Poetry.) ■My Friend Jeffrey Dahmer (Derf Backderf; 2012. 224 pages. Graphic non-fiction.) ■Adult Literacy Handbook for Students and Tutors (Anita H. Pomerance; 1999. 141 pages. Non-fiction.) ■How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens (Benedict Carey; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 448 pages. Fiction.) ■Don’t Try to Find Me (Holly Brown; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) ■Better by Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong (Alina Tugend; 2011. 304 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Brothers Emanuel: A Memoir of an American Family (Ezekiel Emanuel; 2013. 288 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Wasp Factory (Iain Banks; 1998. 192 pages. Fiction.) ■Be Safe I Love You (Cara Hoffman; 2014. 304 pages. Fiction.) ■Insurgent (Veronica Roth; 2012. 544 pages. Fiction.) ■The Book of You (Clare Kendal; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) ■Bird Box (Josh Malerman; 2014. 272 pages. Fiction.) ■Snowpiercer, Vol. 2: The Explorers (Jacques Lob; Benjamin Legrand (1999 and 2000); 2014. 140 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■LITSTART: Strategies for Adult Learners and ESL Tutors (Patricia Frey; 1999. 246 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Good Girl (Mary Kubica; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Snowpiercer, Vol. 1: The Escape (Jacques Lob (Le Transperceneige, 1999); 2014. 110 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Eleanor and Park (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■Brave New World (Aldous Huxley (1932); 2006 ed. 288 pages. Fiction.) * ■What the Best College Teachers Do (Ken Bain; 2004. 207 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty; 2014. 480 pages. Fiction.) ■Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Bill Bryson; 2013. 208 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Monument 14 (Emmy Laybourne; 2013. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain; 2012. 352 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Three (Sarah Lotz; 2014. 480 pages. Fiction.) ■A Season of Gifts (Richard Peck; 2009. 176 pages. Fiction.) ■Landline (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die (Eric Siegel ; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think (Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier; 2013. 256 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938 (The Museum of Modern Art, New York; 2013. 256 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Magritte (Marcel Paquet; 2012. 96 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Kandinsky (Hajo Duchting; 2012. 96 pages. Non-fiction.) ■In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic (Professor X; 2011. 288 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Antony and Cleopatra (William Shakespeare (1606); Folger ed. 2005. 336 pages. Drama.) ■The Girl with All the Gifts (M.R. Cary; 2014. 416 pages. Fiction.) ■Python for Informatics: Exploring Information (Charles R. Severance; 2013. 244 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Stranger (Albert Camus (1942); 1989 edition. 123 pages. Fiction.) * ■Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë (1847); 2005 B&N edition. 592 pages. Fiction.) * ■The Fever (Meg Abbott; 2014. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Burial Rites (Hannah Kent; 2013. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■The Other Side of Sadness (George A. Bonanno; 2010. 240 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Blue Fox (Sjón; 2013. 128 pages. Fiction.) ■The Dance of Death (August Strindberg (Conor McPherson, trans.); 1900 (2012). Drama.) ■We Were Liars (E. Lockhart; 2014. 240 pages. Fiction.) ■The Detainee (Peter Liney; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer; 2014. 208 pages. Fiction.) ■All’s Well That Ends Well (William Shakespeare (1604); Folger ed. 2006. 336 pages. Drama.) ■Soft Apocalypse (Will McIntosh; 2011. 239 pages. Fiction.) ■One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Alexander Sozhenitsyn; 1962/2009. 208 pages. Fiction.) * ■Masterpiece Comics (R. Sikoryak; 2009. 64 pages. Fiction.) ■Infected (Scott Sigler; 2008. 384 pages. Fiction.) ■Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham; 2014. 336 pages. Fiction.) ■Running Wild (J.G. Ballard; 1989. 116 pages. Fiction.) ■The How and the Why (Sarah Treem; 2013. Drama.) ■Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade (Walter Kirn; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Dope (Sara Gran; 2007. 256 pages. Fiction.) ■People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo (Richard Lloyd Parry; 2012. 464 pages. Non-fiction.) ■The Troop (Nick Cutter; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) ■The Mayo Clinic Diet (2012. 254 pages. Non-fiction.) ■This Is Where I Leave You (Jonathan Trooper; 2009. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck; 1937. 112 pages. Fiction.) * ■Gideon’s Knot (Johanna Adams; DPS new acquisition / unbound. Drama.) ■The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2013 (ed. Siddhartha Mukherjee; 2013. 368 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Lexicon (Max Barry; Folger ed. 2013. 400 pages. Fiction.) ■The Circle (Dave Eggers; 2013. 504 pages. Fiction.) ■The Good Sister (Drusilla Campbell; 2010. 352 pages. Fiction.) ■The Two Gentlemen of Verona (William Shakespeare (1589); Folger ed. 2006. 304 pages. Drama.) * ■Hedda Gabler (Henrik Ibsen; 1890. Drama.) * ■Labor Day (Joyce Maynard; 2009. 256 pages. Fiction.) ■The Living (Matt De La Peña; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Henry V (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2004. 294 pages. Drama.) * ■Henry IV, Part II (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2006. 400 pages. Drama.) * ■Henry IV, Part I (William Shakespeare (1597); Folger ed. 2005. 336 pages. Drama.) * ■The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum; 1895 / 2008. 224 pages. Juvenile fiction.) ■Cartwheel (Jennifer duBois; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.) ■The Wicked Girls (Alex Marwood; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.)

Hello, BaWers! It's been two or three weeks since my last post. I'm still studying flute, working through the Shakespeare MOOC, and volunteering in the literacy program. I also continue in my role as guidance counselor for my youngest, and let me just say that it is no easy task to get all of those apps and essays done when you're taking a full (fifteen credits this semester) college course load. (She's a high school senior enrolled fulltime in the local college's dual enrollment program.) I realize that sounds like a humble-brag. It's not. I wish, oh, how I wish we had realized how tricky this would be. Nearly done, though. Nearly done. Since that last post, I've added the following to my list: ■Dear Committee Members (Julie Schumacher; 2014. 192 pages. Fiction.) ■Lazarus Volume 2 (Greg Rucka; 2014. 104 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■Lazarus Volume 1 (Greg Rucka; 2013. 96 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception (Emmanuel Carrère; 2002. 191 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Pericles (William Shakespeare (1606?); Folger ed. 2005. 304 pages. Drama.) * ■So Much Pretty (Cara Hoffman; 2011. 320 pages. Fiction.) ■Revival Volume 4: Escape to Wisconsin (Tim Seeley; 2014. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New Beginning (Robert Kirkman; 2014. 135 pages. Graphic fiction.) ■The Walking Dead Volume 21: All Out War Part 2 (Robert Kirkman; 2014. 135 pages. Graphic fiction.) That puts me 89 for the year, so it's uncertain whether I will meet my two-a-week goal since I am now five behind. We'll see. We have a five-day Thanksgiving break and our winter break begins on December 12. Tonight I am savoring a book of poetry: 3 Sections by Vijay Seshadri.

FYI: I am attempting to "like" the responses I've received and am being advised that there is "a problem storing your reputation vote." I appreciate the replies and will leave a larger tip, if we are ever brave enough to linger again. *wry grin*

Your party of four arranges to meet an out-of-town relative at a restaurant (e.g., PF Chang's or Weber Grill -- edited to add that it was neither of these but a restaurant like them). It is lunch hour during the business day, but the restaurant never reaches more than 75 percent full during your visit. The meal is leisurely -- an appetizer, soup, the main course, dessert and coffee. When the waitress takes the final check (the one that has a 30 percent tip), two hours have elapsed, and the business crowd has headed back to the office. "Is anyone waiting for a table?" the head of the party inquires. "Oh, no," she replies, gesturing at the restaurant, which is now about 40 percent or less full. "Is it all right, then, that we sit for a while and talk?" "Absolutely. Take your time. Enjoy." Then for the next hour, your party receives occasional scowls from other staff and finally an abrupt, "So let's clean this up," from what turns out to be the manager. On leaving, you notice that the restaurant is about 15 to 20 percent full. You ask for the manager and are surprised to learn that it's the same person who so rudely stacked your plates, sighing, and coughing. You say: Our waitress was excellent. Superlative, in fact. The food was tasty. We have an out-of-town guest, and on paying, we asked if we might remain and talk and were told that was fine. Given how much our bill was, we are surprised that (a.) someone didn't offer to open another tab -- we would have loved more coffee and water and all of us were interested in another appetizer; and (b.) you were so impolite. The restaurant is still open. Others in the restaurant are lingering. Your attitude has resulted in a loss of business. Her reply: Oh. Uh, huh. Okay. Leaving her inadequate reply aside for a moment, tell me: Is it wrong to linger in the circumstances I've described? I do not wish for folks to "just agree with me," but I also do not wish to be ridiculed for my ignorance on this matter. Educate me, please.

I was in the mood for something not elegiac or dystopian. The Gatekeepers worked. From 1986 until 1989, I was an admissions counselor, first at a small two-year college in a big East Cost city and then at a major university in that same city. The traveling, the angst about converting admits to enrollments, and the reading, reading, reading all resonated with me. The rest, since I did not work for a very selective school, left me a little cold. It also made me understand better why my youngest, who has been anxiously courted by a list of schools that greatly impresses her aunt and grandmothers, and would likely impress Ralph Figueroa, opted out of the race. It bores her. And no matter how many times she runs the numbers, she can't for the life of her understand why parents push(ed) their children to get into colleges they have no hopes of affording. (The Bentes family was still on the hook for $26,000 annually for their daughter's Yale education. The mother worked sporadically, and the father's income was uneven. And that was in 2000 dollars. Let's wrap our minds around 2014 dollars.) But that's another post altogether. Heh, heh, heh. Afterthought: The other odd bit about The Gatekeepers? Figueroa attended Stanford and then headed to UCLA law school, if I remember correctly. And he became an admissions counselor when he grew up. So many of us on the road for good and great schools just thirteen or so years before Figueroa were in our early twenties, making between $23,000 and $27,000 annually, with our BA or BS.

Did the homeschooled students self-identify? I ask because my daughters, and their brother before them, refrain(ed) from telling their professors and peers that they are / were homeschooled -- primarily to avoid the labels, good and bad. (My son did eventually tell one of his English professors, when he requested a letter of recommendation from her.) My youngest and oldest children also participate(d) in dual enrollment, but the professors remain unaware of that unless the students share that information. This was particularly uncomfortable for my youngest, sixteen, when the freshman seminar professor announced that she "hated kids," which she defined as anyone under eighteen. !! It would take volumes to share the many stories my kids have carried home about the, erm, unusual approach to studies the majority of their peers take. This year, I've actually been able to see some of the "spread," too: Some grade distribution detail is available on the student course site. For example, on the first psych exam, the high was 74 (out of 75); the low was 23. There were only two As on the exam, the prof announced on returning them. She offered study tips, referred to the online resources she posted, and grew more than annoyed when one student asked a convoluted question about the role over-confidence plays in exam-taking. "That was in our reading. Did you complete the assigned reading?" "In the book? Um, yeah. No. Why?" I love this bit from In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic (Professor X; 2011): p. 88 I am actually surprised that a larger sprinkling of good students doesn’t turn up in my Huron State classes. I have come to think of two-year colleges as a great bargain. If you are a particular type of good student – someone who is in it for grades and low cost, someone who can sit through rudimentary lectures without falling asleep, who can listen to the rambling and disconnected answers of your fellow students without wanting to bludgeon them, who can listen to your teacher’s repeated attempts to pull answers out of a class without wanting to scream out the bleedingly obvious response – if you are someone who can avoid falling into despair when college classes have high-school-type problems, and the library is so lightly used, and no one really ever reads of word of anything, then a place like Huron State is a great buy. Who can listen to the rambling and disconnected answers of your fellow students without wanting to bludgeon them....That bit always reminds me to be impressed with my daughters' equanimity in the face of their peers' -- to be kind -- lack of skills.

Hello! It's been five weeks since my last BaW post, I think. Since then, I've finished: â– Iphigeneia at Aulis (Euripides. (Merwin / Dimock trans.; 1992). 128 pages. Drama.) â– Neurocomic (Hana Ros; 2014. 144 pages. Graphic non-fiction.) â– The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College (Jacques Steinberg; 2003. 336 pages. Non-fiction.) â– Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel; 2014. 352 pages. Fiction.) â– Gabriel: A Poem (Edward Hirsch; 2014. 96 pages. Poetry.) â– My Friend Jeffrey Dahmer (Derf Backderf; 2012. 224 pages. Graphic non-fiction.) That brings my year-to-date total to 80, eight behind my two-a-week goal. And that's okay. Station Eleven was magnificent, by the way, especially if blending some Shakespeare and classical music into a post-plague narrative sounds good to you. 'been keeping busy with the adult literacy volunteer gig, flute practice and lessons, a Shakespeare MOOC, and helping my youngest with the last of her college applications, two of which will require supplements for the scholarship programs for which she has been recommended. (Woot!) Edited to add a link that may motivate you to read Hirsch's beautifully difficult, exquisitely beautiful elegy, Gabriel: "A Masterpiece of Sorrow."

Violet Crown, I have been sending you and your husband good thoughts since I first saw your post. Since I last participated in a BaW thread, I've completed: ■Adult Literacy Handbook for Students and Tutors (Anita H. Pomerance; 1999. 141 pages. Non-fiction.) ■How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens (Benedict Carey; 2014. 272 pages. Non-fiction.) ■Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell; 2013. 448 pages. Fiction.) ■Don’t Try to Find Me (Holly Brown; 2014. 368 pages. Fiction.) This puts me at 74 for the year to date, which is about four off my ideal "Year of Reading Slowly" (i.e., two a week). My Lear reread was delayed, although we did see Larry Yando's wonderful performance last weekend. (Reviews of the CST's Lear here and here.)